Anse Source d'Argent: Fee, Best Time, Tides and How to Get There from the Jetty

Anse Source d'Argent sits inside L'Union Estate, so you pay an entry fee at the estate gate when you arrive. Check the current price there. The best time is a low tide in the morning, before the Praslin day-trippers arrive.

How much does the entry cost?

There is an entry fee, paid at the L'Union Estate gate when you arrive. I found no price list from the estate itself. Travel guides quote different amounts from different years, so I do not print a figure here. Check the current price at the gate, and ask there about children.

We Seek Travel says the fee is paid at the entrance and is required for both Anse Source d'Argent and Anse Marron. STORY Seychelles says to carry local currency for it. So bring rupees in cash.

What does the ticket cover, and can you re-enter?

The ticket gets you into the estate, which holds the beach, a tortoise enclosure, a copra mill and some vanilla. SeyVillas describes the giant tortoises as kept inside an enclosure, the mill as a place to see copra made, and vanilla plants still grown in rows.

On re-entry, North Abroad says the pass is valid for the whole day and you may leave and come back as often as you like. That is the guide's word, not the estate's, so keep your ticket and ask at the booth before you leave for lunch.

SeyVillas lists the plantation house as open daily from 07:00 to 17:00, which is not the same thing as the gate hours. If you want a sunset swim, ask on arrival.

How do you get there from the La Passe jetty?

Hire a bike at La Passe and ride south: it is about 3 km to the estate entrance, roughly 10 minutes of riding. Those are my figures from OpenStreetMap routing (bike profile), riding time only. STORY Seychelles says about 15 minutes to the beach, so allow 15 to 20 with stops. Prefer to walk? North Abroad puts the walk to the estate entrance at 15 to 25 minutes, depending on where you stay. STORY also mentions ox-cart rides for hire, with no price given.

You leave the bike at the estate entrance and walk the path through the coconut plantation to the rocks. SeyVillas describes it: "At the end of the coastal road, behind a footpath, begins this park/coconut plantation." On foot that is around 1 km, roughly 10 to 11 minutes on the same routing.

Bike hire was 100 to 150 SCR a day according to We Seek Travel in May 2024. Hire places on the island set their own prices, so treat that as a range for the 2024 season, not a quote. The same guide says you can reach most places on La Digue by bike in 20 to 30 minutes.

How do you read the tide table?

Open the Seychelles Meteorological Authority's Tide Movement page, choose the month, and read the row for your date. The authority describes the product as "precise predictions of high and low tide times and heights". Each row has four time-and-height pairs: Low Tide 1, Low Tide 2, High Tide 1 and High Tide 2, with heights in metres.

Two cautions. The sheet we read, for December 2026, does not name the station it applies to or state its datum. Another tide site, tidetime.org, says its La Digue times are estimates based on Port Victoria. So use the times as a guide to within some minutes, not to the minute.

The key pattern: low tide comes a little later each day. So a morning low falls only on some days, usually a few days in a row about twice a month. Open the sheet for your month and scan the Low Tide columns for a daytime time between about 07:00 and 11:00. Those are your days.

If your dates have no morning low, you choose between quiet and the lowest water. A midday low gives the most exposed rocks, but the day-trippers are there by then.

What does the tide change on the beach?

At low tide the water is very shallow and the rocks stand clear. At high tide there is more room to swim. North Abroad puts it this way: "At low tide, the water is very shallow." At high tide, "you'll have more space to swim." SeyVillas, on the neighbouring Anse Pierrot, warns that at high tide the beach can disappear, with water reaching the treeline.

My pick for a first visit: arrive an hour before a morning low, walk the boulders and take your photos, then swim as the tide comes back in. It is not the only way, but it gives you both versions of the beach in one visit.

If swimming matters most, go nearer high tide. SeyVillas calls the reef-protected Anse Union, about 630 m away, shallow and clear, and great for swimming and snorkelling.

When is the best month to go?

The sources disagree, so here is who says what. North Abroad calls April to May and October to November the best shoulder months. STORY Seychelles says the ideal time is the dry season, May to September. The Seychelles Meteorological Authority's climate guide describes July as very windy, with the south-east trades near their peak and a sea that "can get pretty rough". It says April is light-wind, with a sea that "can't get more pleasant than this". It calls December wet and humid, with a sea that is "quite pleasant" outside spells of tropical-cyclone winds.

Its sea comments cover the Seychelles in general, not this cove. My reading: April, and October to November, are the safest bets for calm water. Rain in the tropics comes in showers, and North Abroad says it rains all year, often in short bursts. For the day itself, the tide matters more than the month.

What is there to eat, and what should you bring?

Bring cash. North Abroad says to carry it in case the ATM at L'Union Estate does not work, and STORY says to carry local currency for the entry fee.

North Abroad lists the Old Pier Cafe inside the estate, for lunch, with toilets next to it. It also lists a couple of beach stalls selling fresh coconut and fruit juice. STORY says toilets are near the entrance. For the bag: swimwear, towel, water and snacks, sunhat or sunglasses, and water shoes for the rocks. Shade is patchy: North Abroad says palm trees shade parts of the beach, so bring sun protection.

