Four islands in seven days in Seychelles, without rushing

Seven days, four islands. On paper it sounds like the kind of trip where you spend more time packing and queuing for ferries than actually being anywhere. It was not. It is one of the best-paced trips we have done, and it never once felt rushed.

The shape was simple. Two of the big islands, Mahe and Praslin, the small bicycle island of La Digue, and a day boat out to Curieuse for the tortoises. You move between them by ferry, and the islands are close enough that the hops are short, even if the sea between them is not always kind.

That is the one warning I will give. The ferries can be rough. On more than one crossing I sat very still, stared hard at a fixed point on the horizon, and concentrated on not embarrassing myself, while the locals around me watched their phones without a care in the world. It passes in an hour. Book ahead, because the boats fill up and people get left on the dock.

What made it work was giving each island enough time to become itself. Long enough on Mahe to drive the mountain roads and find the quiet beaches. Long enough on Praslin for the jungle and a sunset or two. A proper couple of days on La Digue, which deserves them. The day trip to Curieuse slotted in without stretching anything thin.

Four islands in seven days is not a race if you build it right. It is the difference between seeing one beautiful island and understanding how the whole little country fits together. We came home feeling like we had been somewhere, not like we had run a relay.