Mauritius vs Seychelles

Cost

Mauritius, checked August 2026: an inexpensive restaurant meal Rs300, range Rs150-600; a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant Rs2,000, range Rs1,200-4,000; a pint of domestic draught Rs100. Some upmarket restaurants add a 10-15% service charge.

Seychelles, checked 16 July 2026: an inexpensive restaurant meal SCR265; a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant SCR1,305; a pint of domestic draught SCR110. From 130 entries by 16 contributors — the same caveat applies.

Mauritius is the cheaper on the sourced lines, though the Seychelles dataset is thin enough that it should not be used to split hairs.

Getting there

Mauritius has non-stop service to and from London, Paris CDG daily, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Geneva, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Antananarivo, Saint-Denis on Réunion, Kuala Lumpur and Perth, with Dubai under a codeshare. There are no direct flights from the Americas. One airport in the south-east, then road. Mauritius grants a tourist visa on arrival for up to 180 days cumulative in a calendar year, case by case, with an All in One travel form to complete before departure.

Seychelles International on Mahé is the gateway, with Praslin and La Digue reached by domestic flight or ferry. Seychelles requires no visa, but an Electronic Travel Authorisation is mandatory and must be obtained BEFORE departure — every traveller, including anyone arriving by sea. A Visitor's Permit follows on arrival for up to three months, extendable in three-month blocks to twelve, against a return ticket, confirmed accommodation and sufficient funds.

The Seychelles travel authorisation is the one to remember — there is no visa, which is exactly why people forget there is anything to arrange.

The beaches

Seychelles wins this and it is the reason to go.

Granite formations on pale sand occur almost nowhere else, and on La Digue and Praslin they are public and walkable. Mauritius' beaches are good and its reef ring makes the swimming easier and more consistent, but they are not distinctive in the same way.

Mauritius' counterweight is wind: kitesurfing season April to November, windiest July and August on the east and south coasts. No sourced beach-level data for either yet.

In this directory: Mauritius has 2 beaches listed, 2 rated calm for swimming. Seychelles has 2, 1 calm.

In the water

Mauritius runs roughly 23.7°C to 28.5°C across the year — warmest in March at about 28.5°C, coolest in August and September at about 23.7°C — and is swimmable year-round at the main resort coasts.

Seychelles is warm year-round and swimmable every month, with no sourced monthly figures here. It sits closer to the equator and does not have Mauritius' August-September dip.

When to go

Mauritius is best May to October — winter, drier and breezier at around 25°C, with quieter beaches. Cyclone season runs November to 15 May, officially that wide rather than confined to the new year.

The Seychelles inner islands are dry December to April and wet June to October, and the difference between the two is mainly wind and rainfall rather than temperature.

Almost no overlap. A July trip is Mauritius; a February trip is Seychelles.

Beyond the beach

Mauritius has more and it is easier to reach — a capital, mountains and four cuisines inside ninety minutes by road.

Seychelles' version is three distinct islands and the moving between them as part of the trip, plus a capital on Mahé. Smaller, and deliberately so.