Mahe is the largest island in Seychelles. Did you know that Mahe has the world’s smallest capital called Victoria? One of my favourite activities to do in Mahe was visiting the Takamaka rum distillery and their rum tasting. It was a little bit of a challenge to find vegan food on this island but in this article, I listed the best options that I found.
Nearby the capital Victoria you can visit Botanical Gardens. There are also many hiking trails around Mahe island but at the time we were visiting (the end of March) it was too hot for us. Even staying in shade was too hot at the time, so hiking was not an option. Do not forget to rent a car when travelling to Mahe. The island is quite big and everything is accessible by car.
BEACHES ON MAHE
The two best beaches on Mahe are Anse Intendance and Petite Anse. Anse Intendance was a beautiful beach, but it was not the best for swimming. The waves and currents are really strong. There is a Summer Bar where you can get the best vegan smoothies with or without rum.
Petite Anse was the most beautiful beach on Mahe but it was quite a hike to get there. You have to park your car outside the Four seasons resort and walk downhill to the beach. Bring with you a lot of water and snacks, because the restaurants on the beach are available only for hotel guests. This beach has perfect turquoise water but the waves and currents here are also very strong so it is not ideal for swimming.
The most touristy part of Mahe island is Beau Vallon. There are many hotels, restaurants and some shops. The beach there was not our favourite but there are restaurants with vegan options like Mahek, The Boat house restaurant, and Wooden house café.
VEGAN FOOD ON MAHE
In Mahe, we stayed at a self-catering apartment. There was no breakfast, so we had to explore local shops. Most of the markets have vegan milk which really surprised me. You can find almond, coconut, or soy milk but I could not find any vegan yoghurt or tofu. We were lucky and found a vegan pate!
They have frozen and some fresh vegetables, but it depends on the market. I was surprised by how hard it is to find fresh fruits and vegetables in shops. The best way to buy them is by road, there are many food stands selling fresh fruits and vegetables. When visiting the capital Victoria in Mahe, you can also check the biggest fresh fruit and vegetable market in Seychelles.
PERRY’S GRILL
Perry’s Grill is a very good restaurant on Mahe Island. The owners are really friendly, so we visited this restaurant twice. They have more vegetarian options than other restaurants in the area and some of them can be made vegan. My favourite was vegan Ratatouille, but you can also have vegetable skewers. For my side dish, I ordered french fries and a fresh tropical salad with avocado.
MAHEK – INDIAN RESTAURANT WITH VEGAN OPTIONS
Mahek restaurant is an Indian restaurant on Beau Vallon Beach on Mahe. There is only vegetarian food on their menu, but we asked the waiter about vegan options. Many of their vegetarian dishes can easily be made vegan.
We tried Urulai Broccoli and Kai Korma. Because their bread is not vegan, we had rice for our side dish. Urulai Broccoli was our favourite. The dinner was really good and the waiters there are friendly. The best time to visit this restaurant is at sunset. You can enjoy a delicious Indian dinner with a beautiful sunset.
LANSIV CAFE
It is a very nice cafe in the centre of Victoria. At the time we were there almost everything was closed so it was the only place we could stop to have some coffee. It is a nice place to sit down and relax, it is also very close to the Seychelles National Museum of History.
We stopped for some snacks, fresh juice, and coffee – they sadly do not offer any vegan kind of milk. They do not offer almost anything vegan-friendly except fresh plantain banana chips and potato fries. But it is better than nothing.
VEGAN BREAKFAST IN MAHE
Mahe is not the island where you go out for a morning coffee and breakfast. Coffee shops are not a common thing in Seychelles. Luckily there are many markets where you can buy fresh tropical fruits.
Every morning we were making tropical oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal cooked with banana and soy milk, topped with fresh tropical fruits like papaya, mango, and passion fruit.
THE BOAT HOUSE RESTAURANT
It is an expensive touristy restaurant in Mahe. They are offering vegan snacks like chips or salad. For the main dish, you can have vegan coconut vegetable curry with rice. You can also order many different cocktails. The curry is nothing special for the price, but it is a good option to have.
PANINI AND ICE
It is a cute little café right next to The Boat House restaurant. After our vegan curry, we were craving something sweet. Sadly, they do not have any vegan ice cream. We could not find vegan ice cream anywhere on Mahe Island. But we did get a fresh and vegan tropical smoothie.
LA CREOLE CAFETERIA AND TAKEAWAY
We stopped at this takeaway restaurant twice because it was on our way to the beach. If you plan on spending the whole day at the beach, most of the beaches do not have any close restaurants in Mahe. It is better to be prepared and bring your food with you. We had noodles with vegetables and lentils.
TAKAMAKA RUM DISTILLERY
Our favourite activity on Mahe was visiting the Takamaka rum distillery. They are offering three daily free tours at 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00. Visitors get a free tour of their land, culture, and history. For 125scr per person, you can also taste all of their rums. We were most impressed by their Overproof rum which has 69% of alcohol. You can buy everything you taste for home.
Mahe is the busiest island in Seychelles. That was the reason that it was not our favourite from this trip. Just because Praslin and La Digue are calmer the atmosphere is more relaxed. But you have to visit Mahe anyway. Nature is very beautiful, and the locals are friendly. On Mahe, you can also find some of the best resorts in Seychelles.