After a few days on Praslin island, we made our way via Inter Island Ferry to the island of La Digue. The smallest of the inhabited islands, La Digue is home to 3,000 full time residents. Because of its small size (3 km across) there are very few cars on the island and everyone gets around via bike. If this sounds incredibly quaint and picturesque, you’re absolutely right. La Digue was by far my favorite island for its relaxed atmosphere and sheer beauty. Even though the island is small, I would recommend spending at least three days here, but if you have more time, that would be even better. We never wanted to leave! The most famous beach, Anse Source D’Argent, is truly spectacular and worth at least one full day of your time.
— ARRIVING —
The port is located in La Passe, the main little town of the island where you will find most of the accommodations and restaurants.
^^Small beach in the backyard of Marie-France Guest House. Owned by a Grandmother-Mother-Daughter Trio—who run the world? GIRLS!
—ANSE SOURCE D’ARGENT—
Anse Source D’Argent is what beach fantasies are made of. We changed our plans and spent a second full day here because it’s just that beautiful. Reaching Anse Source D’argent by land requires entrance into the L’union Estate Park, a fully operating vanilla bean plantation. The entrance fee is around $8 and is good for the entire day (including the option to come and go as you please.) Once you enter L’union Estate, the route to the beach takes about 10 mins by bike and includes pathways lined with sky high palm trees, century old giant turtles, and heaps of coconuts. Upon reaching the coast and the entrance to the beach, you will find bike parking and Lambousir restaurant—a must for lunch. Bring your snorkel gear for prime tropical fish spotting.
^^Rows and rows of vanilla bean plants make for a very fragrant and beautiful bike ride to the beach. Pure Heaven.
Yellow Ruffle Dress | Reformation (similar here)
Espadrilles | Ball Pages
Straw Hat | Lack of Color
Straw Bag | Abaca
Gingham Swimsuit | Blue de Vous (similar here)
Gold Fang Necklace | Missoma London
Turkish Towel | Hammamas (similar here)
Sunglasses | Ray-ban
Straw Bag | Abaca
^^If you know me, it should be no surprise one of my favorite perks of this beach are the resident beach dogs! They spend all day chasing fishes in the sea and snuggling up to visitors, especially those who feed them snacks. We became especially fond of the pups and gave them all appropriate names (front left to back right): Jacque, Sophie, Pepe and Coco. Jacque is the leader of the pack and Pepe is madly in love with Coco, whom so patiently puts up with his endless affection.
Anse Source d’Argent is made up of a series of coves, each different and equally breathtaking. Even after having been there, I still look at the picture in disbelief a place this beautiful exists. It’s crazy to think over 9000 miles away lies a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean just brimming with natural beauty like nowhere else on this planet. The best way to describe it is Jurassic Park meets Robinson Crusoe meets Paradise, and I love every little thing about it.
If you find yourself hungry mid day, Lambousir restaurant serves delicious traditional creole fare and cold drinks—but you can also pack food if you’d prefer to soak in every second of your time and picnic on the beach. There are also a couple beach bars serving up delicious drinks, smoothies and small snacks.
— SUNSET WATCHING —
Our first nights sunset was pretty spectacular, as was every sunset on La Digue. This one in particular was just crazy beautiful. This is straight out of the camera from our balcony. You can see Praslin island in the distance.
—HIKE TO ANSE MARRON—
The hike to Anse Marron from Grand Anse is not for the faint of heart. Even after reading reviews highlighting the difficulty, we were very surprised at just how intense the hike was. Anyone at all afraid of heights or small spaces be warned. Prepared to thrash through the jungle, scale boulders, slide through underwater caves, and wade through waist deep water. Water shoes are highly recommended as are water proof bags for electronics. Two liters of water per person are also required. The hiking portion of the trip is about 1.5 hours each way, starting from Grand Anse to Anse Marron, and then from Anse Marron and ending at Anse Source D’Argent. Including the time spent swimming and lounging at the beach, plan for a total of 6-7 hours for the entire trip. If you’re up for the adventure, the prize at the end (Anse Marron) is really stunning. There’s excellent snorkeling as well so bring your gear if you don’t mind trekking around with it. We made the journey with Ralph and Robert at Sunny Trail Guide. An added bonus to swimming in a breathtaking deserted beach is the lunch prepared by the guides: empanadas and fresh tropical fruit.
