Seychelles island hopping runs on the Cat Cocos ferry: 1 hour 15 minutes from Mahé to Praslin, then 15 minutes on to La Digue. If you are short on time, a day tour from Mahé covers both. For the closer marine park islands, including Moyenne, there is no ferry at all, so you go on a boat tour.
Seychelles island hopping comes in two very different shapes. The big hops, Mahé to Praslin and La Digue, run on scheduled ferries and flights, and you can do them yourself. The small hops, out to the islands of the Ste Anne Marine Park a few kilometres off Victoria, have no public transport at all. For those you take a boat tour.
This guide covers both, and when a day tour beats doing it yourself.
| Route | How | Time | Do it yourself? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahé to Praslin | Cat Cocos ferry or Air Seychelles flight | 1 h 15 min by ferry | Yes |
| Praslin to La Digue | Ferry | 15 min | Yes |
| Mahé to La Digue | Cat Cocos, direct or via Praslin | 1 h 10 min / 1 h 45 min | Yes |
| Mahé to Moyenne and the Ste Anne islands | Tour boat or private charter | 10 to 15 min | No public ferry |
| Praslin to Curieuse and St Pierre | Tour boat from Côte d’Or | About 20 min | Through local operators |
| La Digue or Praslin to Ile Cocos | Tour boat | About 10 min from La Digue | Through local operators |
Crossing times are from Cat Cocos and SPGA, checked in October 2026.
Cat Cocos has run fast ferries between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue since 1998. On Mahé they leave from the Inter-Island Quay in Victoria, a short walk from the town centre and about 12 minutes’ drive from the airport without traffic. On Praslin some sailings stop at the jetty at Baie Ste Anne. Cat Cocos’s published crossing times:
Times. Cat Cocos posts its timetable only as an image on its schedule page and Facebook, so check there rather than trusting third-party times. When we looked at Ferryscanner, a reseller, in October 2026, the first Victoria to Praslin sailing was at 08:00 and the last at 16:30.
Tickets and fares. Cat Cocos does not print fares on its website. Prices appear in rupees in its online booking system once you pick a sailing, so we do not publish a fare table. The booking system offers three classes: Coco de Mer (economy), Island Hopper Upper Deck (economy) and Lazio Lounge (business). Adults are 12 to 62, with separate fares for over-63s and for children from 2 to under 12. Infants under 2 travel free but still need a ticket. Booking online carries no service fee.
Cat Cocos’s ticket rules, checked October 2026:
| Rule | What the terms say |
|---|---|
| Boarding | Be at the boarding point 30 minutes before departure |
| Checked bags | Register at the Cargo Department 1 hour before departure |
| Free luggage, non-residents | 25 kg in economy, 30 kg in business; 32 kg maximum per suitcase |
| Hand luggage | One piece under 7 kg, up to 50 x 30 x 20 cm |
| Changing a ticket | One change up to 1 hour before departure, SCR 25 per ticket |
| Cancelling | At least 48 hours ahead; refunds need approval and 25% is kept |
Seasickness is not accepted as a reason to cancel. The crossing is open water, and in the southeast trade-wind months, roughly May to September, it gets choppy. If you are prone to seasickness, travel in the calmer months or fly. Our best time to visit guide explains the seasons.
Air Seychelles flies between Mahé and Praslin on Twin Otter aircraft and says it runs up to 30 round trips a day. The domestic terminal is a two-minute walk from the international one, which makes flying the easier option if you are going straight to Praslin from a long-haul flight. There is no airport on La Digue.
La Digue covers just 10 km², and bicycles are the main transport. You hire them near the ferry pier at La Passe. On Praslin, the Vallée de Mai (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, home of the coco de mer palm) sits in the middle of the island. Boats to Curieuse leave from Côte d’Or, about 20 minutes each way.
If you are based on Mahé and have only one day for Praslin and La Digue, a tour is simpler. It handles the ferries and the transfers on each island, some include entry tickets, and it brings you back the same evening.
The four day tours we checked on GetYourGuide in October 2026 (prices in USD):
The cheaper Praslin tour saves money by skipping the forest, which is the main reason to go to Praslin. Read the listing before you book.
