If you want to visit one of the most beautiful beaches on La Digue in the Seychelles and get some exercise at the same time, the Anse Cocos Trail on La Digue is just right for you. The beach Anse Cocos is always counted among the most beautiful things to do on La Digue and we can only confirm this. For us, this was a day trip, as we took our time on the hike as well as on the individual beaches. So pack your hiking sandals, sunscreen and water bottle and the hike to Anse Cocos in the Seychelles can begin.
Start of the Anse Cocos Trail
To get to the starting point of the hike, you can already plan the first sporting activity of the day in the form of a short bike ride. From our charming little apartment near the Jetty (see hotel recommendation in the next chapter), we ride along the main road south parallel to the beach. At the turnoff to L’Union Estate we keep left and follow the road.
The road that follows now is really beautiful to drive. Beside some houses you have the dense green of the jungle on the right and on the left side of the road from which unknown sounds are coming. We stopped again and again to see if we could spot some native animals.
When you come to the next junction you should turn left. Theoretically you can also go straight ahead. However, you will have to go up a very steep hill on a poorly constructed path. If you take the path on the left, you drive to the end and then turn right.
If you follow this path, you will eventually come to a bar, where the first bicycles are already standing between the trees on the left. Leave your bike here and continue on foot. Here you can find the way from the harbor to the starting point of the hike
Beim Klick wird Youtube.com aufgerufen (Datenschutzerklärung) | By clicking, Youtube.com opens (Privacy)
Hotel Recommendation on La Digue
If you are still looking for a hotel, we can recommend the La Digue Self-Catering Apartment* right near the Jetty. Our beautiful little apartment was super central at the harbor and was the perfect starting point to reach all the different corners of the island by bike.
We also had several supermarkets, restaurants and a great bakery nearby, so we could get enough provisions for our bike baskets and spend the day on the most beautiful beaches on La Digue. If you want to take a closer look at the hotel, just click on the button below and you will see the exact availability and current prices.
The Highly Recommended La Digue Self-Catering Apartment*
The Anse Cocos Trail
The hiking trail to Anse Cocos starts at Grand Anse and takes you along a small path along the tropical vegetation. The trail along the Grand Anse runs parallel to the beach, where are also repeated branches to the beach itself. Immediately after the first meters, the first beautiful photo motif is waiting for you in the form of a small pond with granite rocks.
After that, the trail continues parallel to the beach until it turns into the tropical forest, where the first climb soon awaits you. The hill is not too high, but due to the hot temperatures and the high humidity it is still very exhausting. In any case, you should take enough to drink.
If you are already longing for a jump into the cool water, you should quickly go down the hill on the other side. There the next beach, the Petite Anse, is waiting for you. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get to Petite Anse. The big disadvantage of this beautiful beach is that there are no shadow places.
Therefore, we walked directly in the direction of Anse Cocos. The path first leads parallel to the beach before it continues over an open grassy landscape. Now the next slope is waiting for you. The hill in front of the Anse Cocos needs a little more time, because it descends more flatly. While it now goes down, the first signs already point to the bay Anse Cocos. So you are close to your destination and will reach the crescent-shaped dream beach in a few minutes.
Fortunately, the path leads through the shade most of the time and, with a little luck, there is a pleasant sea breeze blowing. Since the path leads along the coast, you can hear the sound of the sea while you climb up and down the rocks.
The 3 Beaches on the Anse Cocos Hike
Grand Anse
The Grand Anse on La Digue is a long white beach that is not crowded despite its easy accessibility. This is partly due to the very few shaded areas and partly due to the strong surf and current. The beach Grand Anse is beautiful but also wild. From far away you can already hear the roar of the waves, which break with their white whitecaps on the white powdered sugar beach. Especially at sunrise, you can enjoy the beach completely alone and make shots with the drone.
Relaxing at the Grand Anse
When swimming at the Grand Anse, however, you should be careful and not swim too far out. The current is very strong and also the waves are not to be underestimated. Disadvantage of the Grand Anse are the very few shadow berths. The best places are on the left side on the rocks or on the small rock on the beach.
Here you can get a good spot to spend some time at the Grand Anse even during the day. We chose a narrow spot in the shade next to the rocks on the beach and spent the time watching the white cotton clouds in the sky while the surf crashes on the beach in the background.
Petite Anse
The Petite Anse on La Digue is located right next to the Grand Anse and is the second beach you encounter on the hike towards Anse Cocos. The Petite Anse on La Digue is also a rather little visited beach, although the sea here, especially at low tide, is much calmer than at the Grand Anse. One reason for the few visitors is probably the few shaded areas.
At the Petite Anse there is no natural shade, but small huts have been built from large palm leaves to give you shade. In addition, there is a small bar where you can buy drinks. Most people who come to the Petite Anse also have the Anse Cocos as a goal and put here at most a short break.
Anse Cocos
Anse Cocos was one of our favorite beaches on La Digue. Even though Anse Source D’Argent with its breathtaking rock formations is really unique, it is unfortunately overrun by day tourists from the other islands. The fact that you have to hike to Anse Cocos about 45-60 minutes ensures that rather few tourists get lost here.
The beach or rather the bay of Anse Cocos is perfectly crescent shaped. At both ends you will find beautiful rock formations that make for great photo opportunities. The beach slopes very shallowly into the sea. In fact, so shallow that you can’t necessarily swim. There are also many stones in the water, so it is best to walk a few meters along the side of the granite rocks to go further back into the sea.
Here the waves break and because of the current it is recommended to go into the sea with fins. While snorkeling here we saw especially the yellow-blue striped zebra fish. In addition, we have seen a swarm of octopuses whose dotted drawing shone in the light of the sun.
After the deserved cooling down in the sea you can relax under one of the many coconut palms and enjoy a juice or a coconut. For although the beach is so hard to reach there is a small bar at Anse Cocos.
Tips for the Hike to Anse Cocos
- Start early in the morning, so at least the way there is not so exhausting and you can enjoy the beach without many other tourists
- Take enough water with you
- Sun protection, because the shady places on all 3 beaches are rare
- Sturdy shoes are not a must, but make the walk much easier
Conclusion for the Anse Cocos Hike
We used the whole day for this trip, as both the hike to Anse Cocos and the individual beaches were beautiful. The brilliant white, fine sandy beach with the sea shimmering in different shades of blue at the Grand and Petite Anse was simply gorgeous. At the Petite Anse we had beautiful snorkeling experiences and the granite rocks are as always a beautiful photo motif. Especially from our drone. If you are on La Digue you should definitely not miss this highlight.
Do you have any questions about our Seychelles travelogue? Feel free to write us a comment or an email.