How do you get there from Mahe or Praslin?

Take the ferry to La Passe, then follow the bike route above. The Cat Cocos schedule gives about 1 hour 15 minutes from Mahe to Praslin, and 15 minutes from Praslin to La Digue. Mahe to La Digue via Praslin takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.

We checked the operator's booking engine on 11 November 2026. The one-way fare for a non-resident adult from Praslin to La Digue was SCR 188 (about €12), port fee included. Mahe to La Digue cost SCR 1,064 in the cheapest class (about €65). Children and seniors are priced separately.

The euro figures use the Central Bank of Seychelles mid-rate of 10 November 2026. A second operator, Cat Rose, also crosses between Praslin and La Digue. Booking agents list its sailings, but we could not confirm them with the operator, so check at the jetty.

A day trip works, but North Abroad warns it probably means an early start. From Mahe it is tight. On the Cat Cocos 2026–2027 timetable, the 08:00 boat to Praslin meets the 09:30 boat to La Digue only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. My advice: sleep on La Digue if you can. Then the morning low is yours before the boats arrive.

When do the crowds come?

Go early. North Abroad says most people arrive between 10:00 and 11:00, and that staying until sunset gives you more privacy. We Seek Travel also advises arriving early, since the beach "can get very busy".

Many day-trippers come over from Praslin by ferry. If you sleep on La Digue, you have the advantage: be on the path by 08:00.

A paradise with a queue for the famous boulder is still a paradise, just a slower one.

Can you swim at Anse Source d'Argent?

Often yes, but the sea decides, not the guidebook. North Abroad calls it "generally considered one of the safest beaches for swimming on La Digue". It also warns that "Strong currents and bigger waves are occasionally possible." There is no official swimming-safety statement for the beach, so I will not promise anything.

Practical rules: swim near the shore, go in when the water is calm and deep enough, and wear water shoes for the rocks. If the waves look big, stay out.

What about Anse Pierrot and Anse Marron?

Anse Pierrot is the easy neighbour. SeyVillas puts it about 1 km south in its text but lists 522 m on the same page, so treat the distance as unsettled. You reach it through the estate, so expect the same fee. At low tide you can walk along the coral between the two beaches, "but pack your beach shoes!", says SeyVillas. At high tide the beach can disappear. I would go only at low tide and turn back if the water is rising.

Anse Marron is a different job. SeyVillas says "just make sure you book a tour guide first!", and We Seek Travel says the same estate fee applies. No official source describes the route, so I will not draw a path. Ask the estate or a licensed local guide.

FAQ

Is the Anse Source d'Argent fee per day or per entry?

Third-party guides describe it as a day pass: North Abroad says it is valid all day with unlimited exits. SeyVillas describes a fee for "each day they enter the estate". The estate has no published rule I could find, so ask at the gate.

Can I go to Anse Source d'Argent for free?

Not through the estate. The beach is inside L'Union Estate, and Wikipedia states that access "requires a small entrance fee to estate".

Is Anse Source d'Argent good for snorkelling?

No official source covers snorkelling here. SeyVillas lists the reef-protected Anse Union, about 630 m away, as great for snorkelling, so start there.

Where do I find tide times for La Digue?

Use the Seychelles Meteorological Authority's monthly Tide Movement sheet. If you want a second opinion, compare it with a tide site that says which station it uses, and expect small differences.

Sources

1. Seychelles Meteorological Authority: Tide Movement, December 2026 (SMA/OPS/FM/034), read for the sheet layout, meteo.sc
2. Seychelles Meteorological Authority: Tide Movement product listing, meteo.sc
3. Wikipedia: Anse Source d'Argent, en.wikipedia.org
4. SeyVillas: L'Union Estate, seyvillas.com
5. SeyVillas: La Digue beaches (Anse Union, Source d'Argent, Pierrot, Marron), seyvillas.com
6. SeyVillas: Anse Pierrot, seyvillas.com
7. North Abroad: Anse Source d'Argent guide (updated 14 Oct 2026), northabroad.com
8. We Seek Travel: How to visit L'Union Estate (updated 25 May 2024), weseektravel.com
9. Tidetime: La Digue tide times (estimate from Port Victoria), tidetime.org
10. STORY Seychelles: Anse Source d'Argent guide, story-seychelles.com
11. Seychelles Meteorological Authority: Seychelles Climate Guide, meteo.sc
12. OpenStreetMap routing (FOSSGIS): bike and foot profiles, data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, routing.openstreetmap.de
13. Cat Cocos: ferry schedule and crossing times (operator), catcocos.com
14. Cat Cocos: booking engine, non-resident adult one-way fares (checked 11 Nov 2026), booking.catcocos.com
15. Central Bank of Seychelles: Consolidated average rates of authorised dealers (EUR mid 16.2645, 10 Nov 2026), cbs.sc