Mission Lodge is on Sans Souci Road, the road that connects Victoria with the west coast and runs over the spine of the island. At about 500 metres altitude, the forest opens up and you find yourself at one of the widest views that Mahé has to offer: below you the forest, beyond it the west coast, Silhouette on the horizon.
What was once here
The place is actually called Venn's Town. In 1875 a school was founded here for children of freed slaves, children from ships that the British Navy had captured in the Indian Ocean. Teaching went on for fourteen years, then it stopped in 1889. What remains are foundation walls among old trees, a few steps and the avenue of Takamaka trees that leads to the viewpoint.
In 1972 Queen Elisabeth II visited the place, and the small pavilion at the top, from which you look out today, is a reminder of that.
Why we stop here
Because ten minutes are enough to understand what this island looks like. From below, between the beaches, you only ever see a section. From here you see how steep, how green and how small Mahé really is. In the day planner the stop is listed as ten minutes, and that is not cutting corners, but the honest time you spend up there.
Admission and practical information
Admission is 100 rupees, children under 12 are free, paid in cash on site. The paths up there are short and easy. Bring something against mosquitoes, it is forest, and put on a jacket if it is cloudy: it is noticeably cooler up here than on the beach, and mist often drifts through.
How to get there
Via Sans Souci Road, coming from Victoria or Port Glaud. By bus it will be difficult, the stops are far apart. On our island tour Mission Lodge is a regular stop.
Nearby
The tea factory is on the same road, Sauzier waterfall and Port Launay down on the coast.
