This isn’t your typical Seychelles Packing List with swimwear, towels, shorts, and tees. I’ll focus on items that, while not critical, are incredibly handy in Seychelles—things easily overlooked when packing.
Seychelles Packing List: General Insights
If you’re an independent traveler with a limited budget seeking ways to save, here are key points to consider for your packing list in Seychelles:
- Seychelles is relatively expensive. This applies across the board: groceries, cafes, tours, accommodations.
- • Pack according to a list, not hastily at the last minute
Useful to Know:
Basic items we usually have at home, often forgotten while packing, could easily cost you an additional 50-100 euros there. Plus, it takes a considerable amount of time to find them. Seychelles is more of a rural setting, where even acquiring basic necessities isn’t straightforward. Here’s just a small example: a toothbrush, sunglasses, phone chargers, and so on.
Everything about your travel budget in Seychelles and the estimated cost of an all-inclusive stay. I’ll detail expenses by category.
Packing List: Essential Items for Seychelles
Let’s now go through the list of what to bring to Seychelles:
- Adapter for the outlet and a power strip.
Interesting to Note:
During the technological progress of the 19th and 20th centuries, Seychelles was a British colony. Consequently, all sockets there today are of the British type, as shown in the photo. Take an adapter with you, better yet, 2 or 3.
If you’re staying in an upscale hotel or with European hosts, there’s a chance adapters will already be in your room or available at reception. But this isn’t always the case. Yes, you can buy them here in shops, but again, not everywhere, and they cost around 5 euros each.
Now imagine this scenario: after a 10-hour flight, you’ve checked in your room, all your gadgets are out of battery. You need to go out and find an adapter, but it’s already evening, and stores are closed. By the way, most stores close by 8 PM here. An article about stores and markets in Seychelles. What would you want to do first when you arrive at a tropical island by the ocean? Go shopping for forgotten items or head to the beach?
A power strip, maybe a short one with 3-5 outlets, is also recommended for modern travels. There are numerous gadgets to charge today, and the rooms have few sockets. Even two adapters won’t be enough, so it’s more convenient to bring one adapter and 5-outlet power strip.
- Plug-in mosquito repellent. That’s one outlets in your power strip already taken.
Remember, Seychelles have year-round summers, high humidity, and months when mosquitoes are abundant. There are mosquitoes here, carriers of malaria, dengue fever, and Zika. So, plug in the repellent and sleep soundly.
Important:
Mosquitoes, as potential carriers of exotic diseases, exist in Seychelles, naturally. However, cases of the aforementioned diseases are almost non-existent. If concerned, read an article on the dangers in Seychelles.
- Sunscreen with maximum SPF.
Even if it’s winter back home and sunscreen isn’t available due to off-season, still, seek, buy, and come with your sunscreen.
Seychelles is on the equator, and the sun is brutal here. You can burn to a crisp within 15 minutes, especially children. And for those thinking they’ll buy it on arrival, yes, you can, but upon arrival, you’d want to rush to the beach, not shop for sunscreen. You’ll end up burnt for the first hour and suffer the next 2-3-4 days. Two articles I recommend everyone to read:
- Season and weather in Seychelles, read about the UV index, indicating when it’s unsafe to go outside.
- Comprehensive insurance for Seychelles, the types available, where to buy. Remember, insurance is mandatory for entry to Seychelles; they might ask for it at passport control.
- For snorkeling lovers, I suggest packing a mask, snorkel, and fins. We have compact fins designed for travel—they fit easily in a suitcase (even a backpack).
These items are available for purchase here, but the quality is terrible, and the prices are sky-high. The cheapest snorkeling gear starts at 50 euros. Also, a useful article about snorkeling in Seychelles. You’ll find a list of beaches and locations with fantastic snorkeling there.
- A few small gifts from your country. I’ve been doing this for the last 10 years.
I bring along small 50g chocolate bars. When I check into an apartment, I gift the host a chocolate bar. When I rent a car, I present a chocolate bar as a token of appreciation. If someone helps you out or gives you a lift along the way, gift them chocolate. Trust me, people will treat you even better, pay more attention.
When we gave a chocolate bar to the housekeeper in the hotel, she left a fruit plate in our room for the next two days as a thank-you gesture. There are many such examples. Not every tourist gives something upon check-in; this is memorable.
Additionally, What to Bring to Seychelles:
- Don’t forget the first aid kit. Pantenol for burns, medications for stomach upsets, ointment for itchiness and allergies in case of sandfly bites, motion sickness pills for those planning inter-island ferry rides.
- A flashlight. There’s no lighting on beaches or often on the streets in Seychelles; it gets dark early year-round. A flashlight during an evening stroll can be quite handy in various situations.
What You Can Skip Bringing to Seychelles
Below is a shortlist of things you can leave at home, those items you likely won’t need. I definitely wouldn’t bring them, but it’s your call. If someone laughs and asks why people would bring these things, believe me, they do. I’m sometimes astonished myself.
An amusing personal story:
Recently, I spoke with a couple traveling for an 8-day vacation, just the two of them, no kids, and their luggage weighed 150 kilograms! They carried a juicer, a power drill, and a bunch of other such items.
- Water shoes. Generally, most beaches here have fine sand without corals or shells. If you don’t plan to swim at 6 AM or 6 PM (when stingrays come close to the shore and get buried in the sand) and avoid walking on seaweed (where sea urchins usually live), you might skip water shoes. However, it’s worth taking them if you snorkel without fins!
- Power drill. Turns out, some tourists bring it to open coconuts. But you can skip this; good coconuts don’t just lie around here; finding an unspoiled or unripened one is impossible.
Detailed information on which currency or cards to bring to Seychelles can be found in the linked article.
In conclusion, I hope this article helped you draft your own list of what to bring to Seychelles. Among the critical necessities are mosquito repellent, a outlet adapter, and sunscreen. Everything else is at your discretion. In any case, Seychelles isn’t the kind of place where you need to pack like you’re heading to the North Pole, hauling 150 kilograms of luggage with you.
IMPORTANT: essential links to organize your dream trip to the Seychelles:
- FLIGHTS: Aviasales – direct flights and best deals.
- CAR RENTAL: Mahe and Praslin, no deposit required – DiscoverCars.
- TOURS and EXCURSIONS:
- GetYourGuide – 75+ activities on land and water in the Seychelles.
- Viator – 150 + activities in Seychelles.
- TRAVEL INSURANCE: EKTA.
- HOTELS, VILLAS, APARTMENTS:
- PACKAGES: from budget to luxury – Expedia.
- AIRPORT TRANSFER: Intui.
- INTERNET: eSIM of local telecom operator – Airalo.