We feed giant tortoises, enjoy Indian Food and visit the Seychelles Yacht Club

ARRIVAL

When we arrived at the dock around 7 a.m. today, it was silent, unlike in 2018, when it was alive with dancers and music. The HAL excursion buses were close by, but the taxis, private tours, and vendors were moved further away at the end of a 200-yard covered sidewalk.

This was the area around the ship at 7 am before any passengers went ashore

 

The air was heavy with humidity and relatively cool, but you could tell that it would soon get much hotter as the sun rose in the sky.

SEYCHELLES – BRIEF HISTORY

The Seychelles were uninhabited until the French discovered them in 1770. The British gained possession in 1794, and they remained a British Colony until 1976. They are now part of the British Commonwealth. Indigenous people have never inhabited the Seychelles, but its islanders maintain their Creole heritage.

The Seychelles has a population of 100,000 and 115 islands. 90% of the population lives on the main island of Mahé. The next largest populations are on Praslin and La Digue, respectively. Eight of the Seychelles’ islands are permanently inhabited. Tourism and tuna fishing are the largest drivers of the economy. 80% of the tourists come from Europe.

HIGHLIGHTS

Pretty beaches and water sports are the main reasons people visit the Seychelles. There are a few nice view spots; every tour will take you to see them. The Mission Lodge viewpoint is the best, about a 30-minute drive from town. Check out my post from 2018 HERE, which includes a video of what it is like to drive in the Seychelles if you are considering renting a car. The roads are incredibly narrow, and the cars are right-hand-steer, with driving on the left.

View from Mission Lodge

 

There are a few other sights in town – the Clock Tower, the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market, the National History Museum and the Botanical Gardens.

The Clock Tower is a little over a mile from the ship

 

The Seychelles Botanical Garden is home to giant tortoises. Tickets cost 250Rs ($19), and you can buy them in advance HERE. Cash is not generally accepted at the Botanical Garden, but they may make an exception if you don’t have a working credit card.

My recommendation for your first visit to the Seychelles is to take an island tour and see all the view spots and highlights around the island. You can take a HAL tour or hire a private guide through Viator or Tours By Local. The company Ask Cindy advertises on the walkway out of the port—I don’t have any experience with this company.

Another option is to hire a local taxi driver who will take you to all the spots, but the value of their commentary will vary widely. I wouldn’t miss seeing the giant tortoises. You can enter the enclosure to see them up close and feed them with plants provided by the Garden laying on a table by the enclosure.

DAY 1 – GIANT TORTOISES AND INDIAN FOOD

We left the ship around 2 pm to head to the Seychelles Botanical Garden to see the giant tortoises and then go to Eden Island to enjoy Indian food at The Maharajas restaurant on the marina.

As you leave the ship, you will find a covered walkway about 200 yards long, leading to a large parking lot with taxis and some vendor stalls. You have to pass through a security screening station on your way out and as you return. A person from the tourist bureau is at a table passing out maps and other literature.

The taxi drivers will ask if you need a ride and try to persuade you for a minute but they will leave you alone after a few no thanks. They accept dollars or euros – I didn’t see any that would take credit cards. Long trips to the other side of the island or to resorts to the north or south will probably cost around $40 to $50. Tours of four hours can probably be negotiated to the $150 range.

We negotiated a multi-trip ride for €60 – Our Driver John Leon (WhatsApp +248 2570892) agreed to take us to the Botanical Garden, come back in an hour – then take us about 3 miles to Eden Island, come back in 2 hours, take us to the Grocery store for 20 minutes and then back to the ship. Six of us fit comfortably in his air-conditioned van. I was able to update him on our progress using WhatsApp. This worked out great for us, and I recommend setting up a multi-journey trip for your day.

John Leon was our driver – highly recommended

 

SEYCHELLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Botanical Garden is less than a mile away if you want to walk. There is a small office at the entrance where you can buy your tickets or present a copy of the tickets you bought online ahead of time HERE. The park closes at 5 pm, with the last admission at 4:30 pm.

