Seychelles is a beautiful archipelago in Africa. Located along the Indian Ocean Coastline, the country is a beacon of light on the African continent. Renowned for its beautiful beaches, the archipelago is a destination for thousands of tourists and people who want to conduct business in the country. As a Nigerian looking to travel to Seychelles, you must note that Nigeria has a standing visa abolition agreement with the archipelago granting citizens of Nigeria free entry into their country with the receiving of a visitors permit in exchange for the same favor when citizens of Seychelles visit Nigeria.
Citizens of Nigeria with a valid Nigerian passport are not required to have a visa before traveling down to Seychelles. As we have earlier noted, the country has a standing agreement with Nigeria where citizens of both countries can travel to the other country and stay for a total of 30 days without needing a visa. The only thing that you will need within the stated period of 30 days is your Seychelles visitors permit and even that is normally issued when you arrive in the country.
Types of Seychelles Visas
Although we have already established that Nigerians do not need to apply for any visa before entering Seychelles, it is wise that we take a cursory look at the kinds of visas that Seychelles has and if you will need to upgrade your visa when in Seychelles.
The two major types of visas that Seychelles has are:
- The Seychelles Work Permit
This visa is the ideal choice for you if you are relocating to Seychelles for work and business. This visa is normally suitable for people who plan to stay up to 12 months and a visitor’s permit holder can always upgrade to this visa after making the necessary payments. You will need to tender evidence that shows that you have sufficient money to take care of yourself for the proposed period of your stay in Seychelles.
- The Seychelles Visitor’s permit
This is the ideal visa for anyone visiting Seychelles for pleasure purposes. It could be for vacations, family and friends visits, plain old tourism; or anything that will take you less than 30 days to achieve.
Visa Requirements for Seychelles
- You must possess and be able to tender an international passport that has up to at least two blank pages
- Your passport has to be valid on the day you arrive in Seychelles and the day you plan to make your departure
- You must tender evidence that shows that you have planned accommodation in Seychelles. This accommodation plan is ideally a booked hotel, but if you are staying with friends and family, it will not be out of place for you to show their willingness to accommodate you
- You must show evidence that proves you have enough money to take care of yourself throughout your stay in Seychelles
- You must show evidence that you don’t have a criminal record in your country.
- You must show a valid onward ticket. This means that you might be required to buy the said tickets when you arrive in Seychelles
Where to Apply For the Seychelles Visitor’s Permit
All Seychelles visitor’s permits are usually issued on arrival at any of the country’s ports of arrival. You can fly directly to the country’s ports as a Nigerian and ask for a visitor’s permit. Again, as we already established; you will need to tender these documents and evidence to qualify for a visitor’s permit and to be allowed into Seychelles:
- Your international passport with at least two blank pages.
- An onward ticket or return flight ticket to your home country.
- Evidence of confirmed accommodation.
- Proof of enough funds to cover expenses while in Seychelles.
- An invitation letter if you are staying with friends and relatives.
Cost of Seychelles Visas & Visitor’s Permit
Remember that we already established that as a Nigerian, you do not need a visa to be able to enter and stay in Seychelles for 30 days. All you need for that is a visitor’s permit. Now, the visitor’s permit is normally issued at no cost to the holder. All you need is to tender the documents listed above. Having said that, you must note that, if you are willing to extend your stay in Seychelles for an additional 3 months, you will have to pay the sum of 134,155 Nigerian Naira. You can get three-month extensions for a total period of 12 months. Please note if you intend to renew your visitor’s permit, you must do that at least a week before it expires.
How to Travel To Seychelles
Whether you are visiting Seychelles for holiday, tourism, business or any other thing, if you can afford to buy your flight tickets earlier than the period that you intend to travel, please by all means do it because flights are normally cheaper when you buy them a lot earlier than when you intend to travel. Also try to avoid flying to Seychelles during the weekends as that might mean that you will pay more for flights.
Airlines That Currently Ply the Seychelles Route
Here are some of the airlines that currently fly to Mahe Island, Seychelles from Lagos, Nigeria:
South African airline
Ethiopian airline
Kenya airline
Qatar airline
Turkish airline
Air France
Etihad airline
British Airways
Accommodation in Seychelles
Unless you are visiting friends and family and thus, they have your accommodation sorted, you must note getting accommodation in Seychelles might not be too budget-friendly depending on your plans. Hotels in Seychelles are more than 400 and you will not lack for choice of what you want. However, hotels are a little expensive with prices mostly starting from about 50 US dollars a day.
