Seychelles transport
The smaller islands can be explored on foot, and indeed only Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue have roads.
However, on Mahé and probably on Praslin too, the problem of transport requires some consideration. These are the possibilities (I tried all of them).
- Walking is hot and tiring, and somewhat perilous because you normally have to walk in the road. There are no pavements, few footpaths, and you won't get anywhere fast by trying to walk through the forest.
- The buses are quite cheap; they're the only cheap means of transport for Seychellois (all vehicles have to be imported and are heavily taxed). However, you may have to wait an unpredictably long time for a bus, and when it comes it may be crowded or completely full. The engine sounds as though it's being tortured to death, and the driver does his best to make the ride exciting.
- Going by taxi costs about twenty times more than going by bus, but the taxis are in good condition, and arguably you get value for money.
- The cheapest car for hire is the mini-moke, often painted bright red or yellow; these look quite ridiculous but can be seen everywhere. The next cheapest is the Suzuki jeep (I hired one for three days). You can also hire a conventional car, although I think these are in rather short supply. Bald tyres seem to be common on hired vehicles.
The long and winding road
The roads on Mahé are generally well surfaced, with only the occasional pothole. However, they're quite narrow, very winding, and usually have a cliff or a steep drop on each side. Even where the ground is relatively flat, the road is usually raised well above it, presumably so that water can run off.
Therefore, in most places, you stay on the road or you crash. The frequent bends mean that driving at 40 kph (25 mph) feels dangerously fast. So it takes longer to drive around the island than you might expect.
There are remarkably few places where you can stop and park. It's very frustrating to have to go on past wonderful views and deserted beaches simply because there's nowhere to stop. You can stop in the road, of course, and people sometimes do, but then you're blocking the whole lane.
At night, the roads are completely unlit, though they are provided with cat's eyes.
Emergency stop
What you might find in the road on rounding a sharp bend on Mahé (all examples drawn from my own experiences):
- a pothole
- a pile of stones from a half-finished wall repair
- a group of schoolchildren (very common, this)
- an adult pedestrian
- a cow
- a bus engaged in manoeuvring off the road.