Seychelles vs Maldives • Which Destination is Right For You?

Overwater bungalows. Luxurious resorts. All-inclusive holidays. Few locations world wide are well-known as really luxurious journey locations. Two of them, nonetheless, are within the Indian Ocean: The Maldives and Seychelles.

Celebrities like Prince William and Kate Middleton honeymoon in Seychelles, together with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, and David and Victoria Beckham. Whereas Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the many celebrities, who’ve loved honeymoons within the Maldives.

That’s to not say that these islands are solely for the wealthy and well-known. Whereas these islands have a fame for luxurious, they’re accessible to the typical traveler too. However how do you select which Indian Ocean island group to go to? The Maldives vs Seychelles. Let’s break down the variations between the islands so you’ll be able to resolve which vacation spot is the perfect one for you.

Seychelles VS Maldives: Geography

Seychelles

So the place are the Seychelles? The islands of Seychelles are situated off the east coast of Africa, simply south of the equator. The primary island, Mahé, has the capital of Victoria and the worldwide airport. There are 115 Seychellois islands manufactured from granite or coral, and most are uninhabited. 

Maldives

The Maldives, in contrast, is round 1200 islands stretched south of India. They straddle the equator and are manufactured from sand and coral. A lot of the islands within the Maldives are uninhibited.

The capital is Malé, situated near the center of the island chain. The worldwide airport is subsequent door to Hulhulé.

Transportation in Seychelles VS the Maldives

Seychelles

A couple of worldwide airports join on to Seychelles, similar to Istanbul, Gatwick, Doha, and Frankfurt. The airport is situated within the heart of Mahé, and the island has a lot to see and do. You can get to both finish of Mahé island inside an hour, and taxis are extensively obtainable.

Touring inside Seychelles is simple too. A ferry runs between Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, the opposite two generally visited islands. The ferry between Praslin and Mahé takes one hour, and from Praslin to La Digue is fifteen minutes. There’s additionally a small airport on Praslin, and the flight time from Mahé to Praslin is fifteen minutes. Automotive leases or employed drivers can be found on each Mahé and Praslin.

The Maldives

There are extra worldwide flights to the Maldives. Nonetheless, the airport is situated in Hulhulé, the place you’ll most actually not need to keep for a vacation. Most guests keep in resorts or guesthouses situated alongside one of many atolls. Your lodging will assist organize your transportation.

In case your transportation is through speedboat, it would decide you up from the airport and whisk you away to the island. Boats are a fairly straightforward choice, however the nearer islands really feel much less distant as a consequence of their proximity to the ugly capital metropolis, Male.

Going from island to island or attending to distant islands up north may be very troublesome until you e-book a seaplane, which may get costly shortly. The typical return seaplane switch is round $500 USD. The planes are very cramped, sizzling, and uncomfortable. So it’s at all times one thing to contemplate when reserving a visit to the Maldives. Flight instances range from half-hour to at least one hour plus.

Islands are very small within the Maldives, and virtually all might be simply walked or biked round.

Mountaineering In Seychelles VS the Maldives

Seychelles

The islands of Seychelles are principally granite and have some gorgeous views and hikes. Topography in Seychelles is much extra fascinating as the very best level in Seychelles is almost 3,000 ft excessive on a really small island.

Whereas many hikes are scattered all through the Seychelles islands, there are two highly regarded and rewarding hikes on Mahé. One is known as Morne Blanc, which provides you a shocking view west out over the ocean. Alternatively, there’s Copolia, which gives a view over the jap shore with the airport, Eden Island, Victoria, and on a transparent day, off within the distance, Praslin, twenty miles away.

Maldives

The best elevation within the Maldives is about eight ft above sea stage. The islands are normally slender, and trails are restricted or nonexistent. If you wish to stretch your legs, think about going for a seaside stroll relatively than a “hike.” Or you’ll be able to go to the resort health club to run on a treadmill. On the subject of land actions, there isn’t a lot within the Maldives.

