We see a lot of great places while traveling, but every now and then there’s this place that steals our heart. La Digue is one of those places. The island is simply stunning. The best beaches, a relaxed atmosphere and not that much traffic – most people are on foot or by bycicle. Combine that with excellent street food & great snorkeling and you’ve got a winner.
Though it is the fourth largest island of the Seychelles, La Digue is actually really tiny: it’s 5 km long and 3 km wide. The main town is La Passe, where the majority of it’s 2200 inhabitants live. It’s also where the ferry lands. The small size of the island makes it ideal for cycling. You can get from north to south in just about 20 minutes and for us it was a welcome break from walking around in the tropical heat. Us Belgians, we do love our bicycles 🙂
Beachhopping is what you’ll do mostly on La Digue. Let us take you on a small tour around the island.
As you can see on the map above, you arrive by ferry at La Passe. We stayed in the beautiful small hotel Cabanes des Anges – which we can higly recommend! It’s walking distance from the ferry terminal, has a lovely pool, helpfull staff & they serve the best breakfast!
1. Anse Sévère
Probably our favourite beach on the island. It’s a great place to watch the sunset, it has a lovely beach bar; excellent snorkeling and it looks stunning.
As its name suggests, it’s not a quiet beach. As most beaches on this island (Anse Source d’Argent being the only exception), you can experience some currents here. There are a lot of rocks underneath the surface. Combined with the waves that’s not always the easiest combination. The beaches on the west coast are protected by a coral reef barrier, but those on the east coast (Grande, Petite & Cocos) are even rougher. It’s strongly advised not to go swimming there.
2. Anse Patates
Great for snorkeling & one of the best spots to see sea turtles. Due to strong waves and sharp rocks, not easy to get in; but once you’ve passed those first few meters it gets better.
It’s a tiny beach; so make sure you come early if you want to secure a shaded spot.
3. Anse Fourmis
The bikeride there is great! You pass several tiny, secluded stretches of sand and every now and then a giant turtle who’s up fore some feeding.
4. Anse Source d’Argent & l’Union Estate
It’s often described as the most beautiful beach in the world, and we can see why. Crystal clear waters surround a white sandy beach, granite rocks & lush tropical vegetation align its shores.
To get there, you have to go through l’Union Estate, a former coconut & vanilla plantation where you can learn a few things about the history of the island. Entering is not free, but if you buy your ticket after 4PM you can watch the sunset on Anse Source d’Argent and head back with the same ticket the morning after.
5. Grande Anse
The beaches on the eastern side of the island are not protected by coral reef, so the surf is a lot rougher than on the other side of the island. You can cycle to Grande Anse and hike to the other beaches. They are all connected by a beautiful hiking trail that climbs up & down in the lush vegetation.
6. Petite Anse
7. Anse Cocos
The nicest of the three if you ask us. It’s a horseshoe shaped beach, quite big, with a lovely juice bar and a cute swing. We sat down in the surf, blown away by the massive waves crashing down and simply relaxed for a couple of hours there.
8. Rey & Josh take-away
At the end of the road along the Veuve Nature Reserve, you find the best take-away of the Seychelles. Go early to have the biggest selection: everything is fresh and the later it gets, the more dishes are sold out.
9. Veuve Nature Reserve
Worth a stop if you want to look for the stunning Black Paradise Flycatcher. Maarten spotted two, but they are very quick and not easy to photograph. You’ll also see a lot of fruit bats there. Bring mosquito repellent – much needed!
We stayed on La Digue for 3 days. It was enough to explore the island, but we wouldn’t have minded a few more days there, to explore Anse Marron for instance or to book a boat trip from La Digue to one of the smaller islands nearby. And we simply loved the relaxed atmosphere there. For us it’s a must-do when you’re visiting the Seychelles; you won’t regret it!
We have one more blogpost on the Seychelles coming up soon, taking you to Praslin. A totally different vibe, but paradise as well!
