Anse Lazio

Anse Lazio curves around a sheltered bay at the far north-western tip of Praslin, the second-largest island of the Seychelles. It is the classic Seychelles composition in its most generous form: a long arc of fine pale sand, a fringe of takamaka trees and palms behind it, and at each end a pile of massive granite boulders, weathered into rounded forms and streaked with the colours of the rock. Lonely Planet calls it the best beach on Praslin, and in 2016 CNN placed it fourth among the best beaches in the world.

What sets it apart from most beaches in the archipelago is that no coral reef lies across the bay. The water is deep and clear right up to the sand, so the sea shows an intense range of blues and greens, and you swim in open water rather than a shallow lagoon. The granite at both ends continues underwater, and snorkelling around the boulders is among the best from any beach on Praslin; the neighbouring bay of Anse Boudin shares the same rocks and clear water.

The bay's history includes a sad episode: two fatal shark attacks here in August 2011, the first in the Seychelles since 1963. Nets were installed afterwards and removed five years later. Since 2024 the beach has been designated for non-motorised use, keeping boats with engines out of the bay.

Getting there

The beach is on Praslin, about 45 km from Victoria, the capital on Mahé. The nearest airport is Praslin Island Airport (PRI), about 20 km and some thirty minutes away by road across the island; international flights arrive at Seychelles International Airport on Mahé, with domestic flights and ferries to Praslin. From the village of Anse Boudin a short road climbs over a ridge down to the beach.