Wildlife in Seychelles vs. the Maldives

Seychelles

Whereas visiting Seychelles, you’ll have the chance to study many endemic species within the space. Whereas climbing, you could encounter a tiger chameleon, a Seychelles Bulbul flying within the underbrush, or the coco de mer, a big palm tree native to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse.

One other endemic species from Seychelles is the Aldabra big tortoise. Most individuals are acquainted with the Galapagos tortoise, however big tortoises had been far more frequent worldwide than they’re right this moment.

Most species had been hunted to extinction by European sailors because the tortoises are a wonderful meals supply. However the Aldabra big tortoise is now a protected species and there’s a conservation facility on Curieuse Island the place you’ll be able to go to and feed the tortoises.

Maldives

You could encounter uncommon wildlife in your journey to the Maldives, but it surely’s tougher to know for positive. Whereas there are endemic species, little effort has been put into land conservation or training for tourism. Guests to the Maldives are far more centered elsewhere…

Marine Life In Seychelles Vs. The Maldives

Seychelles

One of the best time to go to Seychelles for water actions is in April, October, or November. These are the months between monsoon seasons when the situations settle down. With flat seas, it’s simpler to journey to a few of the smaller islands and benefit from the waters.

In Could by way of September, the water visibility is low due to the inflow of plankton, however that brings in whale sharks and different giant marine fauna to come across. Sadly, Seychelles skilled large coral bleaching in 2019. Whereas there are conservation efforts in place, similar to coral nurseries and guarded marine parks, the underwater points of interest in Seychelles are lackluster in comparison with different areas of the world.

Maldives

January by way of April is the perfect time to go to the Maldives for underwater actions. The ocean state is calm, and visibility is healthier. The Maldives additionally skilled large coral bleaching in 2016. Whereas the Maldives doesn’t have many protected land-based parks, it has many marine parks to guard the wildlife and encourage protected tourism.

The Baa Atoll is a delegated UNESCO biosphere reserve for numerous marine life supported in calm, protected waters. For giant marine fauna, Ari Atoll is among the greatest locations on this planet to see whale sharks. They’re current all yr spherical on this marine park, and there are restrictions for the tour operators to make it a protected expertise for the animal and also you.

There are lots of giant liveaboard dive boats within the Maldives, which transfer daily between dive websites. This can be a nice alternative to see a wide range of islands and underwater life. Diving and snorkeling are phenomenal within the Maldives.

Seychelles VS Maldives: The Climate

Seychelles

Seychelles has two monsoon seasons: the northwest monsoon season from November by way of March and the southeast monsoon season from April to November. The northwest monsoon season brings heat, dry air from Africa, whereas the southeast monsoon season brings cooler winds from the arctic. Each seasons are windy and may convey scattered showers.

The months in transition – April, Could, October and November – are the perfect to go to. The winds settle down and journey between the islands, particularly if you’re touring through boat, is rather a lot nicer. Underwater actions are higher as a result of the water visibility is healthier too.

Maldives

The Maldives has two seasons: the dry and wet seasons. The dry season is from December to April. Could to November is the wet season, so in case you go to throughout that point, you’ll must you should definitely benefit from any solar you get. No matter which season it’s, the Maldives’ temperature will likely be sizzling! Round 30 levels celsius.

Tradition And Historical past In The Maldives vs. Seychelles

Seychelles

The islands of Seychelles had been uninhabited till the sixteenth century, when European explorers found the islands. Since then, the inhabitants has primarily been a mixture of French, British and African heritage – together with slaves.

It was a British colony for almost two centuries, but it surely declared its independence within the Seventies. There are three official languages: English, French, and Seychellois. The nation is among the richest in Africa, and the first faith is Christianity.

Maldives

It’s estimated that the primary settlers within the Maldives had been south Asians from as early as 500 BC. The Maldives had been additionally a part of the British Empire for a couple of century, gaining independence within the Nineteen Sixties. 

