La Digue is a dreamy island in Africa with impressive granite boulders, fine white sands and dream like clear blue waters. This tropical paradise is the perfect place to enjoy immaculate beaches, wild nature trails and meet the cute tortoise of Seychelles.
The island is unique in so many ways, it is composed of granite rock. La Digue island has some of the best examples of these unique, weathered granite boulder formations that help make its beaches so beautiful. This is the perfect place to relax and forget all your worries. On the island you’ll find only a few cars (although the number is increasing yearly) and here both locals and tourists get around via bicycle. Which is absolutely awesome! I have to admit that I kinda became addicted to the chill life of La Digue.
how to get to La Digue
Even this is a remote island it is very well connected with the main islands. The island is too small for a commercial airport, but there is heliport Zil Air that offers tourists private transfers to and from the island. But you also can come by ferry which from Praslin it takes around 15 minutes to arrive.
how to move around
Because the island is so small the best way to explore it is by bicycle. The bicycle is the best option for taking in the stunning surroundings at a slow pace. You can rent a bike from an agency or from your hotel. The prices are around $11 (SCR150) to $15 (SCR200) per person per day.
best time to visit La Digue and how much you should stay
There are so many exciting things to do on the island that you could easily spend a month or even more here, that’s how dazzling it is! However most of people spend around 3 days on the island which is enough time to see many of the beautiful places. In 3 days, you’ll get to visit the best beaches in La Digue, explore the island on a bicycle, meet many tortoise and have milkshake with the most impressive views.
La Digue region is tropical, meaning there’s humid summers and warm winters. The wettest months of the year are generally December, January and February and believe me.. it rains a lot. With the summer months of June, July and August being the driest months of the year. But I am talking here from experience, the dry season is not that dry, so bring with you a rain coat, for just in case.
RIDE AROUND THE ISLAND
While there are more and more cars making their way here every year, to explore the island by bike is still the coolest way to get around. We enjoyed very much our bicycle experience. Just be ready for many photo opportunities because the route takes you along the sea.
We rented our bikes from the hotel we stayed for 150 SCR. It should take you a maximum of 2 hours to cycle from one end to the other end as a majority of the land here is covered with granite boulders and can only be accessed via hiking. All the trail is incredibly beautiful and at the ending is this wonderful beach from where you can reach Anse Cocos by hiking.
top things to do
- bike tours
- snorkelling & kayaking
- meet tortoises
- drink coconut water
SPOT A GIANT TORTOISE
The main reason why this island is so famous is of course The Aldabra giant tortoises. While you walk on the island you can meet them literally anywhere : at the beach, in the middle of the road, when you have milkshake at a bar. We had so much fun with them.
My personal recommendation is to take a bike and roam around L’Union Estate and Giant Union Rock where you have the most chances to meet them. We absolutely loved to spend time with them how they’re so gentle and cute. When I met my first one in the middle on the road it was also the day of my birthday, so it made my day pretty special.
La Digue is a remote and peaceful place and you may think there’s not a whole lot going on. But once you start exploring the island you’ll see that there is so much to do that you can easily spend 2 weeks and still have so much left to see. This is an island so there are plenty of awesome beaches to go to. Many beaches on the island are not ideal for swimming, as the underwater current is very strong, but you can find some that are safer for swimming. Here I share my favourite ones:
beaches to visit in La Digue
- Anse Source D’Argent
- Anse Patates
- Grand Anse
ANSE SOURCE D’ARGENT
The most famous beach on La Digue is of course Anse Source D’Argent and is a must-see for any traveller and it would be a shame to come to the island without visiting this spot. In fact, even National Geographic found Anse Source d’Argent to be the most magnificent place on La Digue and how not with the impressive granite rock formations and turquoise water lagoon.
entrance fee
In order to have access at the beach you have to pay $8 (SCR115) and then you walk through the park of L’Union Estate. The park is very beautiful and you can walk or use the bicycle. There are old coconut mills and giant tortoises!
ANSE PATATES
Next beach on this list is Anse Patates. This is one of the most incredible beach, perfect to spend a few hours at. Unlike Anse Source d’Argent, the access is free. This is also the beach that has some of the bluest water I’ve ever laid my eyes on. At each headland, towering granite boulders pile up to form natural, protected walls that are connected by a string of coconut palm trees along the shore.
Anse Patates is a better option for swimming because the water is much calmer than those on the west side. The vibe at this beach is relaxed and if you want to have lunch or a milkshake there is a beach bar 1 minute from the beach, where you can actually see the beach from above, which is amazing.
GRAND ANSE
Grand Anse is another breathtaking beach found on the eastern side of the Island. There are two options to get here, both involve scenic jungle trails that are as amazing as the beach itself. After a scenic route you’ll find a secluded beach with a long stretch of white sand dotted with granite boulders.
At the end of the beach you will find an amazing natural swimming pool with large granite boulders converge on the headland that form a naturally sheltered pool. The water color here has to be seen to be believed. If the tide or waves are too rough on the beach, then the natural swimming pool is the best option.
beach bar
At the entrance at the beach you’ll find a small beach bar called “Loutier Coco” where you can have a delicious lunch or diner. We had a very good lunch and also the staff was super nice.
HAVE A MILKSHAKE AT A LOCAL HUT
On almost every beach on the island, you’ll find small local beach huts serving fresh drinks, fruits and cocktails. Beside the delicious milkshakes they serve, here you’ll live an awesome experience and I am talking about the encounter with giant tortoises. This was the coolest thing ever! The ambiance at any hut is positive and charming.
We had some drinks at a few huts in La Digue trying to find the perfect tropical vibe and also easy to access. So here are our recommendations.
Bikini Bottom
This is a colourful hut with the perfect laid back La Digue vibe. Only 10 minutes bike ride from the port of the island. A place that gives you instant relaxation, with a cooling sea breeze, amazing views to the ocean and a few tortoise hanging around. We passed many times by and there was always at least one tortoise here… or in the middle of the road, very close to the hut.
Sunset Bar
You can find it right behind the main street of La Digue. By bike we did around 5 minutes from the Bikini Bottom hot. This is a super cute place perfect to relax and watch the ocean. A very convenient location to grab a bite or hit the beach and then to jump in the water or to continue your route on the Main Street. A glass of a nice milkshake was the perfect touch and the hosts were very accommodating too!
IS LA DIGUE ISLAND WORTH VISITING?
Visiting La Digue is really worth it. The island is literally Heaven with breathtaking beaches, clear turquoise waters, perfect year round climate, friendly locals, adorable tortoises and mesmerising sunsets over the ocean, you’re in for a real treat.
If you want to spend some time in Praslin and still not sure what you want to do, just check out my new blog with plenty of tips about Praslin, here.
Madeleine 𓇼 
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