General info | Seychelles
Airlines: Seychelles are served by regular airlines: Air France, Air Seychelles.
Airport(s) : L'aéroport international de Mahé (SEZ) se trouve à 10 Km au sud-est de Victoria.
Transfers: A pick-up and drop-off service can be provided by your hotel otherwise we will provide you an alternative arrangement.
Driving: Driving is on the left hand side of the road (our legacy from the British Colonial days). The speed limit follows the natural slow pace of the islands and varies between 40 km/h to 60 km/h depending on the area. For your information, to rent-a-car, you need a valid national or International Driving License. Please also note that Petrol Stations are not open 24 hours.
Passport: To enter the Seychelles the visitors must have a valid passport at least six months after the date of return, a return ticket or further travel and justification of the possession of sufficient funds to cover living expenses.
Visa: A three-month tourist visa will be issue free of charge by the police of the airport. If the stay exceeds three months, it will request a residence permit at the immigration service. It takes a period of about a week.
Customs: You can import in Seychelles without the payment of customs duty: 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250g tobacco, 1 liter of alcohol, 2 liters of wine or beer, 250 ml of eau de toilette and 10 cl perfume. The import, possession and consumption of narcotics are prohibited, and penalties for violators of the law are extremely heavy (30 years imprisonment).
To protect local ecosystems, all imports of plants (even as a tea) is subject to a health permit.
Tax: An airport tax of $ 50 per person, payable at your arrival at Mahe in foreign currencies.
Vaccination: The Seychelles are free of tropical diseases such as malaria, bilharzias, typhoid and dysentery. Being in the equatorial climate, you may occasionally encounter certain tropical insects that normally do not pose any hazard. The islands being located close to the Equator, exposure to the sun is particularly unsafe due to the strong U.V’s. We would therefore recommend that you bring a high protection cream (min. 25 SPF), a hat as well as sunglasses and to avoid direct exposure between 10.30 and 15.30. Finally, we would advise you to drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration.
Climate: The Seychelles’ climate is tropical (hot and humid all year), with temperatures between 24oC and 30oC.
Heavy rains may fall on the islands all year round, but especially when the monsoon blows from the northwest, from November to April, with a peak between mid-December and late January.
From May to October, when the trade winds blow from the southeast, the weather is cooler and drier and the winds are more violent. The sea may be rough, especially from July to September.
The coral islands generally receive less rainfall than the granite islands. The Seychelles are located just outside the "hurricane belt". However, from January to March, sometimes a hurricane hits the Farquhar islands, making very strong breathing winds and heavy rains on the rest of the archipelago.
Currency: The official currency of the Seychelles is known as the “Seychelles Rupee” (SCR). It is divided into 100 cents and is issued in the following denominations. Notes: SCR 100, SCR 50, SCR 25 and SCR 10.
Coins: SCR 5, SCR 1, 25 cents, 10 cents and 5 cents
Credit Cards: Major credit cards such as Diners club, Visa, Euro card and MasterCard are accepted at most hotels, restaurants and shops. For American Express cardholders, please liaise with your representatives.
Exchange Control: Please refrain from exchanging all your foreign currency at once, as you will only be able to reconvert a certain percentage on your departure. To do so, you are required to retain your receipt and use the same bankers.
Daily Exchange rates: www.mcb.mu
Tipping: Although not expected, tips are warmly received for exceptional personal service.
Culture: The Seychelles islands are made up of a cosmopolitan population. It is a colorful mix of folk, culture and religion. People come from different parts of the world including Africa, Europe and Asia, have contributed to a dynamic lifestyle and the charm of the Seychellois culture.
Language: Three official languages: Creole, English and French. All Seychellois speak Creole. A Creole Institute was created to preserve the language.
Cuisine: A large variety of fish and seafood; Indian rice; spices meals; exotics fruits.
Water: The tap water is perfectly safe and bottled mineral water is available.
Local Time: The Seychelles’ time is GMT +4. The time difference with France is three hours from late October to late March and two hours from late March to late October.
Public Holidays: Official: New Year’s Day – 1st & 2nd January - 1st May Labour Day – 5th June Liberation Day – 18th June National Day – 29th June Independence Day – Religious: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Corpus Christi, Assumption (La Digue Festival) August 15th- All Saints Day – 1st November - Immaculate Conception – December 8 - Christmas Day – 25th December
Security: Most hotels have safes at the reception or in rooms. Avoid walking alone at night and if you do so warn someone at your hotel.
Telecommunications: Seychelles has an efficient telecommunications service with direct dialing to most countries. Cable & Wireless and Airtel operate a 24-hour link for worldwide communications and have several coin and phonecard booths around the islands. Mobile phones (GSM) and Internet facilities are also available.
Internet: You will find Internet points on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue
Dodo Travel & Tours (Madagascar)
Tana Waterfront, Ambodivona
B.P 12125 Antaninarenina
Antananarivo 101 - Madagascar
Tél : + (261) 20 22 690 36
Fax: + (261) 20 22 257 05
Dodo Travel & Tours (Maurice)
Queen Mary Avenue, Floréal, Ile Maurice,
Tél: +(230) 698 68 09
Fax: +(230) 697 41 53
Emergency number for Ambulance, Fire or Police :999
Office du Tourisme (STB) - Bel Ombre - PO Box 1262-Victoria-Mahé
Tél : +248 67 13 00 - Fax : +248 62 06 20 / 62 06 40 - Email : info@seychelles.com
