Copolia Trail

The Copolia Trail is perhaps the most famous hiking trail in the Seychelles, and the only one which has an entry fee. This path leads through a palm tree forest to a granite plateau, offering stunning views of the island of Mahé, the surrounding mountains, and the Saint Anne Marine Park.

At the start, you can find a small house where you pay entry to the trail and register. After that, simply make sure you’ve got everything with you and get your camera ready!

The first part of the hike goes up some steps before leading into the lush, green palm tree forest. Follow the path and take a look at the information boards and distance markets. With a bit of luck you might also see a white-tailed tropic bird or a Seychelles Black Bulbul!

Although the trail starts off as a relatively normal hike, after around a third of the distance, it gets rockier and there are larger steps required. The many rocky steps make it easier to climb up and constantly offer beautiful views of the green palm tree surroundings. Depending on the weather, it may be slippery at points as well. Take care of what’s underfoot and hold on to something, but take care as the branches can be spiky! Make sure you a;sp take some time to visit the red tree (Dillenia Ferruginea), which belongs to the red apple tree family, and can grow to up to 20 metres in height. Besides that, you can see lots of endemic plant species, including Colophante (Soulamea Terminalioides) or the Bois de Natte tree (Mimusops Sechellarum).

After you’ve hiked over the numerous steps, you’ll reach a ladder with a railing which leads up to the top of the trail and its stunning view.

The last 100 metres is across a huge, flat granite plateau until the top of the trail. Enjoy the views of the artificial island, Eden Island, as well as the SAinte Anne Marine Park with its numerous islands. Besides that, you can see the airport and the capital, Victoria, with its harbour. Everything is marked on the board at the edge of the plateau, letting you know what it is that you can see from there.

At the top, you can see pitcher plants (Nepenthes Pervillei), which are unique to the Seychelles. These plants grow right on the floor and can be found along the edge of the granite plateau. Enjoy a cool drink (freeze them the previous evening in your accommodation!) and take in the phenomenal views. Finally, once you’ve taken enough photos and cooled off a little bit, it’s time to descend the trail. This is almost entirely downhill and is much faster than the climb.