Seychelles Packing List
- Country Seychelles
- Guide Packing
- Reviewed 29 October 2026
- Sources 2
- Length 1 min read
Credit Anass Sedrati, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
Packing for a tropical island group looks like a solved problem, and mostly it is. Three things change the list, and the first is the mosquito.
The mosquito is the health story here
Seychelles had a large outbreak of chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes, from December 2025 into 2026, and more than a hundred cases were diagnosed in travelers returning to Europe. When we checked in October 2026, the US CDC destination page no longer listed an outbreak and said chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended, but chikungunya and dengue both still circulate in the islands. Both are spread by mosquito bite, so the protection that matters most is not being bitten, and a travel clinic can tell you whether any vaccine makes sense for your dates.
The CDC destination page for Seychelles carries no malaria section at all, which is a marked difference from most of the destinations in this series. We are stating what the page does and does not say rather than making a medical claim of our own, and a travel clinic is the place to settle it against your own itinerary.
What that means in the bag
- Insect repellent, and enough of it to reapply properly rather than once a day.
- Long sleeves and long pants for dusk, which is when it matters most.
- Your vaccination record, including yellow fever if you are arriving from a transmission-risk country.
- Travel insurance documents you can reach without a signal. As a tourist you pay for medical treatment in Seychelles.
For the sea and the sun
And read the seasonal swimming guidance on our safety guide before you decide which coast you are staying on.
- Reef-safe sun protection at strength. This is the equator and the water reflects.
- Water shoes. Granite shorelines are not sand all the way in.
- A dry bag for anything that must not get wet on a boat transfer.
- Snorkel gear if you are particular about fit, though it is widely available.
For the trails and the roads
- Proper walking shoes with grip. Visitors have gotten lost on nature walks and trails, and Morne Seychellois is steep, wet forest.
- A charged phone and a plan that does not depend on it.
- A flashlight or headlamp. Most public buses stop running after eight in the evening.
- An international driving permit if you plan to rent a car, because rental companies often require one along with a year of driving experience and a higher minimum age.