Our only interest in the garden today was the giant tortoises. Their enclosure is a short, clearly marked walk from the entrance. The viewing area is covered, and a small wooden gate leads to a feeding area with posts preventing the tortoises from escaping. At first, we weren’t sure if we were allowed inside the enclosure, but we didn’t see any signs or notices prohibiting entering, so we walked between the posts and into the enclosure.

This photo was taken from inside the enclosure. You can see the posts that keep the tortoises inside. Behind the post is a feeding area with a gate leading to the rest of the park. The plants provided by the park are on the table on the left side of the picture.

 

The park provided some plant clippings that we feed to the tortoises. They enjoyed the food and would approach you once they saw that you had something for them to eat.

There were about 20 tortoises in the enclosure, with most of them cooling off in the small pond.

 

We learned later that sometimes, no food is available, so feeding the tortoises is not guaranteed. After about 30 minutes, we returned to the entrance, where our driver was waiting.

EDEN ISLAND

Eden Island is about 2.5 miles away. Here, you will find a Marina with several mega yachts, like the ELEMENTS, which rents for €800,000 a week HERE. There is also a modern multi-story mall with various shops and a casino. Next to the Marina are several restaurants, including The Maharajas Indian Restaurant, where we had a late lunch.

The Maharajas Restaurant has one large table for six inside and about ten smaller tables. There is more covered seating outside, which would be more pleasant in the evening when it is cooler. You can find the menu online HERE. We enjoyed the Butter Chicken and the Lamb Biryani with rice. Cold draft beer and soft drinks are available. The food and service were excellent. The hours are Tuesday to Sunday from noon until 10:45 pm and Mondays from 6:30 pm “onwards.”

The restaurant overlooks the marina Pete, Gail, Joel, Sharon, Marty, and Judy

 

Our driver was waiting for us as previously arranged, and we headed to the STC Hypermarket.

STC HYPERMARKET

The STC Hypermarket is a large, modern grocery store with various products. We spend about 20 minutes here picking up some snacks and soft drinks. This market is about 600 yards from the ship. After we finished shopping, our driver dropped us off at the entrance to the long-covered walkway that led to the ship. Once again, we passed our bags around the metal detector, walked through it, and returned to the ship. (We’re unsure what they were looking for as Judy set off the metal detector every time with her cane.)

DAY 2 – VICTORIA, SEYCHELLES WALKABOUT

We left the ship around 11:30 am and headed out to the main street, following it along the waterfront until we reached the Seychelles Yacht Club Entrance. The sign on the gate says MEMBERS ONLY, but there was a paper sign stating – “Welcoming Cruise Ship Passengers.”

SEYCHELLES YACHT CLUB

As you approach the Yacht Club entrance – slow down and look. The club building is not obvious from the street. Look for the sign. Walk back towards the water and you will see the Yacht Club Patio – you can enter directly to the patio or veer to the right and enter through the open door.

Look for this sign as you walk down the street. You can walk directly onto the patio on the left or enter through the door on the right

 

They have a menu featuring burgers, fish and chips, pizzas, and more. Draft beer and soft drinks are available. The seating is under a patio – so it’s still hot but comfortable in the shade. Credit cards are accepted.

Here is the meat lovers pizza with some chicken and shrimp skewers in the background

 

SEYCHELLES NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM

After lunch, we walked over to the town center to the Clock Tower and the National History Museum. The museum covers two floors, and we spent about an hour exploring the exhibits on both floors. I didn’t know much about how Seychelles got started, and I found this museum very interesting and well worth our time and money. Plus, it’s air-conditioned!   Admission is 150 RS, about $11, and then take credit cards.   Check out their website HERE

The National Museum of History is across the street from the Clock Tower City signs like this are becoming more prevalent in tourist areas around the world

 

We returned to the ship, walking down Francis Rachel St past a string of tourist stands and, finally, the National Archives and Library. I poked my head inside the library – it was air-conditioned and may have internet, but I couldn’t confirm.

We are going to explore the library on our next visit to the Seychelles

 

DOCKLANDS

The Docklands retail complex is very close to the entrance to the covered walkway leading to the ship. A convenience store on the first floor has a selection similar to a 7-11. The Docklands building is also home to the Aloha Restaurant and Bar, which is upstairs. A Duty-Free gift shop is across the street.

