Should You Take a La Digue Day Trip or Stay on the Island?

Staying on La Digue

Staying on La Digue is, for those who are able, always the best option. By staying overnight, you can have plenty of time to explore the beaches (including some on the opposite side of the island most day trippers miss), visit the beaches during off-peak hours when said day trippers arent on the island, and really get some time to unwind and enjoy what is arguably the most beautiful beach in the Seychelles- Anse Source d’Argent.

But there are some downsides to consider that may make staying overnight a bit tricky for some visitors. Namely, hotels and restaurants are limited and book up quickly, prices can be high at times, and, as with most options visiting La Digue, you’ll likely be exploring via bicycle as the island has very few vehicles- presenting some challenges if you’re not fully mobile.

Still, if you can check all the boxes, La Digue makes for a perfect stay of a minimum of two nights; however, if you have the time, more is never a bad thing for a place this beautiful.

• Some hotels and 3rd party companies may have options to hire a buggy with a driver to get around the island for those who are not mobile enough to ride a bike. In our experience, these can be cost-prohibitive for many as they’re often full-day tours for small, private groups (read: $$$). We are only noting it because they do exist in limited quantities and could be a good option for those who cannot ride a bike if booked sufficiently far in advance. 

To look for a hotel on La Digue, click here.

Day Trip to La Digue

If you are short on time and happen to be staying in Praslin, a day trip to La Digue is exceptionally easy via ferry when you can’t quite justify an overnight stay.

Simply buy a round-trip ticket with the earliest departure you can (the earlier the better- select days may be as early as 7 am) and return on the last ferry of the day (typically 5 pm). The brief, 15-minute journey will still allow for a decent amount of time to enjoy the island. All you have to do is hire a bike by the jetty, and off you go until it is time to return for the trip back to Praslin.

Of course, there are downsides here. You will miss Anse Source d’Argent without crowds unless you are on the very first ferry of the day. You will miss the sunset no matter what you do. You’ll always feel like you’re on a time crunch (especially notable for us when the restaurant we went to for lunch took well over an hour for the food to arrive- wonderful). You will probably miss a few of the further-flung beaches, too.

La Digue is tiny, but it is not see-everything-in-one-day tiny, so some concessions may have to be made when taking a day trip.

But if you can ride a bike and are short on time such that a day trip from Praslin is your only option, you better at least take a day trip.

• While some buggy tour companies on the island advertise jetty pickup targeting day trippers, be keenly aware of tour times relative to your ferries. Unless you have a full day, it may not make as much sense in some cases.

Organized Day Tours to La Digue

Finally, one remaining way to reach La Digue is via an organized day tour with a 3rd party tour company.

Unlike a DIY day trip, which is easily doable from Praslin, day tours generally have unique itineraries that may or may not include other activities than visiting the island. For example, Praslin and La Digue from Mahe. 

Considering how easy it is to book a ferry from Praslin, organized day tours may be a bit too niche except for those in unique situations- particularly those who want to visit multiple islands in a single day or those who are only staying on Mahe and cannot utilize the fast and easy ferries from Praslin as in the previous section.

While these are interesting options for those who are short on time, we also don’t like them because every extra minute you spend traveling or visiting another island is one less minute on La Digue.

• We’d be remiss if we didn’t note that most organized tours to La Digue still utilize bike travel when on the island. So if you are not mobile enough to ride a bike, staying on the island and/or taking a long day tour with enough time to hire a buggy tour may be the best option. In this instance, we’d err on staying overnight to ensure you have enough time.

So What Way to Visit La Digue is Best?

Ultimately, La Digue is one of those places where more time is always better for virtually everyone. 

If you can stay on the island and are able to ride a bicycle, book a few nights. If you require a buggy tour and are okay with the hyper-inflated prices, book a few nights or swing a day trip if the timing works out. If you’re short on time and can only do a day trip, book it and grab bikes for the day. If you’re wanting to lump La Digue on with a combination tour to another island or can only visit from Mahe, as much as we do not like the idea, book it anyway.

The answer is to go to La Digue by any means necessary as any way to get some time on the island is better than nothing. Because for beaches this good, missing them is only a shame.

How did you visit La Digue when traveling in the Seychelles? Comment below to share how you visited and if you’d do anything differently on a return!