Eden Island, Seychelles: the marina, the boats and what to do

Eden Island is a man-made island on the east coast of Mahé, joined to the main island by a bridge at Roche Caiman, between Victoria and the airport. Most of it is private housing. Visitors come for two reasons: the shops and restaurants of Eden Plaza, and the marina, where several of the boat trips into the Ste Anne Marine National Park start.

If you’re planning a trip to Moyenne, Eden Island is one of only two departure areas on Mahé. The other is the quays in Victoria.

What Eden Island is

The island was “specifically created” as part of Phase III of the East Coast Project, off Roche Caiman, according to a Seychelles Nation report from May 2006. That report covered the bridge to Mahé being finished, which opened the island to traffic and ended the need to ferry workers and materials across by boat.

The developer describes the result as “a man-made island” of over 40 hectares, plus more than 16 hectares of private waterways. It counts almost 600 homes, from apartments to duplex “maisons” and villas, and says every owner has access to a private mooring. Other sources give different sizes: the Seychelles Nation said 48 hectares in 2006, and Kreol Magazine said 56 hectares in total in 2013.

The residential area, Eden Village, with its club house, pools and tennis court, is private. Eden Plaza, the shopping area, and the marina are where visitors go.

What to do on Eden Island

Eden Plaza

Eden Plaza is the commercial area next to the marina. The developer describes more than 9,000 m² of restaurants, a supermarket, delis, boutiques and coffee shops. It’s an easy place to pick up supplies before a boat trip or eat after one. Charter firms such as Elegant Yachting and Coco Charters are listed in the plaza’s directory, although that directory looks out of date, so check with the firm before you go.

Boat trips from Eden Island Marina

This is where the island earns its place in a Moyenne plan. Trips leaving Eden Island include:

• Semi-submarine, 1 hour. You sit in an underwater cabin and watch the reef through windows. Our top pick for families with small children or anyone who doesn’t swim: the Eden Island semi-submarine tour, from $62 on GetYourGuide, rated 4.5 from 214 reviews (checked October 2026). It does not land on Moyenne.
• Clear boat, 2 hours. A fully transparent boat with a swim at one of the park’s reefs, from $112, rated 4.9 from 43 reviews. No Moyenne landing either.
• Glass-bottom day trips. One shared glass-bottom day listed on KOEK snorkels in the park, stop on Cerf Island for a Creole barbecue lunch and visit Moyenne in the afternoon. The cheapest on GetYourGuide is $84, but its listing says the Moyenne trail fee is paid extra on site.
• Private charters. Footprint Charter runs half and full days into the park, including Moyenne and Cerf, for groups of 4 to 5.

Moyenne is about 4 km north-east of the marina in a straight line, and Cerf about 2.5 km. Our how to visit Moyenne guide explains the fees and what a full day looks like.

Cerf Island by water taxi

L’Habitation, a small hotel on Cerf, runs its own taxi boat from Eden Island for its guests, and Club Med’s boat to Ste Anne leaves from a jetty here, according to an agent listing. We found no public scheduled water taxi for day visitors.

Staying on Eden Island

Eden Bleu Hotel is the island’s hotel, beside Eden Plaza and about 0.4 km from the marina. It suits travellers without a car: you can walk to the boats, the shops and the restaurants. Creole Travel Services lists an Eden Island pickup for its Moyenne catamaran at 9:25 am. Book it on Booking.com or through the official site.

Private owners and agencies also let apartments and villas on the island, which suit families who want a kitchen. Our where to stay in Mahé guide compares Eden Island with Beau Vallon, Victoria and the other areas.

Getting to Eden Island

From the airport: about 7.5 km, about 9 minutes without traffic (OSRM route planner on OpenStreetMap data).

From Victoria: about 4.4 km from the Inter-Island Quay, about 7 minutes without traffic. Mahé’s roads are narrow and Victoria gets busy, so treat both times as a minimum.

By bus: SPTC routes 3 and 30 run from Victoria to Roche Caiman, the nearest stops for Eden Island (weekday timetable, August 2026). Buses are cashless. A visitor pass costs SCR 100 for one day, SCR 198 for four days and SCR 363 for eight, sold at the airport (sptc.sc, checked October 2026).

By taxi: the last published cap (May 2023) on Mahé was R50 for the first kilometre and R40 for each kilometre after that. We found no later revision, so confirm the fare with the driver before you set off.

Parking: a third-party guide mentions an underground car park at Eden Plaza. We could not confirm whether day visitors may use it or what it costs.

See the map of Mahé for Eden Island’s position relative to Victoria, the airport and the marine park islands.