Seychelles Currency
Please note that the currency of exchange in Seychelles is called the Seychelles Rupee normally abbreviated to SRC. But for most of the daily activities that the tourist will need to engage in like hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc. You will be required to make payments in Euros. So make sure that you exchange your currency for Euros as it is the widely accepted currency in Seychelles.
Tourist Sites to Visit in Seychelles
Seychelles is a very beautiful country with manifold tourist attraction sites that every person can enjoy. In Seychelles, it is never a question of looking for places to visit, it’s about choosing where to go from the plenteous tourist attraction sites. From the many tourist attraction sites, we have chosen some that we think are fantastic. They are below:
- Seychelles National Botanical Garden:
Founded some 100 years ago, the Seychelles National; botanical garden offers you a rare opportunity to sight-see and study nature in its natural state. It is a beautiful garden that you might never want to leave!
- Hopping Around the African Nation
As we informed you earlier, Seychelles is an archipelago that consists of about 155 islands. So, traveling from one island to the other could be a fantastic way of exploring the country and fraternizing with the locals- why shouldn’t you? Please note that you have a variety of travel options including a bus ride and you can also choose to travel by helicopter. Seychelles is a nation waiting to be explored, and explore you should.
Take a Trip to the Beach
Seychelles is an island nation and that means that when you are in Seychelles, you will not lack a beach to visit. There are all calibers of beaches and the ones) you will decide to visit depends largely on your taste in beaches.
Take a Trip to the City
Are you running on a budget? Are you looking to save money on your Seychelles trip? Then we think a trip to the capital is for you. Taking a trip to the capital city of Seychelles will save you handsome money while allowing you to still experience the beautiful culture of the people of Seychelles. Take the trip today!
- Visit the Popular Anse Lazio Beach
If you are a lover of blue waters, then the Anse Lazio beach will be exciting for you. Located on the Praslin Island of Seychelles, the Anse Lazio beach is a fantastic place to start your exploration of Seychelles.
- Visiting the Valley De Mai
The Valley De Mai is a valley marked by UNESCO as a world heritage site. This means that it is an important cultural site in Seychelles. A trip to the Valley De Mai is always a wonderful experience for culture lovers. The Valley De Mai is located on Praslin Island in the nation of Seychelles. The valley is home to species of birds that you will not find elsewhere. Therefore meaning that it is also an interesting visit for bird watchers.
Other important sites of attractions for tourists and visitors in Seychelles include the following:
- Seychelles Natural History Museum
- Baie Ternay Marine National Park.
- Anse Major Island
- Cousin Island Special Reserve
- Praslin National Park
- Enjoy octopus curry at Starfish Restaurant
- Aldabra Group of Islands
- Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar Temple
- Please make sure that you do your research and inquiries from the locals before you embark on a trip to any of these sites.
Getting To Seychelles Airport
When you get to an airport in Seychelles, here are the steps that you should take:
- Obtain a visitor’s permit from the immigration authorities
- Present your international passport. Make sure beforehand that it still has a validity period of at least 6 months and two blank pages
- Present an international yellow fever card that shows that you are not infected
- Tender your return or onward tickets from Seychelles
- Show evidence that you have enough money that cover your needs while you are in Seychelles
- If you are visiting friends and family, you must show evidence that you were invited
Nigerians who are traveling to Seychelles generally have two options open to them. The fact is that traveling long distances can be quite expensive and we understand that people are on the lookout for viable, secure, and affordable options which is why we are discussing this topic. Let’s look at the two options available to Nigerians traveling to Seychelles:
The first option is to fly directly to Seychelles from either Lagos or Abuja. Truthfully, this is the easiest mode of traveling to Seychelles and it is monumentally faster. However, the downside is that this is an expensive way of getting to Seychelles. If you can afford it, we advise that you take this route.
If you visit Seychelles by flying the whole journey, it will cost you between 614 US dollars to 734 US dollars to travel to Seychelles (depending on the peak periods).