Your Guide To Mission Lodge in Seychelles
From The Authors: Gaelle was born and raised in the Seychelles while Viktor has been living here for 1+ year. Unlike many other travel blogs, we actually have first-hand knowledge and experience of the places we write about. If you have any questions, we respond quickly to comments!
Gaelle recently took me on a trip to visit Mission Lodge, one of Mahé’s hidden gems. If you have a car, then it’s a must-see in our opinion, especially because it won’t take up too much of your time.
In this article, we’ll cover how you can get to Mission Lodge, how much it costs, and what to expect overall from your visit.
👉 How To Get There | Mission Lodge Costs | Exploring Mission Lodge | More Impressions Of Mission Lodge
How To Get To Mission Lodge (+ Opening Hours)
Mission Lodge, initially known as Venn’s Town, is a historical emblem nestled on Mahé Island within the serene bounds of the Morne Seychellois National Park.
If you rent a car, simply drive up San Soucis Rd until you reach a parking lot and see this friendly sign. The Google Maps listing is accurate, so just set this as your destination.
Another option is to take the bus. You can check timetables on the official Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) website under “Mahe Normal Timetable No. 103” by downloading the attached Word document.
Alternatively, download the namesake SPTC mobile app where you can also purchase individual tickets or reload your existing travel card.
You can either take Route 14 or Route 35. Just let the bus driver know that you’re headed Mission Lodge and they’ll drop you off accordingly.
With that being said, we’d personally recommend to rent a car or driver for the day. Buses in Seychelles are notoriously unreliable and you could potentially lose valuable vacation time waiting on the bus.
Also, you likely won’t explore Mission Lodge for more than an hour anyways, so taking the bus would literally take more time than the experience itself.
Another reason is that the road driving up to and down from Mission Lodge, right through the jungle, looks incredibly scenic and vibrant, so you’ll likely end up taking a small pit (or rather photo) stop. Plus, popular hikes like the Copolia Trail are also located on the way.
Mission Lodge is open from 9 am to 5 pm every day of the week. If you have questions regarding transportation or opening hours, feel free to phone them at +248 422 4542 or text the team on Facebook.
How Much It Costs
There’s an entrance fee of SCR 100 for non-Seychellois visitors, although entrance remains free for locals and non-Seychellois under 12 years old.
The fee covers the cost of weekly maintenance and further development of the heritage site as well as pays for the staff who ensures everything remains orderly.
Payments can be made either by card or in cash (we recommend paying by card since ATM fees in Seychelles can be steep). The parking lot as well as the toilet can be used for free.
Exploring Mission Lodge
Mission Lodge, initially known as Venn’s Town, embodies a crucial part of the island’s history. Established in the late 19th century by a missionary society, it served as a beacon of hope and education for the first slaves freed in Seychelles.
The large numbers of freed Africans had a great impact on Seychelles in the formation of the Creole Seychellois identity and it gave birth to subsequent civilization.
Venn’s Town itself was named after Henry Venn (1796 – 1873), the former Secretary of the Church Missionary Society. Other names are Capucin, Venus Town, and Mission Ruins.
Transitioning from a botanical garden in 1870 to an industrious school by 1875, it aimed to empower liberated African slave children with basic education and catechism lessons under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society.
Initially, Venn’s Town spanned 50 acres, with a significant portion dedicated to vanilla and cocoa farming. The primary structures included two dormitories, each measuring 100 feet by 25 feet, segregated for boys and girls.
The settlement comprised various facilities such as houses, washrooms, kitchens, laborers’ huts, a workshop, a storeroom, and a mission cottage designated for the schoolmaster and his family.
Mission Lodge is also a haven for a myriad of endemic plants and animals unique to this region. Besides a variety of native and exotic flora.
For example, the Morne Seychellois National Park hosts a diverse fauna, including the world’s smallest frog (Sooglosus species), linked to an ancestral species recently unearthed in India’s mountain ranges.
Notably, it shelters the Seychelles scops owl (Otus insularis), a rare bird endemic to Seychelles and listed as critically endangered as well as the Seychelles bulbul (pictured above).
The biggest highlight of Mission Lodge, without a doubt, is the viewpoint you reach at the end of the site. It overlooks the National Park well into the vast Indian Ocean.
The viewing lodge itself was inaugurated on March 20th, 1972, by Queen Elizabeth II, who was accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. That same morning, they also inaugurated the Seychelles International Airport.
Walking downstairs from the viewpoint, there’s a bench where you can rest and soak in the scenic views. Next to the bench, you can also use a coin-operated binocular/telescope if you want to enhance your vision.
Roaming the incredible nature and soaking in those views, it’s little surprising that Mission Lodge, in 2013, was put on the tentative list to become a UNESCO World Heritage site (the admission is still pending).
A few More Impressions of Mission Lodge
Here are some of the other pictures we took. Although we had overcast for the majority of our visit, learning about Seychellois history and seeing its natural beauty at display makes Mission Lodge an absolute gem to visit.
