A few days ago, I got an email from Lonely Planet announcing the launch of their ‘Epic Hikes’ Instagram campaign. It invited people to take part by posting their best hiking pictures on Instagram, and using the hashtag #myepichike.
“Why not,” I thought. So I dug out this picture of our hike up the Copolia trail on Mahe island in the Seychelles a few years ago, and posted it. Imagine my surprise when they asked if they could post my picture on their Instagram wall as one of their favourite campaign submissions!
So I said no.
As if! Of course I said yes! And it went up on their page yesterday. Check out the page and my Instagram post.
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The story behind the picture
It was 2011, and we were in the mood for an ‘island paradise’ style trip. A friend wanted to visit the Seychelles, and we started planning our trip together. The friend finally bailed out, but we went ahead anyway.
The first few days of our trip were spent on the main island of Mahé. We did beachy things, ate and drank, explored the capital Victoria, hired a car and drove around the island, and discovered one of my favourite dark rums ever.
An accidental discovery
Then, on our last day on Mahé, our host recommended we try hiking the Copolia trail halfway up the island’s central mountain. With nothing much else to do, we decided to take a look. The viewpoint and gazebo at the mouth of the trail offered a great view, so we decided we would give the trail a shot.
Half an hour later, we found ourselves completely alone in the dripping jungle, fighting off mosquitoes. We almost turned back then, but finally decided to keep going. It turned out to be the right decision. An hour later, we emerged onto a rocky outcrop with a mind-blowing panoramic view of the entire eastern side of the island. Not too many other views we’ve encountered on our travels can compare to that one!
Read the full story of our Seychelles trip
Awesome! looking forward to see many more achievements
Thanks! I hope so, too! 😁