—BIKING THE NORTH ISLAND—
Starting in La Passe, we spent an afternoon biking all the way around the North part of the island, until the bike path ends just past Anse Fourmis. The route is paved almost the entire way and the scenery is beautiful throughout. Along the route you will pass Domaine De L’Orangearaie, the local cemetery, and lots of nice beaches. Anse Severe is a beautiful beach with calm shallow waters and a couple of beach bars with fresh drinks and smoothies available. This is also a great spot to watch the sunset over nearby Praslin island. Anse Patates is just a small cove but the water is some of the brightest turquoise I’ve ever seen. If you’re lucky enough to have it to yourself, you will feel like you’ve just discovered your own private beach. Chez Jules is a great lunch spot near the end of the bike path at Anse Banane with the best curry we had on the island and incredible fresh fruit smoothies.
^^Domaine De L’Orangearaie, the most expensive resort on the island. 
^^Stunning Anse Patates
White Linen Dress | Mango (similar here)
Black Slide Sandals | Posse
Sunglasses | Ray-ban
^^Coco frio and fresh watermelon juice, perfect after a long bike ride. Not pictured the equally incredible banana coconut smoothie.
La Digue is everything I could hope for in an island—quaint, charming, breathtaking and full of ways to relax or adventure. It may be tiny and it may be over 9000 miles away, but I would make the trip all over again just to set eyes on this itsy bitsy slice of paradise our planet is so fortunate to hold.
Up next: A short stay on the big island: Mahe!
SHOP THE POST
Travel Tips:
Plan ahead to rent bikes during your stay, likely your hotel or self catering apartment will have bikes available.
Staying in La Passe will have you nicely positioned to reach anywhere on the island with ease.
Where to Stay:
BUDGET: Marie-France Beach Front Apartments, La Digue Self Catering Apartments
SPLURGE: Domaine De L’orangeraie, Le Repaire
Where to Eat:
BUDGET: Lanbousier (located at Anse Source d’Argent – tradional creole), Chez Jules (Anse Banane – traditional creole and fresh juices), Fish Trap (La Passe – a mix, some creole some additions like burgers and pasta), La Digue Pizzeria (La Passe), Gala Takeaway (La Passe – fast traditional creole)
SPLURGE: Le Repaire (Italian), Santosha
What to Do:
Visit L’union Estate + Anse Source d’Argent
Bike the Northern Island Loop – La Passe to Anse Fourmis
Boat trip for snorkeling and a beach BBQ on nearby islands (we had this planned but opted to spend another day at Anse Source d’Argent because we couldn’t get enough. Depending on the season you visit and the weather, the waters may or may not be a bit rough.)
Bike to Grand Anse and hike to Petite Anse and Anse Coco (Not recommended between May-Nov. during the south-east trade winds which make these three beaches too dangerous for swimming.)
Recommended Itinerary:
Day 1: L’Union Estate + Anse Source D’Argent
Day 2: Hike to Anse Marron
Day 3: Boat excursion to remote islands for snorkling + BBQ
Day 4: Bike the North island loop + Relax at Anse Severe until sunset
Day 5: Bike the Southern Island to Grand Anse + Afternoon back at Anse Source d’Argent for sunset
Beach Getaway Packing Essentials:
Sun Bum Travel-Sized Sun Care Pack
Cucumber and Sage Cleansing Towelettes
Lightweight Turkish Beach Towel
Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Photography: Images shot using the Fujifilm X-T2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R LM OIS Lens
