Hiking the Copolia Trail in Mahe, Seychelles

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Last Updated on July 11, 2020 by Amy

We love a hike with a great view, and thankfully there’s plenty of elevation in Seychelles to keep us entertained.  We arrived on our boat to cruise the Seychelles islands and spent almost three months there.

While in Seychelles, we welcomed our first set of guests onboard, Vishnu, Frido, and their three-year-old daughter Ranju.  Their last day, when we arrived back at Eden Island Marina from La Digue, they wanted to do another hike!  A quick search and some pictures online and we chose the Copolia Trail.

We enjoyed it so much, we went back to do it with our friends Carlos and Linda from S/V Mirniy Okean.

The Copolia Trail starts 20 minutes away from where we were staying in Eden Island or 15 minutes from Victoria.  There’s a trail sign just off the road, but not much else is around.  The whole trail is 1.2km long, with a climb of 180 meters. The trail takes about an hour and a half to do.

The Seychelles Bulbul.
Seychelles Tiger Chameleon

The top is at 500 meters elevation, and the views are glorious!  I don’t think we enjoyed a better view since we hiked Pic N’ga in New Caledonia, and the hike up to Copolia is easier.  It was very interesting to see this part of Mahe now that we know more about it.  Much of the developed part, including Eden Island and SEZ airport, is reclaimed land.  The elevation climb on the interior of the island is astounding, so it makes sense that flat land would need to be built to develop.  The islands a bit further away are Saint Anne Marine Park.

The 180-degree view on the east coast of Mahe.
Looking down at Victoria.
Eden Island Marina. Starry Horizons is the bottom left!
All of Eden Island and Saint Anne Marine Park.

At the top, you can also look for the pitcher plant (nepenthes pervelli) which is an endemic Seychelles species.

For more information about hiking in Seychelles, check out the Seychelles National Parks Authority.  We also hiked extensively in Praslin, La Digue, and Curieuse Island.

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35 Comments

  1. What a beautiful hike! The view at the top is incredible! Love that you showcase a family hiking, too. I am hoping to grow my family soon, and I hope that hiking with kids is part of my future. Looking forward to reading your other posts. 🙂

  2. What a gorgeous hike with those views! I love the fact you get to hike up the jungle which I’m sure makes it cooler. I’ve always wanted to visit the Seychelles but even more so! I had never heard of any hiking there as usually the focus is on the beaches. Thank you for introducing me to what else the Seychelles has to offer!

  3. I love hiking so if I ever visit Seychelles I know what I would do for sure. Thank you for sharing.

  4. Wow! This looks so amazing. I love the look of the tree roots. Those are so incredible. Of course, so were the views from the top!

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