The Copolia Nature Trail: a success story |22 August 2022
Added steps to access the trail
Two years after being designated a trail where visitors pay a fee to visit, the Copolia Nature Trail is now seen as a success story for the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority.
Since August 1, 2020 when the first paying visitor explored the trail, over 117,000 non-residents have hiked along the trail located at Sans Soucis in the Morne Seychellois National Park.
Trail maintenance is costly and for many years a small unit of around six staff from the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA) has been managing the official trail network on Mahé.
The popularity of hiking in the country, enjoyed by both locals and foreigners alike, has always been on the increase. Complaints about the upkeep of the trails were numerous. To ensure that the official nature trails are in a good state of repair the SPGA has deemed it necessary that patrons pay for their use.
About the Copolia Trail
The famous nature trail is 1.4km long and is of medium intensity level. It takes an average person one hour to reach the top which is ideally a flat inselberg (boulder) 418m wide.
The view from there is simply spectacular, overlooking the east coast of the main island up to the country’s International Airport. One can also spot the many other islands located to the east of Mahé including the Ste Anne Marine National Park.
The trail is covered underneath luxuriant growth of the forest, containing many endemic palms. Higher up along the trail, the area is covered with boulders on which grow the endemic carnivorous Pitcher plant. Other attractions are the endemic fauna such as birds and amphibians including one of the world’s smallest frogs and the endemic Seychelles’ snake.
The trail is open seven days a week (except for public holidays) from 8am to 4pm.
The entrance fee is fixed at R100 for non-residents.
The success behind Seychelles’ first paying nature trail started in 2020 with support from GoS-GEF-UNDP Protected Area (PA) Finance Project.
It cost the then Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA), now SPGA, and the PA Finance Project around R457,500 to upgrade the infrastructure on the Copolia Trail.
A small office and washroom facilities were constructed. Welcome and information boards, signage, steps, bridges, a kiosk and benches were also further installed. The official opening ceremony took place on August 1, 2020.
Since transitioning into the first SPGA paying trail, the number of attacks reported on tourists, have decreased dramatically. Appreciation of the trail has also increased, with many visitors
posting their hikes on various social media platforms, showcasing the jaw-dropping view at the peak. The Copolia Trail has proven to be a good model for trail management in Seychelles. The SPGA now looks to adopt a similar model for other official trails where an entrance fee will be introduced in the near future, ensuring that the protected areas and gardens are better managed for the benefit of all our visitors and our country.
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