The deadlines above come from Cat Cocos’s carriage terms; check your ticket too, in case the operator has sent newer instructions.
“Mahé ferry” is not enough for a destination
| Your booking says… | Where the car needs to take you | What to arrange separately |
|---|---|---|
| Cat Cocos to Praslin or La Digue | Cat Cocos, Victoria, plus the departure date and baggage deadline from your ticket | The correct island sailing and the journey from the arrival jetty to your hotel |
| Labriz / Silhouette resort boat | Labriz jetty at Bel Ombre, at the arrival time confirmed by your resort | The resort boat and its own boarding arrangements |
| A hotel on Mahé | The hotel’s road address and entrance | A ferry is not automatically part of this journey |
Niva Labriz’s own information identifies Bel Ombre as its boat departure point on Mahé. For Cat Cocos, use the operator’s timetable and your confirmation. Use the full name of the jetty when arranging the airport ride.
‘The ferry’ is not a precise pickup destination on Mahé. The completed GetTransfer bookings we reviewed include airport journeys to Cat Cocos in Victoria and to the Labriz jetty at Bel Ombre—two different departure points. Copy the jetty name from your boat confirmation into your transfer request, and add the time you need to be there with your bags.
About this observation: completed GetTransfer outward journeys from SEZ, October 2025–September 2026, identified by their recorded destination names. This shows the different destinations booked; it does not establish how often passengers confuse them or whether they caught a boat.
Start with the bags, then work backwards
Imagine your booked boat leaves at 16:30. Here is how to work out the deadlines; use the sailing time on your own ticket.
| Time | What needs to happen |
|---|---|
| 16:30 | The boat is scheduled to leave. |
| 16:00 | You must be present for boarding under Cat Cocos’s published terms. |
| 15:30 | Checked baggage must already be registered. Arrive before then so you have time to walk to the desk and queue. |
| Earlier | Reach the correct jetty, unload, walk to the baggage desk and leave a buffer. |
Now allow for the drive and meeting your driver, plus immigration, baggage reclaim and customs before you leave the airport. Start from when you expect to be outside with your bags, not the flight’s landing time. Airport queues and traffic can change the plan.
If the plan leaves no room for a queue or delay, choose a later boat or stay on Mahé. Before changing a ticket, ask the operator what departures and seats are available and what it will cost to change your ticket.
Can you use the airport bus?
The airport lists public buses and road transport. A bus may work if you have time to spare. Check where to get off, how far you will need to walk to your jetty, and whether your bags are allowed. We could not confirm the current rules for large suitcases, so ask SPTC about yours before choosing this option.
SPTC’s visitor cards currently cost SCR 100 for one day, SCR 198 for four days or SCR 363 for eight days on its standard services. Each traveller needs their own card. You can collect a card at the airport information desk during its listed hours, 06:00–18:00. If you land later, check where else you can get one.
For two adults, two one-day visitor cards cost SCR 200. Those cards cover the bus option; you still need to budget for the ferry and getting to your hotel on the next island. A booked car saves you sorting out cards and a bus connection. You still need enough time to catch the boat.
Price the whole journey to the hotel
A car price to the jetty covers only part of the trip. Add up:
- Airport to the named jetty: one car quote, or the bus/card cost for everyone plus any last ride.
- Boat tickets: every passenger, the correct island, date and cabin.
- Baggage: any charge outside the allowance on your booking.
- Arrival jetty to hotel: the onward transport you have agreed on Praslin, La Digue or your resort island.
- A delay: any ticket change, later transport or overnight stay you may need.
The Cat Cocos terms list different checked-baggage allowances for non-resident Economy and Business passengers: 25 kg and 30 kg respectively. Check your ticket and bag dimensions, and ask about any excess-baggage charge.
If the flight is late, change the boat plan first
Contact the boat operator and the road carrier as soon as the connection is in doubt. Ask whether your sailing is still possible, whether a later seat is available and what happens to the ticket. Check that you can still catch the boat before paying for a rushed drive to the jetty.
If no later boat works, arrange a night on Mahé and check the next day’s departures. The airport also lists air connections to Praslin; check available seats, baggage allowance and price before choosing a flight. Sea conditions can change ferry operations too.
Keep this for arrival
Your airport-to-island connection
- Save both ends: SEZ → exact departure jetty; arrival jetty → hotel entrance. Cat Cocos uses Victoria; the Labriz resort boat departs from Bel Ombre.
- Write down three times: baggage deadline, boarding time and boat departure. Cat Cocos requires checked bags to be registered one hour before departure and passengers present for boarding 30 minutes before; check your ticket for any newer instructions.
- Work backwards: allow for the jetty walk and queue, road journey and leaving the airport.
- Compare totals: road journey + boat tickets + luggage + final hotel transfer.
- If delayed: ask the boat operator about a later sailing before changing your airport pickup.
A message for the road carrier
We arrive at SEZ on flight [number] on [date]. Our boat is [operator, destination and departure time]. We must register our bags by [time] at [exact jetty name and map pin]. We have [passengers and bags]. Please confirm where and when to meet at the airport, and what we should do if our flight is delayed.
Sources checked 12 November 2026. Times must come from your own boat confirmation. We have checked the sources, not tested this connection in person.
Official sources: Cat Cocos baggage and boarding · Ferry timetable · Labriz jetty
GetTransfer Editorial · Company-authored guide. Official sources checked on 12 November 2026. Fares and transport arrangements can change; we have checked the sources, not travelled these journeys ourselves.
