Vallée de Mai Praslin: Entry Fee, Opening Hours, How Long & Fond Ferdinand Compared

Vallée de Mai costs SCR 450, opens 08:30 to 16:30 every day except 25 December and 1 January, and lets you in until 15:30. Plan 60 to 90 minutes. If you can see only one palm forest on Praslin, pick this one, because you can walk it on your own. Still choosing a base? Praslin or La Digue helps first.

What the ticket covers, and what it does not

The fee covers the paths, the free leaflet with a map and species checklist, and the visitor centre facilities. The Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) says the fee "covers the use of all of the available facilities and services". It also helps run both World Heritage Sites SIF manages, Vallée de Mai and Aldabra Atoll.

It does not cover a guide. SIF notes that "there are independent guides that offer tours of the Vallée de Mai". SIF gives no guide prices. Agree the price before you start walking. SIF's ticket page says tickets do not include transport, refreshments or equipment. It does not say which site that list covers.

One mix-up to avoid. The Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority sells its own tickets at spga.gov.sc. Its list has Curieuse (Rs 300) and the Botanical Garden (Rs 250), but not Vallée de Mai. A Rs 150 ticket you see there is for a different place, such as a trail. The Vallée de Mai fee goes to SIF.

How much does Vallée de Mai cost?

SCR 450 for a tourist, according to SIF's page on 14 November 2026. You can pay at the visitor centre in rupees or any other major foreign currency, by cash or card. Children under 12 enter free, with ID, says SIF's ticket page. SIF's 2023 price notice says Seychellois and residents keep free entry to its sites.

Older numbers are out of date. SIF's own 2020 news item gave SCR 350 for tourists "for the time being".

SIF's 2023 notice put a price revision into effect on 6 March 2023. It also launched online ticketing with an "app. 10% reduction in entrance fees" for online tickets. SIF's online checkout charged a tourist SCR 410 for Vallée de Mai on 14 November 2026, SCR 40 less than at the gate.

How to buy Vallée de Mai tickets online

Use the SIF ticket page. You pick the visitor type (tourist or resident), the site, your visit date and the number of adult and child tickets. Then you enter an email address and pay. You can print one ticket for the whole group or one per person. The form shows the price once you pick the site. On 14 November 2026 it charged a tourist SCR 410 for Vallée de Mai, SCR 270 for Fond Ferdinand and SCR 600 for the combination ticket. You can also still buy on site at the visitor centre ticket office, so booking ahead is optional.

Tickets are non-refundable. Each is good for one entry within 10 days of the visit date you choose, so pick the date with the weather in mind. SIF puts the rainy season at December to March. It says "the palm forest cover is generally the best shelter for a passing shower", and suggests an umbrella or light rain jacket, particularly in the rainy season.

If you book a guided tour or day trip, ask whether the ticket is included. SIF's terms say tickets do not include transport.

Opening hours and last entry

The reserve opens at 08:30 and closes at 16:30. The last person goes in at 15:30. It is open every day except 25 December and 1 January.

Arrive in the first hour if you can. That is my advice, not a SIF rule. You will not be racing the 15:30 cut-off, and the heat is gentler.

How long does a visit take?

Count on 60 to 90 minutes for one loop. That is my estimate. SIF gives distances, not durations: its routes run from "ca. 1.5 km to ca. 4 km", and every visitor gets a free leaflet with a path map and a species checklist.

Short on time? Take the shortest route and stop at the cafeteria. Got the whole morning? Take a longer path and go slowly. You can walk on your own. A guide is a choice, not a rule.

SIF lists a cafeteria, lockers, a souvenir shop, an information centre, toilets and a car park. It says the visitor centre and the first part of the forest are wheelchair accessible. Ask at the centre which route suits you.

Is Vallée de Mai worth visiting?

Yes, if you want to see the coco de mer in its natural forest. SIF says Vallée de Mai became a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1983. At 19.5 hectares it is one of the world's smallest. It is the second Seychelles site on the list after Aldabra Atoll, which SIF has managed since 1979. The visit is short. If you are only after beaches, skip it and spend the time at Anse Lazio.

Vallée de Mai or Fond Ferdinand?