Take the ferry yourself if you want to stay a night or two, see Curieuse or Ile Cocos, or move at your own pace. Take a tour if you have one day, want lunch and transport sorted, or would rather not deal with timetables.
The closest island hopping in Seychelles starts in Victoria’s harbour. The Ste Anne Marine National Park has six islands about 5 km off Mahé: Ste Anne, Moyenne, Round, Long, Ile Cachée and Cerf. They are not all open to visitors. SPGA says access to Ste Anne and Round is restricted because hotels occupy them, and Ile Cachée is a nature reserve.
The islands day visitors usually land on are Cerf, where many tours stop for a barbecue lunch, and Moyenne Island, the reason this site exists. A few tours also stop on the sandbank by Round and Long islands. Moyenne is a small national park where Brendon Grimshaw planted thousands of trees and raised giant tortoises. A 30-minute trail loops the island.
There is no ferry. Tours leave from Victoria and Eden Island Marina, with hotel pickups around north Mahé, and some combine Moyenne, Cerf and the sandbank in one day of glass-bottom boat viewing and snorkelling. The park fee is Rs 200 per non-resident aged 12 and over (SPGA, October 2026), and Moyenne charges a separate landing fee that most tours include. See how to visit Moyenne for the details, or compare boats on our tours page.
One week. Three nights on Mahé (marine park and Moyenne, Victoria, a hike; see where to stay in Mahé), then ferry to Praslin for two nights (Vallée de Mai, Curieuse), then 15 minutes on to La Digue for two nights (bikes, Anse Source d’Argent, Ile Cocos).
Five days, one base. Stay on Mahé. Do the marine park and Moyenne on day two, a Praslin and La Digue day tour on day three, and keep the rest for Mahé’s beaches and trails.
Two days on Mahé. Skip the long ferries. Spend one day on the water in the Ste Anne Marine Park and one in Victoria and the hills.
11 hours
A long catamaran day that goes inside the Vallée de Mai forest on Praslin, then takes an ox-cart to L'Union Estate and Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue.
from$298
Check availability10 hours
A two-island day that walks you through the Vallée de Mai's coco de mer forest before a swim at Anse Source d'Argent.
from$284
Check availability8 hours
Ferry tickets, a bike and L'Union Estate entry, then a free day to cycle La Digue at your own pace.
from$171
Check availability6-6.5 hours
The cheapest and most-booked marine park day: glass-bottom boat from Eden Island, snorkelling, the Round and Long Island sandbank, a stop at Moyenne and a beach barbecue on Cerf.
from$84
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
By Cat Cocos ferry or by plane. The ferry leaves from the Inter-Island Quay in Victoria and takes 1 hour 15 minutes to Praslin's Baie Ste Anne jetty. Air Seychelles flies Twin Otter planes between the two islands and says it runs up to 30 round trips a day, with the domestic terminal a short walk from international arrivals.
According to Cat Cocos, 1 hour 10 minutes on a direct sailing and 1 hour 45 minutes on sailings that stop at Praslin first. From Praslin, the hop to La Digue takes about 15 minutes. Check the current Cat Cocos timetable before you plan, because only some sailings go direct and the schedule is only published as an image.
Cat Cocos does not print fares on its website. Prices show in rupees in its online booking system at catcocos.com once you choose a date and sailing, and they vary by class: two economy options (Coco de Mer and the Island Hopper Upper Deck) and the Lazio Lounge business class. Over-63s and children have their own fares, and infants under 2 travel free with a ticket.
Yes, on an organised tour from Mahé. The ones we checked on GetYourGuide in October 2026 ran 10 to 11 hours and cost $223 to $298. They include the ferries, lunch and transport. Check whether the Vallée de Mai visit goes inside the forest, because at least one cheaper tour only stops outside it.
No. There is no public ferry to Moyenne or the other Ste Anne Marine Park islands, and Moyenne has no jetty. You visit on a boat tour from Victoria or Eden Island, or by private charter. The crossing takes 10 to 15 minutes, and most tours include the marine park fee and Moyenne's separate landing fee.
Most things to do in Seychelles sit on three islands.
The best time to visit Seychelles is April to May or October to November.
The best Seychelles snorkeling is inside the marine parks.
Sainte Anne Marine National Park is a protected area of sea and six islands about 5 km off Mahé, a 10-minute boat ride from Victoria.