Island Hopping with Variety Cruises

Taking a Seychelles cruise offers a unique way to explore one of the world’s most remote and biodiverse island nations. It combines the comfort of small-ship travel with access to places that are difficult to reach independently.

Scattered across the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles is made up of 115 islands, each with its own character, from granite peaks and tropical forests to coral atolls and wildlife sanctuaries.

Traveling by small ship allows you to visit multiple islands in a single journey, while experiencing a mix of nature, culture, and history, and seeing firsthand the conservation efforts that protect this fragile environment.

It’s a relaxed yet immersive way to discover the archipelago’s highlights, all while unpacking only once and leaving the logistics to someone else.

---

An Intro to Variety Cruises in the Seychelles

---

Variety Cruises is a small-ship cruise company specializing in boutique voyages that emphasize cultural immersion, intimate group sizes, and access to destinations that larger ships cannot reach. Founded in the 1960s, the company has built a reputation for operating yachts and small cruise vessels that typically carry fewer than 75 passengers.

In the Seychelles, Variety Cruises operates the Pegasos, a 45-meter twin-hulled yacht that accommodates 40 passengers. Their 8-Day/7-Night Seychelles Cruise itinerary explores several islands, including Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, Curieuse, and smaller nature reserves such as Cousin and Moyenne.

It’s no secret that small ship travel is one of our favorite ways to explore island nations. Being on a small ship allows you to gain access to protected reserves and quiet anchorages that are often missed on larger cruise itineraries.

You can also linger on beaches for hours after the day-trip crowds leave. This makes cruising a practical way to experience the Seychelles.

The Cabins on the Pegasos

The cabins on the Pegasos are designed for comfort and functionality. They offer a relaxed base during a Seychelles cruise and are spread across three decks, featuring a range from cozy Category C cabins to larger Category A options.

All cabins feature en suite bathrooms, individually controlled air conditioning, flat-screen TVs, and storage space for luggage. Most cabins have portholes or windows, depending on their deck location, and are serviced daily by the onboard crew.

While not overly large, they are well laid out, providing everything needed for a comfortable stay, with the added benefit of spending most of the day exploring ashore or relaxing in shared spaces around the ship.

We had a Category B cabin and found it very comfortable. The cabins have recently undergone a remodel, so the décor was new, and the color scheme was very welcoming. The bathroom is small, but sufficient. One hot tip would be to bring a travel clothesline to hang wet things. The options are very limited otherwise.

The Food During Our Seychelles Cruise

Meals on the Pegasos are served in a casual, open-seating style and reflect a mix of international and local Seychelles-inspired cuisine. Breakfast was always a buffet with hot and cold options, while lunch and dinner were either buffets or set menus featuring fresh seafood, grilled meats, salads, and regional dishes prepared with local ingredients.

We enjoyed four outdoor barbecues during our cruise, three on deck and one on the beach. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal, with dining either in the indoor restaurant or on the shaded deck, and dietary preferences can be accommodated with advance notice.

Overall, the food was fantastic and very well presented. The hardest part was choosing what dishes to order!

What the Shore Excursions Are Like

We really enjoyed the balance of our days throughout our Seychelles cruise. Our days were a mix of active exploration and beach time, which is the perfect way to explore the islands.

One thing that really stood out was the beach time. There was always plenty of time when we made beach stops, and you never had to choose between enjoying the beaches or doing something else.

This is important, because the Seychelles is famous for its beaches!

The active exploration typically took place in the mornings, with the more relaxed beach outings happening in the afternoon.

Weather in the Seychelles

We visited in early July and had fantastic weather. Sure, the occasional rain cloud would come and go, but overall, the weather was sunny. We did have trade winds, which is very common in the Seychelles.

Your best chances for calm seas are March/April and October/November. That said, trade winds didn’t stop us from visiting, and we can recommend that it’s still a good time to visit. It is the tropics, after all.

Hot Tip: Sand flies are a HUGE issue in the Seychelles year-round. Bring bug spray with you to the beach and apply it. Avoid walking through seaweed and sargassum.

Are the Optional Shore Excursions Worth It?

Hands down, yes! These were the best tours we had during our Seychelles cruise. That said, there are only two optional tours on this itinerary that require additional payment and are not included as part of the itinerary.

They are the Valle de Mai excursion on Praslin Island and the L’Union Estate excursion on La Digue. Both are outsourced in partnership with Mason Travel, which is the largest and longest-standing tour company in the Seychelles.

They have excellent guides, and we learned so much about the sites we visited, the islands, and local culture during these tours.

Is a Seychelles Cruise a Better Value than Independent Travel?

Traveling independently in the Seychelles often means combining flights, inter-island ferries, or domestic flights, and accommodations spread across Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, and possibly outer islands. While this approach gives flexibility, it can quickly become expensive due to high hotel rates, meal costs, and the logistics of moving between islands.

