Seychelles
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
156km²
Area
137km
Coastline
905m
Highest point
Morne Seychellois
77,000
People
30°C
Warmest sea
April
1,280km
To the mainland
When to go to Mahé
Best for the beach from January to March and from July to August.
The sea is warmest in April (30 °C) and coolest in August (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island of Seychelles
Mahé is an island in Seychelles. It covers 156 km², with 137 km of coastline. Its highest point, Morne Seychellois, rises to 905 m. About 77,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,280 km away.
Getting there
- Seychelles International Airport (SEZ)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at SEZ airport (Victoria)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- Ferries4 ferry terminals on the island
- 1,280 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to March and from July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Mahé.
- 71beachesCarana Public Beach, Anse Du Riz, Petite Marie-Louise and 68 more
- 41viewpointsRos Lepa Trail, Morne Blanc viewing platform, Dans Gallas and 38 more
- 4ferry terminalsSainte Anne Jetty, Hilton Labriz Silhouette Jetty, Jetty Silhouette and 1 more
- 27named peaksMorne Seychellois, Congo Rouge, Trois Frères and 24 more
- 8waterfallsSauzier Waterfall, Grand anse mahe waterfall and 6 more
- 1castles and fortsMy Green mansion
- 3ruins and archaeological sitesSeychelles Youth Village, Venn's Town
- 6dive centresOcean Dream Divers, Blue Sea Divers, Dive Seychelles Underwater Centre and 3 more
- 9waymarked walking routesTrail No 6 - Morne Blanc, Salazie Trail, Copolia trail and 6 more
- 1campsites
- 342hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 113restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Mahé in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Mahé, each with its own numbers.
32beaches and covesCoastya
1waterfallCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.8°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
32 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- L’Anse L’Étoilecove29.8°C
- Anse Talbot (historical)cove29.8°C
- Anse Takamakacove29.8°C
- Anse Souillaccove29.8°C
- Anse Soleilcove29.8°C
- Anse du Rizcove29.8°C
- Anse Politecove29.8°C
- Petit Gouvernementcove29.8°C
24 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Sauzier Waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 199 m above the sea. 59 % of it is below 200 m.
- 23 %0–50 m
- 36 %50–200 m
- 33 %200–500 m
- 7 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Victoria22,881 people
- Cascade7,263 people
- Baie Lazare4,795 people
- Anse aux Pins4,685 people
- Plaisance4,622 people
- Glacis4,496 people
- English River4,236 people
- Anse Boileau4,183 people
- Bel Ombre4,163 people
- Beau Vallon4,142 people
- Grand'Anse4,140 people
- Mont Fleuri4,055 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 206 | 108 | 106 | 115 | 94 | 80 | 55 | 62 | 108 | 117 | 124 | 164 |
| Wet days | 24 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 6.7 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 7.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 16 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 18 | 14 | 16 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +1.3 | +1.5 | +0.5 | −0.4 | −0.6 | +0.5 | +0.2 | ±0.0 |
| 2021 | −0.7 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| 2022 | +0.2 | −0.3 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.1 | +0.3 | −0.4 | −0.1 | +0.3 | −0.2 | −0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | −0.3 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +1.4 |
| 2024 | +1.3 | +1.5 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.6 | −0.6 |
| 2025 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.3 | −0.5 | −0.8 | −0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q219642) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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