Practical Information for Travelers to Seychelles

Currency

Seychelles uses the rupee, whose symbol is Rs. The rupee is made of 100 cents, and you can get bank notes of Rs10, Rs25, Rs50 and Rs 100. There are also coins, in Rs 1,, Rs 5, and 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents. The government of Seychelles requires all foreigners to pay for their meals, drinks, lodging, excursions, park fees, rental car, and everything else tourist-related, in foreign currency. You can use cash or credit card for this. Therefore, you'll see prices in US Dollars and UK pounds, almost everywhere you go. However, don't cound solely on ATMs for cash, since what you will pull out of a Seychelles ATM machine are rupees, not dollars or pounds. Also, don't count on breaking a large dollar or pound bill for your cash needs, either, since you'll get the change back in rupees! You can use the rupees at a shop or cafe or restaurant that's not inside a hotel, but you must use dollars or pounds at most tourist-related establishments. Then, make sure you don't get too many rupees on hand, because they don't even let you convert more than a certain amount of rupees into foreign currency! If you do convert, you have to go back to the same bank where you converted your dollars or pounds to rupees in the firt place. The lesson here is to use your credit card whereever and whenever possible.

Language

The official languages of the Seychelles are French and English, although Creole is the most commonly used language spoken by must Seychelloise. Kreol Seselwa is what the local French Creole is called is is considered to be an unofficial, official language. That is, it's used in newspapers and schools more and more. Most Seychelles citizens use Creole at home, French for business, and English for tourists.