Private Seychelles Airport to Beau Vallon Transfer

Seychelles International sits on the east coast of Mahé at Pointe Larue, and Beau Vallon is on the opposite, north-west side of the island. The drive from Seychelles airport to Beau Vallon is only 13 km, but it runs through the capital, Victoria, and over the hill behind it, so allow about 25 minutes, more in the rush hour.

Your driver meets you as you come out of arrivals at Seychelles International Airport, helps with the bags and drives you to your hotel door. A taxi from the rank outside does the same trip, and the public bus needs a change in Victoria with your luggage. A pre-booked transfer is one fixed price for the whole car, agreed before you fly, with a driver who tracks your flight.

Beau Vallon is Mahé's most popular beach, a wide bay with clear water for snorkelling and diving, and a natural base before or after the ferry to Praslin and La Digue.

From the terminal your driver heads north on the East Coast Road, the Providence Highway, past Cascade and Providence, then follows Bois de Rose Avenue along the reclaimed coast into Victoria, with Eden Island and the islands of the Sainte Anne Marine Park offshore. Victoria is small, but traffic from across the north of the island funnels through its centre, and this is where the time goes on a weekday morning or late afternoon.

From the centre the route climbs Saint Louis Road up the hillside behind the town, through the district of Saint Louis, then drops down the far side to Beau Vallon bay. That is the line on the diagram below: about 13 km. If the hill road is slow, your driver can go round the north coast through Glacis instead, a longer but scenic loop.

Mahé drives on the left. The UK Foreign Office describes its roads as narrow and winding, often with sheer drops and hairpin bends, not all with guardrails, and with deep open storm drains beside many of them. Potholes can appear suddenly after heavy rain. Local drivers handle these roads every day; they are a lot to take on in a hire car straight off a long-haul flight. Fuel and parking are included in your fixed price.

Allow about 25 minutes in normal traffic and up to 40 minutes at Victoria's busy times. Heavy tropical downpours can cut visibility quickly on the hill road, and drivers slow down when they do.

Seychelles International has an international terminal and, a short distance to the north, a domestic terminal for inter-island flights. After immigration, baggage reclaim and customs, walk out of the international arrivals hall, where your driver waits with a name sign. Taxis also wait outside the arrivals terminal. Every visitor needs a Seychelles travel authorisation before flying, from the official portal at seychelles.govtas.com.

Beau Vallon bay curves for a few kilometres along Mahé’s north-west coast, with hotels and guesthouses on the beach road and villas on the slopes behind. Every address is door to door. Some hillside drives are steep and narrow, so send us a map pin and tell us if your villa is up a private track, and we will match the vehicle to it.

The Seychelles is a year-round destination, and its weather follows two wind seasons rather than summer and winter. From about December to March the north-west monsoon blows onto Beau Vallon's side of the island, and the UK Foreign Office says west-coast beaches can be unsafe for swimming then. From about May to September the south-east trade winds make the east coast rough instead, and Beau Vallon is usually at its calmest.

Even in the calm months, Beau Vallon can have dangerous rip currents when the sea is rough, and lifeguards are few, so follow the warning signs and ask your hotel about conditions.

Heavy tropical downpours can arrive in any month. They cut visibility on the hill roads and leave potholes behind, which is one more reason to leave the driving to someone local on arrival day.

Christmas and New Year are popular weeks for hotels and ferries alike. If you are travelling then, book your transfer and your Cat Cocos tickets to Praslin early.