A mid-range hotel on the main islands can easily cost $200–400 per night, with luxury resorts charging much more. Add in the price of local transfers, guided tours, and entrance fees, and the daily cost for two travelers can reach several hundred dollars even before factoring in international airfare.

Independent travelers also need to plan and book each leg of the trip in advance to ensure availability, especially during peak season.

In contrast, joining a Variety Cruises itinerary on the Pegasos offers a more streamlined and often more cost-effective way to explore multiple islands in one trip. The cruise fare includes accommodation, all meals, inter-island transportation, and access to remote destinations that are otherwise complicated or expensive to reach independently, such as Curieuse or Cousin Island.

While the upfront cost of a week-long cruise may appear high, it bundles many of the expenses that independent travelers would pay separately, often adding up to a comparable or even higher total.

The cruise also reduces the stress of coordinating logistics, with guided excursions and cultural experiences built in, while still allowing time for independent exploration during shore visits. For travelers wanting to see a wide range of islands with minimal planning, a small-ship cruise can provide both cost savings and convenience.

---

Overview of Our 8-Day Seychelles Cruise

---

Arriving in Seychelles & Pre-Cruise

Due to the long travel time to get from the USA to the Seychelles, we chose to arrive a day early.

Staying overnight before the cruise ensured there was no risk of missing embarkation due to delays, and it also provided a chance for us to begin experiencing the islands right away.

Arriving in the Seychelles, we landed at Seychelles International Airport on Mahé and were whisked away by our transfer to the JA Enchanted Island Resort.

The JA Enchanted Island Resort is a luxury retreat set on a private island within the Sainte Anne Marine National Park, and only a 15-minute boat ride from Mahé. There are also plenty of other options on Mahe to choose from, but staying on a private island was an incredible way to start our trip.

Day 1 – Joining Variety Cruises in Mahe

We enjoyed a late check-out at the JA Enchanted Island Resort and then made our way to the Victoria Port in Mahe to embark on the Pegasos ship with Variety Cruises for the next 8 days in the Seychelles.

The check-in procedure included a welcome briefing, safety instructions, and a chance to settle into our cabin before departure. The small-ship size of the Pegasos made the process more relaxed compared to the larger cruise lines we’ve experienced.

We enjoyed a welcome drink on deck while the ship set sail away from Victoria’s harbor and the surrounding mountains of Mahé.

Day 2 – Curieuse Island, Seychelles

One of the major advantages of choosing a Seychelles cruise is that you can visit places that are otherwise hard or expensive to reach. This includes the stunning and interesting Curieuse Island.

The island is best known for its population of Aldabra giant tortoises, which were introduced in the late 1970s from Aldabra Atoll as part of a conservation program to establish a second population. Today, hundreds roam freely, and we were able to observe them up close near the ranger station at Baie Laraie.

We then set off on the main walking route along the Baie Laraie to Anse Jose Nature Trail. It winds for 1.7 kilometers through mangrove forests, coastal woodland, and rocky viewpoints showcasing Curieuse’s unique ecosystems.

The trail ends at the historic Doctor’s House Museum at Anse Jose, once part of a 19th-century leper colony. Once we arrived, we enjoyed a beach barbecue before spending the entire afternoon enjoying the white sand stretches of Anse Jose.

One of the advantages of visiting by cruise is that we had the entire beach to ourselves once the day trip boats departed.

Day 3 – Praslin Island, Seychelles

This morning, our itinerary was supposed to include a visit to the remote Aride Island. However, the weather had other ideas. High winds and large seas left the captain with no choice but to alter our itinerary.

This meant an extra day of exploring Praslin Island, so we weren’t complaining! But this is a reminder that the weather and seas can be temperamental in the Seychelles, so you should always have an open mind and be prepared to go with the flow if there are changes.

Instead, we spent the day exploring a mix of culture, daily life, and two of Praslin’s most beautiful beaches. We started at the Praslin Museum, the island’s first cultural heritage site, where we learned about traditional Seychellois life through exhibits on local medicine, food, and music. We even tried our hand at coconut dehusking.

After our museum visit, we were set loose to spend the rest of the morning enjoying Côte d’Or, also known as Anse Volbert. This small town is the main tourist hub on Praslin Island and one of the island’s most popular beaches. We spent our time walking the street and visiting the local shops before heading back to the ship.

In the afternoon, we visited Anse Lazio. This beach is often considered one of Praslin’s most scenic beaches. It is framed by granite boulders and lined with takamaka and palm trees. Our visit was lovely, and we had no problems relaxing on the beach, playing around the boulders, and swimming to cool off.