SAIL AWAY

The Grand World Voyage Band played for our sail away.

Below is a short video created when you use the LIVE photo feature on an iPhone.   A small group of regulars will take a “BOUNCE” photo every day with everyone who happens to be in the area.    Fun!  – Let’s Bounce!   HERE is how to create a BOUNCE video on your iPhone

 

MAIN STAGE

Comedian Jim David was the headliner on the main stage this evening. He is pretty edgy for Holland America, and his jokes are definitely for adults. There is no foul language, but there are plenty of sexual innuendos and wordplay.

Jim David

MAPS

This shows the places we visited on Day 1 This shows where we visited on Day 2

We visit the local market, participate in an Iftar and see the Tsunami Monument

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL

The bow opened at 6 am to let guests get a better view of Malé as we approached. About 50 guests were on the bow. Warm Panama Canal Rolls were available, but they weren’t branded as Malé rolls, as is usually the case during sail-ins—they were simply Danish Rolls. The Maldives are FLAT—the highest natural point is 7 feet above sea level, so there aren’t the mountain vistas you find on other islands.

Sunrise on the bow approaching Malé

 

PLANNING OUR EXCURSION

This is our first trip to the Maldives, and we were anxious to explore Malé, the capital and largest city in the archipelago. For many on this cruise, this was their first visit to the Maldives, as it is pretty far from everywhere. Malé has limited appeal for cruise lines since the main attraction is the resorts on the dozens of outlying islands. Getting here from the USA will take 29 to 36 hours.

While most tourists head to the private island resorts scattered across the archipelago, the capital city of Male offers a unique and authentic Maldivian experience.

A popular tour many passengers took was going to one of the private resorts on a different island for the day. HAL offered a tour for about $280. The same tour was available from Maldive Traveller HERE for half the price, plus you got more time at the resort. Since we were here overnight – there wasn’t much risk of missing the ship.

I found a Malé based tour company, Secret Paradise, which offers a variety of tours – from 4-hour walking tours to multi-day tours to other islands. We originally planned to take one of their food tours, but those aren’t offered during Ramadan. Ruth Franklin, co-founder of Secret Paradise, is very responsive to email. She suggested we take the 4-hour walking tour and share in the Iftar (breaking the fast) with residents at a local restaurant. Our tour started at 1:45 pm, and we would eat dinner with our guide after sunset at 6:15 pm.

MALÉ WALKING TOUR

After a 15-minute tender ride, we arrived at the Presidential Jetty. The ship set up its typical shoreside water and lemonade refreshment tent, but due to Ramadan, they had to cover the sides of the tent so guests could drink their water in private.

Our guide, Shaffaf, met us on time, and we were on our way. His English was excellent, and he was very knowledgeable about the Maldives and the local culture.

Shaffaf gives us an overview

 

We spent the next hour exploring the local market stalls. They were spotless and didn’t have any of the odor we have often experienced in some markets. Shaffaf took us from stall to stall, where we sampled various items from Sea Almonds, Dried Tuna, Coconut crisps, and more. All the vendors were very friendly, and we felt welcome.

 

Our tour was a 1.8-mile loop. See the map below for the track. Along the way, we stopped at a couple of souvenir shops and a local restaurant, D’Olive, for a cool beverage. While many restaurants were closed for Ramadan, many were opened for tourists. A sign on the door of the local Burger King said they were only open for tourists during the day. More about D’Olive HERE and HERE. D’Olive is called The Olive Garden on TripAdvisor.

Note – When we returned the next day, we learned that D’Olive has two menus – one for locals and one for tourists. For example, the local price for Coca-Cola was about $2 USD, and the tourist price was almost $5. You could try asking for the “local menu,” but if you find the tourist prices too high, you should go elsewhere. If you get up to leave after you see the tourist menu, you may get offered the local menu on your way out.

D’Olive advertised a Ramadan Pizza, but we learned that pizza wasn’t available until 4 pm. They had excellent air conditioning in an enclosed seating area way in the back. We enjoyed soft drinks as Shaffaf talked about life in Male and answered our questions.

