A long, brilliant white arc of sands laced by palms and takamaka trees, Beau Vallon (on Mahé’s northwest coast, 3km from Victoria) is the most popular beach in Mahé, yet not the most appealing. It’s one of the few beaches where the water is deep enough for swimming (watch out for large swells between June and November). It’s overbuilt by Seychellois standards, but you’ll find it remarkably low-key and quiet if you have experienced other tropical destinations. The seaside ambience, with fishermen selling fresh fish late in the afternoon in the shade of takamaka trees, adds a dash of real life to the area.

In Beau Vallon village, where the road from Victoria forks west to Bel Ombre and northeast to Glacis, there is a petrol station, a Barclays Bank ATM, a Cable & Wireless internet café and the police station. You’ll find convenience stores supplying basic foodstuffs and other necessities on the beach road and around the junction with the Bel Ombre road.

Beau Vallon beach is one of the most frequented and maybe the most popular on the island. With easy access and short distance from Victoria this is ideal for everyone.

The long sandy beach lays in a large, calm bay with flat waterfloor. Shaded by Takamaka trees and Vouloutye bushes, Beau Vallon ends in the south with the Fishermans Cove Hotel and panoramic mountainous landscape in the background. The north boundary forms giant round shaped granite rocks. The islands of North and Silhouette can be seen on the horizon.

The beach of Beau Vallon is ever changing. It does have its natural annual movement of sand as any other beach but it seems that every year more or less the same amount of sand is returned. During the northwest monsoon from November to April, sand is removed from the beach by the powerful waves and currents. During that time the beach is usually covered completely by the swell during high tide. Once the southeast trade winds starts, the beach recharges to its gently-sloped gradient. Due to the fact that the beach is located within a bay, most of the sand remains in the immediate area instead of being carried elsewhere by the currents.