Copolia trail
Views over Victoria.
Remi Jouan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Abubakr Saeed — CC BY 2.0 · Radosław Botev — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anass Sedrati — CC BY-SA 4.0
The largest national park in the Seychelles, declared in 1979, covering the green mountains at the heart of Mahé, including Morne Seychellois, the country's highest peak at about 905 metres, above dense mountain forest often wrapped in mist. The park protects the island's native forests and plants found nowhere else, including insect-eating pitcher plants on the Copolia rocks and endemic palms and orchids, along with endemic birds, frogs and chameleons. The winding Sans Souci road crosses it, and walking trails run by the parks authority branch off it: the short Copolia trail with views over Victoria and the islands (SCR 100), the Trois Frères trail (SCR 150), and the long Morne Seychellois summit trail (SCR 250, with a licensed guide required, mornings only). Early morning is the best time to walk, before the clouds and rain gather. Bring water and good shoes, as the trails are steep and slippery after rain.
Views over Victoria.
Pitchers and endemic palms.
Across the mountains.
Central and north-western mountains of Mahé, on the Sans Souci road
Yes, the summit trail requires a licensed guide and an SCR 250 fee, and is open in the mornings only.