After we cooled down, we continued on at a leisurely pace, stopping at Sultan Park and continuing past the Old Friday Mosque, the President’s Palace, and the Parliament Building.

Kalhuvakaru Mosque

It was now around 5:45 pm and we headed to the Sea House Café on the waterfront where we would join local residents in the day’s Iftar at sunset.

IFTAR

Sunset was at 6:15 pm which is when the daily Ramadan fast ends with the Iftar which is the first meal of the day after sunset. The traditional first items at an Iftar are dates and watermelon juice which is then followed by a more substantial meal. Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying: “When one of you is fasting, he should break his fast with dates”.

The Sea House Café was set with a Buffet for the main meal. Each table place was set with a plate of three dates and a glass of watermelon juice. The buffet had a nice selection of salads, meats, fish, vegetables and pastas. Everyone was in line before sunset, loading up their plates. Immediately after sunset everyone popped down some dates with some watermelon juice and then dug into their food.

Each table setting had dates along with a glass of watermelon juice

 

We were seated on an uncovered patio with a view of the Zuiderdam. The food was great and we enjoyed continuing our conversation with Shaffaf during dinner.

After dinner we walked along the seawall back to the Presidential Jetty where we said Good-by to Shaffaf, boarded a tender and headed back to the Zuiderdam.

DAY 2 – MALÉ WALKABOUT & EASTER

I tendered ashore around 10 am along with tablemates, Kim and George. Judy remained on the ship. We planned to head to the Tsunami Monument and then head back into town for a Ramadan Pizza. You can see our track on the map below.

We stopped at the same Market we visited yesterday and picked up some almond cookies. Everyone was very friendly and we browsed for a bit before continuing north toward the Tsunami Monument, about 1 mile away. As we left town, the sidewalks became a little uneven in parts but were always passable. A few times we had to venture into the street as the sidewalks were blocked due to construction.

Typical street as we walked north toward the Tsunami Monument

 

Along the way, we stopped at Rasfannu artificial beach, which was empty, and the snack bar was closed for Ramadan.

Rasfannu Beach

 

TSUNAMI MONUMENT

The Tsunami Monument is at the end of the road and memorializes the 74 people who were killed on 26 December 2004 from the Tsunami. There are 74 vertical rods, each engraved with a victim’s name, representing the 74 people who died, and the 20 spheres represent the 20 atolls that make up the Maldives archipelago.

Entrance to the monument area Tsunami Monument

We turned inland to walk down different streets on our way to the STO—Peoples Choice Store. This store is air-conditioned, very modern, and has a nice grocery section if you want to pick up some snacks. It’s not very far from the tender landing. Even though we were in Ramadan, the streets were busy, and most stores were open. It’s hard to say if they would be busier outside Ramadan.

After cooling off in the STO Store, we returned to D’Olive restaurant for a Ramadan Pizza. Unfortunately, we learned that pizzas weren’t available until 4 pm. This is also when we noticed the different menu prices when we were here without our guide.

I asked for the cheeseburger but was told that the cheeseburger came with a choice of cheese, chicken, or fish, but not beef. I asked if it was possible to get beef, and he replied Yes, but you need to order a Beefburger with cheese. So OK – Then get me a Beefburger. Tourist price of a Beef-Burger and Coke was about $20 USD

Beefburger with cheese

 

On our way back to the tender landing, we stopped at one of the many souvenir shops near the Presidential Jetty before heading back to the Zuiderdam.

EASTER ON THE SHIP

There was a 6 AM Interdenominational sunrise service at the Sea View Pool.

During the day, there was an Easter Cake in the Lido, along with other snacks.

Easter Cake in the Lido Entrance to the MDR

 

WORLD STAGE

Vocalist Le Jacques was on the World Stage tonight – He sang a variety of classic songs including. –

– Fly Me To The Moon
– Mack the Knife
– Straighten Up And Fly Right
– That’s Amore
– Something
– That’s Life

He didn’t use the Grand World Voyage Band for backup but sang to his prerecorded backing tracks, contributing to the show’s lack of energy and his lukewarm reception.

Le Jacques

MAP

This map shows our walking track over the two days along with the location of the places we visited