Vallée de Mai is the easier first pick: published hours, a published price, walk it yourself. SIF's pages publish no gate price or opening hours for Fond Ferdinand.

	Vallée de Mai	Fond Ferdinand
Entrance fee	SCR 450 at the gate	Not published by SIF
Online price	SCR 410 at SIF's online checkout (14 Nov 2026)	SCR 270 at SIF's online checkout (14 Nov 2026)
Under 12	Free, with ID	Not stated for this site; SIF's ticket page has a general rule (free under 12, with ID)
Hours	08:30 to 16:30	Not published
Last entry	15:30	Not published
Guided or self-guided	Self-guided, free leaflet; independent guides optional	Guided tours at set times, per a SIF job advert; the 2023 notice also talks of self-guided visits
Routes	About 1.5 to 4 km	Not published
Facilities	Cafeteria, lockers, shop, toilets, car park	Not published
Getting there	Public bus stop outside the visitor centre, taxi, car, on foot	Not published by SIF
Ticket	Single ticket, one entry within 10 days	Single ticket, or one combination ticket for both sites (SCR 600 online), one entry each within 10 days

"Not published" means not on the SIF pages I could read. If SIF posts more on its booking pages, those win.

The tour times come from a SIF job advert for a visitor attendant, which closed on 23 February 2026. It says staff "conduct guided tours punctually, following the scheduled times (09:30, 11:00, 13:00)". That is an indirect source and the times could change. SIF's 2023 notice, meanwhile, says the revision aims at "facilitating self-guided visits" at Fond Ferdinand. Both can be true, so confirm with SIF at info@sif.sc before you plan a day around it.

My pick: Vallée de Mai first. Add Fond Ferdinand if you want a second visit and the tour times suit you. If you want both, SIF sells one combination ticket, with one entry to each site within 10 days of your chosen date.

Getting to Vallée de Mai by bus, taxi or car

A public bus stops outside the visitor centre entrance, says SIF. Its list of options also includes taxi, rental car, walking and an organised tour. If you have not picked a hotel yet, where to stay on Praslin gives drive times by area and notes which beaches have a bus stop.

I give no route number or timetable. The bus operator SPTC's timetable page only links PDF timetables (weekday and weekend) and names no Vallée de Mai stop. Ask at your hotel or the nearest bus stop, and check the return times before you go in.

Coco de mer and the black parrot: what to look for

The coco de mer is a palm with "the largest seed in the plant kingdom", says SIF. The female nut takes around five to six years to mature on the tree, which makes your 90 minutes look rather hasty.

The black parrot lives only on Praslin, says SIF. It nests mostly in dead coco de mer trunks, which SIF calls "by far their most common nesting cavity". The 2018 census estimated 1,382 birds. SIF calls the species totally dependent on the Vallée de Mai and the surrounding palm forest, and says its preferred foods are native palm fruits. So you are in the right habitat.

Will you see one? Maybe. SIF gives no sighting guarantee, and no times of day when the birds are active, so neither do I. Go slowly, look up and listen. Use the species checklist from the leaflet to keep score of what you do find.

Buy coco de mer nuts only from an official seller. SIF names poaching as one of the greatest threats to the valley.

A half-day with Anse Lazio

Do Vallée de Mai first thing, then the beach. Be at the gate at 08:30, finish by about 10:00, and head to Anse Lazio. That is my plan, not an official one: go before the sun and the crowds get strong.

I found no source that confirms a public bus to Anse Lazio, or a current timetable. So use a taxi or a rental car, or book a combined tour. Fix the return before you leave the beach.

Curieuse or a day of island hopping belongs on another day, because boat days need good weather and a fixed departure. The pages on the Curieuse and St Pierre trip and on island hopping in the Seychelles give the boat, ferry and park-fee costs and worked day plans.

What to note before you go

• Gate fee: SCR 450 for tourists, or SCR 410 online (SIF checkout, 14 November 2026).
• Be at the gate for 08:30, well clear of the 15:30 last entry.
• Fond Ferdinand tour times are indirect. Confirm them with SIF before you build a day around them.
• Want a guide? Agree the price first.
• Check the return bus before you go in.