La Digue (Seychelles)
An aura of charm and tranquility surrounds the island La Digue. The friendly atmosphere of this intimate island with its languid pace of life, traditional architecture and breathtaking beaches, such as legendary Anse Source d’Argent, is an absolute must for visitors.
La Digue is the third largest inhabited island of the Seychelles in terms of population, lying east of Praslin and west of Felicite Island. In terms of size it is the fourth largest granitic island of Seychelles after Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette Island. It has a population of 2,800 people, who mostly live in the west coast villages of La Passe (linked by ferry to Praslin and Mahé) and La Réunion. It has an area of 10.08 km2, which makes it relatively easy to travel around by bike or on foot.
The island has no natural harbour and is protected by the coral reefs which encircle it. All around La Digue are huge, unusually shaped granite rocks which look like vast Henry Moore sculptures.
It’s possible to visit La Digue as a daytrip from either Mahé or Praslin, but in order to truly soak up the atmosphere and explore you may want to stay for a few days.
Transport | La Digue is an island where time stands still and time-honoured traditions such as travelling by ox-cart and bicycle are still king. For those who want to enjoy holidays. La Digue has no buses, only a very few taxi's. There is no airport on La Digue, so to get there from a foreign country, one has to fly to Victoria and continue by ferry, usually via Praslin. Or take the ferry of Cat Cocos from Mahé. As La Digue has its own helipad you can reach the island also by helicopter. As Praslin is very close to La Digue (half an hour by ferry) it's a perfect opportunity to visit the island Praslin in one day. |
---|---|
Geography | La Digue is close neighbour to Praslin and to its satellite islands of Félicité, Marianne and the Sisters Islands. The island lies 43 kilometres from Mahé and 6,5 km from Praslin. All visitors to La Digue will land in the village of La Passe on the east coast of the island, from where you can enjoy magnificent views back across the water to Praslin. The Seychelles in general have warm temperatures throughout the year. Thanks to their location near the equator, they get frequent and sometimes heavy rainfall. On La Digue, rainfall can be very heavy, but it usually lasts for one hour or less. The day temperature on La Digue normally stays between 24 °C and 32 °C and the nights do not get too much colder than that. There is most rainfall from October to March, with a monthly precipitation of 402.6 mm in January. There is the least precipitation in July, with only 76.6 mm of rain. La Digue's tallest peak, Belle Vue (Eagle's Nest Mountain), is in the central part of the island, with a summit more than 300 m above sea level. |
Famous beaches | La Digue has wonderful beaches for sunbathing and enjoying the marvelous nature.
The closest swimming beach is just to the north, over the hill and past the cemetary to Anse Severe, with Anse Patates a little further on also making a great choice for swimming and snorkelling. Further along the east coast the beaches get wilder - certainly more secluded but with wilder waves, and to reach the southernmost part of the coastal road will require strong legs as there are several steep climbs. To the south of town within the grounds of L'Union Estate is Anse Source D'Argent, the most famous beach in the Seychelles. Our favourite beaches on the island require a cycle over the hill to the south coast where you can explore Grande Anse, Petite Anse and the delightful Anse Cocos. |
Country name | Republic of the Seychelles |