Anse Petite Cour is a small beach nested in Praslin Island’s north coast, with a gorgeous view upon Curieuse Island. This little piece of Heaven also is a renowned snorkeling spot. Getting there requires organization, since the beach is privatized by a luxurious hotel, but the spot is worth the effort. Underwater life includes numerous species typical from Seychellois reefs including butterflyfish and surgeonfish – and the background is just splendid.
Anse Petite Cour is located on Praslin Island’s north coast, along the road leading from Anse Volbert and the village of Côte d’Or to Anse Lazio. The beach is privately owned by Domaine de la Réserve, a luxurious hotel, which is its only entry point. Theoretically, the beach is open to visitors but their number can be limited during busy periods. We advise you to call the hotel before coming to ensure you can access the site.
From Côte d’Or, it is only a few minutes car drive to Anse Petite Cour (less than 2 km separate the beach from the village) but it can be hard to park onsite: the hotel parking lot is for residents only. If you’re lucky enough to travel through the Seychelles on a boat, you can also get to the beach from the sea.
Anse Petite Cour is a small beach (less than 200 meters long), and half of it disappears at high tide. Enter the water wherever you like from the sandy beach.
The whole bay can be explored. It is not sheltered by a coral reef, unlike many spots on Seychelles Islands, so you will be free to venture as far as you like towards the open sea. The seabed deepens steadily, down to about 6 meters on the center of the bay.
Corals cover the seabed, their quality is globally fine but they can be altered in places. Branch coral gather and make up beautiful, iridescent blue clumps.
Many species can be seen on the reef, including several species of butterflyfish (notably melon butterflyfish). During your exploration you will also effortlessly come across bluefin trevally and bluespotted cornetfish. Want some more challenge? Try to find a small grouper or an octopus almost perfectly hidden in the rocky areas.
Anse Petite Cour is a deep-sided bay; hence it is generally sheltered from waves and strong currents. Don’t get out of the swimming area: boats often come and go at the bay entrance.
The only onsite accommodation is the luxurious hotel Domaine de la Réserve, whose restaurant is open to non-residents if they book in advance. The village of Côte d’Or, only a few minutes’ drive from the beach, is the main touristic center of Praslin: for those who don’t have an extended budget, it is not necessary to sleep or eat at Domaine de la Réserve to enjoy this spot.
Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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