Dhivehi and English are the official languages. Islam got here to the islands within the twelfth century and continues to be the first faith right this moment. Within the Maldives, there isn’t a freedom of faith, and there are controversial stances on punishment, freedom of speech, and ladies’s rights, amongst different issues.

Probably the most impression on vacationers is the conservative gown coverage. Personal island resorts are exempt from gown insurance policies, however when visiting populated islands with villages, there are designated “bikini seashores” the place foreigners can gown as they want.

In any other case, clothes is anticipated to be coated from knees to shoulders. In case you are touring across the Maldives, that is one in every of my high Maldives journey suggestions. Moreover, alcohol just isn’t served exterior of the resorts. You come for the seashores and water, not for historical past or tradition.

Lodging In The Maldives vs Seychelles

Seychelles

There are all kinds of lodging obtainable in Seychelles. For price range vacationers, there are self-catering flats obtainable on the principle islands. These are normally small locations that embody a kitchen. There are lots of motels and resorts, together with personal island resorts and over-water bungalows.

Maldives

There’s a distinctive historical past of tourism within the Maldives. For a really very long time, the one vacationers allowed to go to stayed on personal islands. Every island held a resort and residing quarters for workers. There was not loads of interplay between locals and vacationers.

Not too long ago, these guidelines have been modified to permit villages and non-private islands to open guesthouses. These guesthouses provide a spot to remain within the Maldives that’s inexpensive and extra concerned in the neighborhood.

That being mentioned, the Maldives nonetheless excel on the luxurious overwater bungalows and resorts. There are lots of islands the place you’ll be able to keep in an expensive cabin with all of the facilities you would probably need. It’s not stunning that a few of the greatest resorts on this planet are within the Maldives, however they arrive with a rare price ticket. A couple of of our favourite overwater resorts within the Maldives are Velassaru and Kuramathi.

Crusing In The Maldives vs Seychelles

Seychelles

In case you intend to take a crusing trip, Seychelles has a number of constitution bases, similar to Dream Yacht Charters and Sunsail. They’re based mostly in Eden Island, between the airport and the capital of Victoria. It’s straightforward to get from the principle island of Mahe to the opposite in style islands of Praslin and La Digue in a number of hours of crusing.

You’ll be able to learn my expertise – over 100 days crusing the islands of Seychelles – and the prompt itinerary. 

Maldives

By boat can be a good way to see the islands since it will be a lot simpler to actually island hop. Nonetheless, there are only a few constitution boats within the Maldives, and those which can be there are all close to the capital, Male. That limits the locations you’ll be able to go to solely a small space round Male.

I spent 56 days within the Maldives on my sailboat, and listed below are my suggestions and experiences.

Seychelles Vs. The Maldives

Hopefully, this helped you select between Seychelles vs the Maldives on your journey. It’s a troublesome alternative as each island nations have loads of variations and excel at various things. 

In case you are taken with nature and the outside, Seychelles is the plain alternative with gorgeous climbing, a extra fascinating shoreline, and endemic wildlife. It’s straightforward to journey to and from Seychelles and throughout the islands. It additionally feels far more like touring by way of Africa than the Maldives, the place most issues appear to cater to high-end tourism.

Nonetheless, if you’re extra taken with a luxurious trip and staying in a dreamy overwater bungalow with crystal clear blue water beneath you, the Maldives is the top of the trade.

A personal island resort could also be your excellent trip. In case you benefit from the underwater expertise, a liveaboard dive boat within the Maldives can be an incredible expertise. You don’t even must be a diver to see wonderful issues within the Maldives. A number of instances we noticed whale sharks and manta rays simply snorkeling!

Each islands have gorgeous pure magnificence – it’s truthfully onerous to go improper with both.

READ MORE SEYCHELLES AND MALDIVES TRAVEL TIPS

I hope you loved this information on visiting Seychelles or the Maldives. Listed here are a number of related articles for extra journey across the island nations.