The trip
Overview
Two Indian Ocean islands, both a direct flight from Dubai, yet remarkably unlike each other: Mauritius is a full-scale island nation of sugarcane hills, Creole markets and grand lagoon resorts; the Seychelles is granite boulders, half-empty coves and a slower, smaller register altogether. Pairing them in one journey gives you the resort polish of the first and the castaway character of the second without repeating a single day.
The routing is straightforward — five nights in Mauritius, then a connection north to Mahé, splitting the Seychelles stay between Praslin or La Digue and a final Mahé night positioned for the flight home. It suits honeymooners above all, but equally couples marking an anniversary who cannot choose between the two islands and have decided, sensibly, not to.
Highlights
- ✦Five nights on a Mauritius lagoon with sunset catamaran sailing
- ✦The Chamarel hills, rum distillery and Black River Gorges viewpoints
- ✦Anse Lazio on Praslin, consistently ranked among the world's best beaches
- ✦Cycling La Digue's lanes to the granite boulders of Anse Source d'Argent
- ✦Giant tortoises and the Vallée de Mai's coco de mer palms
Who it suits
- ●Honeymooners who want two distinct chapters rather than one long resort stay
- ●Couples celebrating an anniversary or landmark birthday
- ●Beach connoisseurs ticking off Anse Lazio and Anse Source d'Argent in one trip
Why this journey works
- ✓Both islands fly direct from Dubai, so the two-centre trip adds character, not complexity
- ✓Mauritius gives resort service and activity; the Seychelles gives seclusion — you get both
- ✓Ten nights split five-three-two keeps every stay long enough to unwind
Day by day
Days 1–5
Mauritius — the lagoon and the green interior
A six-hour direct flight from Dubai lands you in Mauritius in time for dinner. Five nights on the east or west coast in a classic lagoon resort: mornings of waterskiing and glass-bottom kayaks, one full-day island drive through Chamarel's coloured earths, the Black River Gorges and a rum distillery lunch, and a sunset catamaran cruise with dolphins likely on the west coast. Resort style: established, gracious, with the golf course and kids' club you may happily ignore.
Days 6–8
Praslin or La Digue — the castaway register
Fly north to Mahé and connect by fifteen-minute hopper or ferry to Praslin. Three nights close to Anse Lazio's perfect arc, with a morning in the Vallée de Mai among the coco de mer palms and a day trip by bicycle around La Digue — ox-cart lanes, vanilla plantations and the sculpted granite of Anse Source d'Argent. Hotels here are smaller and barefoot by design; the pace drops accordingly.
Days 9–10
Mahé — mountains meeting the sea
Ferry back to Mahé for the final two nights on the quieter south or west coast. Beau Vallon's beach shacks, the Victoria market and botanical-garden tortoises if you want an outing, or simply a last run of cove-swimming from your hotel's bay. Positioned twenty minutes from the airport for a painless departure.
Day 11
Home to the UAE
The direct flight from Mahé has you back in Dubai in around four and a half hours.
When to go
The Seychelles sits outside the cyclone belt and works year-round, with the calmest seas around April to May and October to November at the trade-wind changeovers. Mauritius is at its best from May to December; January to March is cyclone season, warm and green with a watchful eye on forecasts. UAE winter holidays land nicely for both islands.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Mauritius destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi with the inter-island connection
- ✓Ferry or island-hopper flights within the Seychelles
- ✓Ten nights across three islands with daily breakfast, half board in Mauritius
- ✓All airport and jetty transfers
- ✓PCT travel consultant support before and during travel
Not included
- —Travel insurance
- —Lunches and dinners unless stated
- —Excursions unless quoted
- —Personal spending
Ways to extend it
- +Add three nights on a private-island resort in the Seychelles
- +Include a golf round on Mauritius's championship courses
- +Add whale shark or turtle snorkelling excursions in season
- +Reverse the route to finish in Mauritius
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