Takamaka rum distillery: tours, hours and tasting

The Takamaka rum distillery runs free guided tours six days a week from La Plaine St André, an old plantation house on Mahé’s east coast. It is 7 km south of the airport on the East Coast Road. You pay only for the tasting, which cost SCR 175 per person in October 2026, and two Aldabra giant tortoises live in the grounds.

Opening hours, tours and tasting prices

Checked October 2026 (takamakarum.com, “Our Home” page).

The site lists no Sunday hours, so plan your visit for a weekday or Saturday. Arrive a little before a tour time so you don’t wait an hour for the next one.

What you see

La Plaine St André was built in 1792 by the Jorre de St Jorre family, who settled on Mahé’s east coast in the late 18th century. In the 1900s the estate grew cinnamon, vanilla, coconut and patchouli for export. Vanilla had been a key Seychelles export since it arrived in 1866, but since the 1960s it has been grown only for the home market.

The rum side is much newer. In 2008, after four years of campaigning, Trois Frères Distillery won a 50-year lease on the estate, and Takamaka rum is made there now.

Two Aldabra giant tortoises, Taka and Maka, live in the grounds. If tortoises are high on your list, they are a nice extra here, but the real tortoise day out is Moyenne Island, where dozens roam free across Brendon Grimshaw’s old island. Our giant tortoise guide lists every place to see them.

Getting there

Takamaka’s own directions: drive south from the airport on the East Coast Road for 7 km, and turn right at the Takamaka sign. From Victoria, carry on past the airport. We could not confirm from SPTC’s timetable which bus stop is nearest, so a car, taxi or driver is simpler.

One more reason to skip the hire car on this trip: the UK government’s travel advice for Seychelles flags drink-driving as a problem and describes the roads as narrow and winding with sheer drops. If you plan to do the tasting, let someone else drive.

The Seychelles Mahé Island Tour is a private driver-guide who shapes the day around your list, mixing beaches, mountain roads, Victoria and Creole food stops. Ask for the distillery and the south coast beaches and you have a full day without driving. It was from $155 per group of up to 3 on GetYourGuide (October 2026), rated 4.8 from 203 reviews. The distillery’s tours are free, so you only pay for the tasting on top.

Combine it with the south-east coast

The distillery sits between the airport and the southern beaches, which makes it an easy stop on a south Mahé day:

• Anse Royale: reef-sheltered beach a short drive south, with shore snorkelling at Fairyland.
• Anse Intendance: the wild surf beach in the far south, best for looking rather than swimming from May to September.

A sensible order is the 11:00 tour, lunch at the Rum Shack or in Anse Royale, then the beaches in the afternoon.

Where it fits with a Moyenne trip

The marine park boats leave from Victoria and Eden Island, north of the airport, so the distillery and Moyenne are separate days. Do the boat day when the sea is calm and keep the distillery for a windy one, when a boat trip would be choppier.

If you are still deciding where to base yourself, our where to stay in Mahé guide compares the areas near the boats and down the east coast. For other ideas, see things to do in Mahé.