How to get to Praslin

International flights land at Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) at Pointe Larue on Mahé, about 11 km south-east of the capital, Victoria. Praslin is the next step, and there are three ways to make it: a 15-minute Air Seychelles flight, a Cat Cocos fast ferry of about 1 hour 15 minutes, or a private Zil Air transfer by helicopter.

Air Seychelles runs the scheduled domestic service between Mahé and Praslin from its domestic terminal, which the airline says is a two-minute walk from the international terminal. It gives the flight time as 15 minutes and says the services are timed to connect with international arrivals and departures, allowing a transit of 30 minutes to an hour. The airline's own pages disagree on frequency: its domestic services page says more than 170 scheduled flights a week between Mahé and Praslin, while its fleet page says more than 350 scheduled services a week.

The aircraft are DHC-6 Twin Otters. The domestic services page says there are four, each carrying up to 16 passengers; the fleet page lists five. You land at Praslin Island Airport at Grand Anse.

On a point-to-point domestic ticket, Air Seychelles allows 23 kg or 32 kg of checked luggage plus 5 kg of hand luggage (28 kg or 37 kg in total). If the domestic flight is on the same through ticket as your international flight, the allowance on your original ticket applies instead.

Cat Cocos, run by Inter Island Boats Ltd, has operated between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue since 1998 and has five catamarans. Its schedule page gives the Mahé–Praslin crossing as 1 hour 15 minutes. Ferries leave from the Inter-Island Quay in Victoria, where Cat Cocos has its Mahé sales office, and arrive at the Praslin jetty at Baie Sainte Anne on the island's east coast.

The operator's published schedule for 2026 and 2027 (Cat Cocos, checked 16 September 2026) shows two or three sailings a day in each direction, varying by day of the week. Cat Cocos also posts schedule updates on its Facebook page, so check the current timetable before you book.

A few practical points from Cat Cocos's terms:

• Be at the jetty for boarding 30 minutes before departure, carrying a passport or other valid ID.
• Checked luggage is registered at the Cargo Department one hour before departure and should be locked.
• Non-residents get 25 kg of free luggage in economy and 30 kg in business class; no single suitcase should weigh more than 32 kg.
• Hand luggage is one piece per person, under 7 kg and within 50 x 30 x 20 cm.
• Crossings can be cancelled in bad weather, in which case passengers can move to a later sailing at no charge.

Each boat has three classes: an air-conditioned main-deck economy cabin called Coco de Mer, an outdoor premium economy area called Island Hopper, and an air-conditioned business lounge called Lazio Lounge. Tickets can be bought through the Cat Cocos online booking system or at its sales offices.

If you are connecting from a long-haul arrival, the booking agent SeyFerry suggests allowing 45 to 60 minutes for immigration and baggage, plus 15 to 30 minutes for the drive from the airport to the harbour.

Zil Air flies private transfers from its base beside the international airport runway, about five minutes' drive from the terminals. Its published transfers include Praslin Airport (about 15 minutes) and helipads at several Praslin resorts. Zil Air says bookings to or from Raffles and Château de Feuilles must be made through those properties. Flights run between sunrise and sunset, the pilot decides whether to fly in poor weather, and each aircraft has a strict weight limit covering both passengers and luggage.

The flight is quicker and leaves from the same airport you land at. The ferry takes longer and involves a road transfer to Victoria. Neither is clearly more generous on luggage: a point-to-point Air Seychelles ticket allows 23 kg or 32 kg checked plus 5 kg hand luggage, and Cat Cocos allows non-residents 25 kg (economy) or 30 kg (business) plus 7 kg hand luggage, so compare the allowance on your own ticket. Zil Air's helicopter lands at Praslin Airport or at helipads at some Praslin resorts. Once on Praslin, see the car hire and Praslin to La Digue ferry pages for the next leg.