A Local’s Guide to The Anse Major Beach & Hike

From The Authors: Gaelle was born and raised in the Seychelles while Viktor has been living here for 1+ year. Unlike many other travel blogs, we actually have first-hand knowledge and experience of the places we write about. If you have any questions, we respond quickly to comments!

Whether you’re going by yourself, with your better half, or your whole family – Anse Major is a must-see for anyone visiting the Seychelles.

Gaelle and I would certainly know considering that we did the hike and beach both by ourselves as well as with her cousins (who are 7 and 10 years old, respectively).

In this article, we’ll let you know what aspects you need to consider, how you can get to Anse Major, and what you can expect on both the hike as well as beach.

👉 What To Consider | How To Get There | The Hike Itself | Anse Major Beach | More Impressions Of Anse Major

What To Bring & Consider

Every Seychelles beach adventure as well as hike starts with a healthy dose of sunscreen that you should take with you – as evidenced by the number of burnt backs we saw at Anse Major.

Mosquito repellent and water should also be part of your travel stack for the day. Shoe-wise, I’d certainly recommend using trainers or hiking boots, even though I’ve seen people on the track wearing flip flops.

As I said above, make sure to bring cash as well. You not only need it for the bus, but there’s a bar at the beach where you can purchase coconut water and other refreshments.

Also, pack your snorkeling gear if you have any. The marine life and water visibility in the bay is awesome to explore and makes for some truly stunning underwater views.

That said, when taking children into the ocean please keep a continuous eye on them . The current can get strong when the tide is high.

If you brought a drone with you, then make sure to bring it as well. You can create some incredible footage, particularly if you go in the morning when no one’s there.

Last but certainly not least, watch where you choose to place yourself on the beach. Coconuts are occasionally falling down from the trees, so the last thing you want is a bashed head on your vacation.

How To Get To Anse Major

The beach and trail are both located in the north-west coast of Mahé. To get there, you can drive, catch a bus, or by boat.

Should you take the land route, then you need to drive through the district of Bel Ombre. For those taking the bus, take line #21, which ends in the Bel Ombre district.

The bus, which costs SCR 10 per trip (don’t forget your bus card, which you can get at the airport or post office), departs every 10 – 20 minutes from Victoria. Driving back and forth will therefore cost SCR 20 in total.

You can check timetables on the official Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) website under “Mahe Normal Timetable No. 103” by downloading the attached Word document.

Alternatively, download the namesake SPTC mobile app where you can also purchase individual tickets or reload your existing travel card.

Keep in mind that the last bus back to Victoria departs at around 6:30 pm during the week and 7 pm on the weekends.

For those of you who are driving, there’s luckily enough space to park your car. Drive up past the La Scala Restaurant until you see the first sign of Anse Major.

Continue a little further until you reach the end of the road – you’ll know that you’ve arrived if you see this stunning villa. There, you can park your car under the trees by the side of the road.

Your last option to get to and back from Anse Major is by boat. We recommend ordering from Mr. Happiness who you can contact on WhatsApp or directly call via +248 254 04 54.

That said, you’ll miss out on the amazing jungle hike and incredible views, which we’ll detail in the following chapter.

The Anse Major Hike

Here are a few of the hike’s key facts:

• Distance: 6 km (~3.7 miles)
• Elevation Gained: 270 meters
• Duration: 1.5 – 2.5 hours
• Difficulty: low

At this point, we have done over a dozen different hikes in Seychelles and the Anse Major trail is, hands down, one of our favorites.

Not only do you get to reward yourself with a swim in the ocean but the views and nature you experience throughout the hike are just out of this world!

The hike itself starts off by requiring you to take a left up the stairs when you see the following sign, which appears directly after the parking area (around 200 meters past the villa).

From there, it’s quite literally impossible to get lost. You will find signs every 500 meters, indicating how far away you are located from the beach.

The path itself is a mix of concrete, jungle terrain, and rocks. Whereas we recommend to wear solid footing for hikes like Cascade Waterfall, you can get away with wearing flip flops on your way to the beach.

Furthermore, you will be exposed to the sun for most of the hike, so make sure that you apply sunscreen and cover up properly – especially when hiking around lunch time (like we did).

Protecting yourself is especially important for when you’ll inevitably end up taking photos on the various viewpoints and lookouts.

Midway through, there’s a platform where you can overlook the Indian ocean and see the waves crashing onto the various rock formations. Plus, it makes up for some great couple photos that your in-laws will absolutely adore.

Another aspect that we loved about the hike, especially if you’re taking children with you, is that it’s accompanied by various informatory signs talking about the endemics or the cave church you’ll inevitably walk through. The signs give you the opportunity to learn about the flora and fauna of the Seychelles and a well deserved water break!

And if you are ever in need of a small energy boost, make sure to pick up some plums, called Prune de France, which grow on the trees alongside the hike. There’s also a small river, next to a small bridge, with drinkable water flowing from the mountain top.

The hike is ultimately nearing its end when you reach the viewpoint (called Point de vue sur Anse Major) overlooking the beach.

From there, it’s just a quick walk through the jungle until you reach your ultimate destination – Anse Major beach.

Arriving at Anse Major Beach

The beach at Anse Major is certainly one of the most beautiful and pristine locations on Mahé and the Seychelles at large.

Again, if you elect to swim, only do so when the waves aren’t too strong or if you’re an experienced swimmer. Snorkelling can be a fun experience, even though marine life is limited due to the lack of underwater flora however, if you are lucky you may encounter turtles, schools of fish and Gaelle’s favourite the parrot/rainbow fish .

On the other side, you should be able to see quite far ahead since the water itself is incredibly clear (more so when there isn’t any overcast), so I’d still give it a go if you took the necessary gear with you to Seychelles.

If you bring children, then we’d recommend for them to only use the small pond located at the hike’s exit or in supervision near the shore (it gets very deep just a few meters into the ocean). Plus, there’s a swing for the smaller ones to enjoy.

The sand itself is probably one of the softest I (Viktor) ever stepped on – and made for some great football games with Gaelle’s cousins.

That said, if you want to be by yourself (or yourselves) and duck the afternoon sun (or crazy football-playing people), then we’d recommend going in the early morning.

However, the bar located near the beach may not be open yet, so you would have to hold off your coconut water refreshments until it does.

Conveniently, there’s also a toilet located at the beach. However, make sure to bring your own paper.

Once you decide to depart (and if you don’t elect to take a boat), we’d recommend getting up via the left side of the rocks and not where the bridge is located since it’s much easier to climb and clean your feet.

Overall, Anse Major remains one of our favorite beaches and, especially if you only stay on Mahé during your vacation, should definitely be on your bucket list of locations that you need to explore.

More Impressions From the Beach & Hike

The trail and beach are one of the best experiences the island of Mahé has to offer – and, weather permitting, will make up for an incredible memory on your travels.

Here are a few more photos of the various times we went to Anse Major: