Seychelles
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Travel Tips
We have just arrived home from the Seychelles, one of the most impressive places on the earth. I have to confirm the fact that you have to pay for every service in so called foreign currency. If you pay by card a hefty service charge is used sometimes, but sometimes it is better than cash and you can't find out the rule. The other unpleasant thing is that you can't use your card based on Euro/USD to draw Euro/USD. Even the banks give you rupees if you use your card and since you are obliged to pay for every service in Euro/USD you can't use these rupees. Then if you pay in Euro/USD everybody tries to give back again in rupees. In the end you feel you are forced to change all of your Euro/USD to rupees. Because of the above facts it's very advisable to have a lot of change in Euro/USD.
Katalin Szilagyi, Hungary (Mar 03)
There are new currency exchange rules. It is now illegal for tourist facilities to accept Seychelles rupees in cash - they must either take rupees from your credit card (which may not be possible at the smallest family-run places) or foreign cash - we encountered no problems with GB pounds, euros or US dollars - even when paying with a mixture of all of them. Taxis will also often ask for payment in foreign currency - it is essential to pay for spare parts for their vehicles. In theory, it should not be necessary to get any rupees at all. Any that you do get can still be exchanged back if and only if you have your original bank or ATM receipt. You can of course get better rates on the black market, if you are prepared to risk fines and prison. The official leaflet text runs as follows: "Visitors are required to use only foreign currency in making payments in hotels, guesthouses and for other holiday-related expenses such as hiring of cars or boats, the services of tour operators or travel agents, patronage of casinos and domestic transfers within the Seychelles. Incidental purchases or payments such as in restaurants outside hotels, shopping and taxi fares are payable in local currency."
My experience of car hire (2 small companies, one on Mahé and one on Praslin) is that I would have preferred to have paid a little extra to get a car in better condition from a big name international firm. One of our cars had a crack across more than half of the windscreen, and another had serious structural rust that would be illegal in England, a removable roof that seemed to disintegrate as we touched it, and a drivers seat that was rusted solid (could not be folded down for access to the rear seat). Apparently the problem is that it is almost impossible to get imported spare parts - owners wanting to get the foreign currency necessary to buy them have to join a waiting list of ~3 years at the bank.
I saw a lot of people unreasonably afraid to snorkel, so I would offer this advice for the nervous novice. If you feel safe to swim in the sea at all, and are comfortable wearing normal goggles, then snorkelling trips are something not to be missed. You will get a much better view than from a glass-bottom boat or semi-submersible. Swimming out from the shore with a snorkel is a good way to get used to it, but it is worth parting with a little money for a boat trip to a coral snorkelling site. Just like swimming close to the shore, there are places with strong currents, and some with no current at all. The Ste Anne Marine National Park in the Seychelles, for example, is as still as a swimming pool. Breathe gently through the snorkel - don't swim too hard and get out of breath. If sea-water begins to collect in the bend of the snorkel, you will hear a gurgling sound long before any reaches your mouth. Occasionally the end of the snorkel may dip under the water, and suddenly fill with seawater - this is why it's important to breathe gently. If this happens, calmly raise your head above the water and use your tongue to push the snorkel out of your mouth. Some novices try to swim around with a mask only and no snorkel - this is more tiring and more likely to make you sea sick. A mask is better than swimming goggles as you have a better view, it covers your nose, and it is easier to keep it fog-free. If you do not like swimming with flippers/fins, it is advisable to wear something else on your feet just in case they touch a sharp bit of coral.
Justin Giorgetti (Feb 03)
Currency controls are quite strong now. Even if you have travellers cheques or a credit card getting US dollars or Euro notes in the Seychelles is VERY HARD. Since many attractions, e.g. botanical gardens, require foreign currency or credit card, you are advised to take your own US dollars/Euro notes into to the country.
Howard Richards, UK (Aug 02)
It is very difficult to get medicines in the Seychelles. One should bring with them all the medicines they need.
Sara & Yonatan Eyal, Israel (Dec 01)
Visitors to the Seychelles need to know that it is nearly impossible to convert Seychelles rupees back into foreign currency UNLESS
1) They have a receipt from a bank or approved money changer of the original conversion, and
2) They are doing the exchange at the same institution as was used for the original conversion, and
3) The amount of rupees being converted is the same or less than the amount received at the time of the original conversion.
The departure tax can NOT be paid in rupees, it has to be paid in foreign currency. We stood behind a young Brit couple in line at the airport money changer's window who were attempting to pay with rupees. They only had rupees as the Seychelles had exhausted all their foreign cash. You can imagine their shock when they learned that the money changer would not accept their $150 or so worth of rupees because they no longer had the original receipt! They were really screwed because they only had a "Visa ATM" debit card, not a Visa credit card, and without the ability to reconvert or pay via credit card, they would not be allowed to leave on the British Airways flight departing in just a few hours.
But the kicker is that when I went to get my money at an airport bank with receipt, I was also refused! You see, not only must you have the receipt, it **must** be from the same source as the original exchange. I was lucky in that the bank I used on arrival also had a kiosk at the airport that opened an hour or so later but had we converted at a hotel desk (as many people do) or at some other obscure location in the Seychelles, we also would have been SOL.
So the bottom line is to keep those receipts and make sure you can find a branch of the same bank that is open before you leave...
Nick Pace, California, (Oct 01)
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