Trip readiness checklist for Seychelles
The Seychelles are expensive, slow and heart-stoppingly beautiful, and the rules are mostly about protecting the beaches you came for. Here's the trip-readiness checklist for Seychelles: what to pack, when to go, entry rules for your passport, and the official sources to confirm before you fly.
Build my checklistWhat to pack
The Seychelles are the beach photos that look retouched and aren't. Pack barefoot-luxury light: swim kit, sun protection, and shoes that can handle a granite-boulder scramble to the next cove.
Reef-safe sunscreen — lots
Equatorial sun plus all-day water time; it's pricey to buy locally, so bring your supply.
Water shoes or grippy sandals
The famous granite boulders and reef flats are hard on bare feet.
Light, quick-dry clothing
Warm and humid year-round; nothing heavy earns its place.
Dry bag for island hopping
Ferries and boat trips between Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue get splashy.
When to go
April–May and October–November — the calm between trade winds — are the sweet spots: glassy water, great visibility. December–January is warm, wetter, and holiday-busy. It never gets 'crowded' so much as 'booked out' — reserve early regardless.
Money & getting around
Seychelles uses the rupee (SCR); cards work at hotels and restaurants, but small vendors and the La Digue bike-rental economy prefer cash. It's a premium destination — budget accordingly and book inter-island ferries ahead. Hire bikes on La Digue; cars barely exist there, which is the point.
Local quirks worth knowing
The Seychelles are expensive, slow and heart-stoppingly beautiful, and the rules are mostly about protecting the beaches you came for.
Everything is imported, so everything costs
Groceries and restaurants run at European prices or above. Self-catering with market fish is the affordable way to eat well.
Coco de mer needs a permit
Buying the famous nut is legal only with an official permit and tag. Without it, customs takes it at the airport.
Buses are the island transport
Mahé and Praslin run cheap public buses; they stop early evening. Taxis are dear; a rental car is worth it for a few days.
Hire a car, drive on the left
Narrow, steep, winding. Book ahead in season; there are fewer cars than visitors.
Do not touch the tortoises
Or the coral, or the shells on the beach. Rangers on the islands enforce it, and the fines are not small.
A week in Seychelles, the list starts here
Quantities scale with your dates, the weather groups arrive once we have your travel days, and your own plans add their gear on Trip Pass.
- Passport & travel documents1
- Phone charger & adapter1
- Wallet, cards & some local cash1
- Toiletries bag1
- Any daily medicationsenough for the trip
- Underwear7
- Socks7
- T-shirts / tops5
What am I forgetting?
A real answer from Trip Happens for a sample week in Seychelles, departing in five weeks with a checked bag and nothing packed yet. Yours is built from your own trip.
Five weeks out, one week of islands, nothing packed yet.
- 1.
Inter-island ferry seats
October is the calm-season sweet spot, which means boats and rooms get booked out rather than crowded. If your week involves Praslin or La Digue, reserve the ferries now rather than on arrival.
- 2.
Rupees in actual cash
Cards cover hotels and restaurants, but the La Digue bike-rental economy and small vendors want SCR in hand. Sort out how you'll get cash before you're standing next to a bicycle.
- 3.
Sun kit and grippy shoes
Your five unpacked essentials list comfortable everyday shoes, which won't help on a wet granite-boulder scramble between coves. Add sun protection, swim kit, and something with real grip to the checked bag.
Entry, advisories & health
These change. Confirm at the official source before you book.
Entry and visa requirements depend on your nationality. Confirm the current rules for Seychelles with the official source below before you book.
U.S. State Department travel advisory for Seychelles — check the current level and any alerts before you go.
CDC traveler health page for Seychelles — recommended vaccines, health notices, and a packing checklist.
Get the full Seychelles checklist
Add your dates and passport and we build the complete, checkable list: weather-aware packing, crowd forecasts, entry rules for your passport, and free advisory alerts if anything changes before you fly. Free, no sign-up needed.
Start my trip