Day 4 – Cousin Island, Seychelles

Our visit to Cousin Island was one of the highlights of our Seychelles cruise itinerary. Located about 2 kilometers off the coast of Praslin, Cousin Island is a small granitic island recognized as one of the Seychelles’ most important nature reserves.

Originally a coconut plantation, the island was purchased by BirdLife International in 1968 to protect the endangered Seychelles warbler, whose population had dwindled to just a handful of birds.  Spoiler alert, we saw one during our visit!

Intensive conservation management transformed Cousin Island into a thriving sanctuary, and today the island supports more than 300,000 nesting seabirds. This includes rare endemic land birds such as the Seychelles magpie-robin, fody, and sunbird.

It is also an important nesting site for hawksbill and green turtles, which come ashore to lay their eggs on its beaches. Cousin Island was declared the first internationally owned reserve in the world and is now managed by Nature Seychelles.

Visiting Cousin Island is only possible on guided tours, which are strictly controlled to limit human impact. We were transferred from the ship to meet the ranger boats, which landed us directly on the beach. From there, we were led in small groups by rangers along well-maintained trails through mangrove forests, coastal woodland, and open clearings.

We observed nesting seabirds at close range, saw giant tortoises roaming freely, and learned about the island’s conservation history and ongoing restoration projects. The visit lasted about 90 minutes.

If you like wildlife, especially birds, this visit will be a highlight for any Seychelles itinerary. I know it was for us.

Day 5 – Praslin Island, Seychelles

Back on Praslin Island, we joined the optional morning excursion to Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its ancient palm forest and the endemic coco de mer, which produces the world’s largest seed.

The reserve covers 19.5 hectares and is also home to several rare species, including the Seychelles black parrot, the national bird of the Seychelles. The parrot can be tricky to see, but if you move slowly and pack a bit of luck, you might see it. We did!

In the afternoon, we visited Anse Georgette, one of the island’s most remote beaches. It is only accessible by booking in advance through the Constance Lemuria Resort, something that was included on our Seychelles cruise with Variety Cruises.

The beach is undeveloped and quiet, which makes it ideal for swimming and enjoying the natural surroundings before returning to the ship.

Day 6 – La Digue, Seychelles

Our day started with a visit to L’Union Estate on La Digue Island, a former coconut and vanilla plantation that now functions as both a cultural site and a nature park. We visited the old copra mill powered by oxen, walked through a small vanilla plantation, and visited the colonial-era plantation house before heading to see the resident giant tortoises.

With packed lunches in hand that were provided by the ship, we set off for an afternoon at the famed Anse Source d’Argent. This beach is located within L’Union Estate and is one of the Seychelles’ most iconic beaches. It is known worldwide for its dramatic granite boulders, shallow turquoise lagoon, and long stretch of soft sand.

Before heading back to the ship, we had some free time to visit La Passe, the main village on La Digue. We walked around and took in the local island life. The small harbor area is where most ferries and boats arrive, and it’s lined with shops, cafes, and bicycle rentals, which are the main way to get around the island. It’s also a good place to pick up souvenirs.

Day 7 – Moyenne Island, Seychelles

On the morning of our last day, we set off to explore Moyenne Island. Located in Sainte Anne Marine National Park just off the coast of Mahé, it is one of the smallest yet most historically rich islands in the Seychelles.

Covering only about 24 hectares, it was uninhabited until 1910, when it was purchased by various private owners. Its most famous resident was Brendon Grimshaw, a British editor who bought the island in 1962 and lived there until his death in 2012.

During our visit, we explored the island on foot via well-marked trails that circle through the forest, past old ruins, and along the coastline with viewpoints over the marine park. Once we had thoroughly explored the island and visited the museum, we headed to the beach for some relaxation.

Back onboard, we enjoyed a deck BBQ and were offered the chance to snorkel within Sainte Anne National Park.

The last day of our Seychelles cruise was capped off with a farewell dinner. The week went by fast, and our evening was spent reminiscing with our new friends over our incredible times spent in the Seychelles.

Day 8 – Back to Victoria, Mahe & Disembarkation

After eight incredible days of exploring the Seychelles by yacht with Variety Cruises, we had come full circle with our arrival back to Mahe.

Returning to the port, we collected our luggage and said our goodbyes to our new friends. Our flight out of Mahe was scheduled to leave in the wee early morning hours, so we booked a room at the Runway Lodge near the airport.

They were kind enough to let us check in early and relax at their property all day. We even got a few hours of sleep before finally heading to the airport at 1:30 am.

The Seychelles were incredible and everything we had dreamed of, but we were off to another adventure.

Our trip to Seychelles was in partnership with Variety Cruises. However, all opinions, stories, advice, and insane love for this amazing itinerary are 100% ours, as always.

You Might Also Like:

Did you like this story? Share it!