Seychelles with an African Safari

It’s an open secret that the Seychelles is home to some of the world’s best beaches. After the excitement of a safari, not to mention the early starts at sunrise, there’s nothing better than seeking out an idyllic retreat for a few days or a week of easy beach relaxation.

So what’s the best way to combine the Seychelles with a safari?

But post-Covid, the flight connections to the Seychelles from the continent of Africa are not as good as they once were.

There are direct flights in the late evening from both Nairobi and Addis Ababa (in Ethiopia). There are also good connections with Quatar Airways and Emirates to Europe, so that so-called ”Triangular” flight schedules are an option.

The Nairobi connections means that you can be on safari in the Masai Mara on one day and arrive in the Seychelles early the following morning. However when I say “early,” I really do mean that. The flights only lasts a 3 hour 15 minute flight and so you won’t get a huge amount of sleep. (But you can more than make up for that once you get to the sunny shores of the Seychelles and can snooze away to your heart’s content.

Combining With Tanzania

You can also combine a Tanzania safari with Seychelles flying from Arusha to Addis and onto the Seychelles. The flight is also in the evening with the same small window for sleep. But again, it means you can be on safari on one day and arrive in Mahe early on the following day.

Interestingly, you may wish to combine a safari in Southern Tanzania with an early evening flight from Dar es Salaam (the starting point for most Ruaha and Selous (Nyerere) safaris) to Addis and then straight onto Mahe.

Currently, at first glance, it doesn’t seem to combine so well with Southern Africa, as there are no direct flights from Johannesburg (in South Africa) to the Seychelles at this time. But again, if you can cope with the short nighttime, you can easily fly from Johannesburg in the early afternoon to Addis and then straight onto the Seychelles.

You could enjoy a safari in any number of Southern African game reserves, stay overnight in Johannesburg with a morning tour of the city, or visit the illuminating Apartheid Museum before heading to the airport.

The options are varied, and if you’re looking for beach and bush beauty combined, there is certainly a way to make your dreams come true.

Which safari destination should you choose?

The question of where to go for your safari is an important one.

If you wish to see the Big Five up close and personal, prefer the thrill of a night drive, and perhaps don’t want to travel around too much then we suggest Southern Africa. Depending on how long you have, you could opt for one of the private game reserves of the Greater Kruger such as the Sabi Sands or Timbavati.

You could combine the Okavango Delta of Botswana with Victoria Falls if you have more time. All of these combine wonderfully well with the Seychelles. The best time for a safari-Syxehlles combo would be in the dry months from May to October. (Which equates to the summer and autumn months in the northern hemisphere.) But – the great news is that the private game reserves of South Africa offer good game-viewing throughout the year if you need to travel at another time.

However if you have always dreamed of the great wildebeest migration and are happy and keen to move between lodges to see different parts of the country, then an East African safari would be perfect to combine with an island getaway in the Seychelles. Typically, the best time to travel would be from mid-June to October.

The wildebeest migration route is a year-round phenomenon, but if it’s vast herds of wildlife you are looking for, then the best time is typically from mid-June to late July in the Serengeti (Tanzania) and then the start of the famous river crossings between July and August into the Masai Mara of Kenya. So the migration window allows you a nice long period to add on a stretch of beach downtime.

What if you want to enjoy the beach first?

Most of our clients like to enjoy the safari first, and then head to the Seychelles for a few days of R&R on the beach.

But if you are on honeymoon, there’s a lot to be said for having some R&R right at the start of the trip to recover from the busyness and excitement of arranging your wedding. Then once you have relaxed and wiggled your toes in the sand you can head for the bush for a few days, where the idea of some early morning starts (the best time for game-viewing) won’t fill you with horror.

“Combining the Seychelles with an African safari” – was written by African safari specialists, Cedarberg Africa

Cedarberg Africa is a specialist tour operator for Southern and East Africa. As well as add-on Indian Ocean island beach stays. We focus on upmarket tailormade safaris for discerning and inquiring people. Several of us have visited the safari regions we mentioned above. So we would be happy to chat to you about potential trips. We share from personal experience and weigh up the different options. All in the pursuit of planning an ideal African bush and Seychelles beach experience. Contact us to start planning that dream safari and Seychelles trip!