Now in its third edition, the event has evolved from an ambitious sporting initiative into an internationally recognised rendezvous for trail runners, adventure seekers, and nature lovers alike. The 2026 edition attracted participants from 14 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, all drawn to Seychelles’ rare combination of technical trails and breathtaking scenery.

Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism, Amanda Bernstein, welcomed the overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants and highlighted the event’s growing international appeal.

“I am delighted by the feedback we continue to receive from runners. The Seychelles Nature Trail offers a rare combination of technical challenge and exceptional natural beauty. Participants are leaving with unforgettable memories and are already expressing their desire to return next year. It is inspiring to see runners from around the world discovering Seychelles through this unique adventure,” said Minister Bernstein.

Far more than a race, the 22-kilometre course offers an immersive journey through the wild beauty of Seychelles. Runners traverse the dense forests of Morne Seychellois National Park, rugged mountain paths, dramatic granite formations, and spectacular coastal viewpoints before descending into Grand Anse. The route passes through Port Glaud, Cap Ternay, Anse Major, Mare aux Cochons, Cassedent, and Tomassin, delivering over 1,200 metres of elevation gain alongside sweeping views of the Indian Ocean.

International athletes praised both the challenge and uniqueness of the course. French trail-running icon Sylvaine Cussot, who finished second in the women’s category, described the race as one of the most remarkable trail experiences she has encountered. UK participant Charly Pauly also highlighted the exceptional diversity of terrain and scenery.

Pakistan’s Wiqar Ahmad Nasir successfully defended his title for the second consecutive year, crossing the finish line in 2:11:39. South Africa’s Daniël Classen secured second place in 2:13:00, while Jonathan Quatre claimed third place, becoming the first Seychellois athlete to complete the race.

In the women’s category, South Africa’s Emily Djock claimed victory in 2:55:05, followed by Sylvaine Cussot in 3:02:05 and Seychellois athlete Aisha Radwan in 3:14:05.

What distinguishes the Seychelles Nature Trail is not only the course itself, but the destination experience surrounding it. Unlike many large-scale international races, Seychelles offers participants an intimate connection with nature, culture, and community, where warm Creole hospitality, pristine landscapes, and sustainability remain central to the experience.

The growing popularity of the event also reflects Seychelles’ evolving tourism identity. Long celebrated for its idyllic beaches and luxury resorts, the destination is increasingly gaining recognition for adventure, wellness, and experiential travel. Through the Seychelles Nature Trail, Tourism Seychelles continues to showcase the islands’ exceptional biodiversity and growing potential as a leading nature and sports tourism destination.

As demand for authentic outdoor experiences continues to grow worldwide, the Seychelles Nature Trail is positioning the islands as a rising destination for adventure and wellness tourism, offering participants not just a race, but an unforgettable immersion into nature, culture, and community.

From tropical forest trails to sweeping Indian Ocean vistas, the event continues to showcase Seychelles as a place where adventure meets paradise.

The move forms part of a broader effort to raise global awareness of Saint Helena’s hiking offering, while improving access to accurate, user-friendly route information for visitors.

“Our island is genuinely unlike anywhere else, offering an extraordinary combination of volcanic scenery and rich biodiversity,” says Jonathan Passaportis, Head of Tourism for St Helena. “By improving free digital access to our trails, we’re making it easier for travellers to explore confidently and discover the scenery that makes St Helena so special.”

The Post Box Walks are the island’s established trail network, covering a wide range of difficulty levels and landscapes. Some follow coastal paths with views over the South Atlantic. Others cut through National Conservation Areas where less than 700 endemic St Helena plovers call home.

“A few walks directly through the island’s history, including routes near Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his years of exile, and others lead to East India Company coastal fortifications,” Passaportis adds.

Although routes are clearly signposted and graded for all skill levels, he highlights how getting accurate, up-to-date route information online for St Helena’s hiking network has historically been a challenge. By listing on Outdooractive, a leading digital platform for outdoor enthusiasts, the island’s trails are now searchable, mappable, and available offline, which matters when you’re somewhere this remote.

St Helena has always been a travel-list-topping destination for intrepid travellers, but Passaportis emphasises how the island’s remote location means we are often viewed as an untouched and difficult frontier.

“By showcasing our spectacular Post Box Walks on Outdooractive, we are quite literally placing our island into the hands of global hikers. This isn’t just about mapping routes; it’s about giving travellers the confidence to immerse themselves knowing they have world-class digital guidance in their pocket,” he concludes.

The routes are live now and free to access here.

Table of Contents

There is a version of Stellenbosch that most people carry in their minds before they arrive. Oak-lined streets. Wine estates. Gourmet restaurants. Perhaps a cheese platter on a sun-drenched stoep.

It’s a beautiful picture, yes, but it tells only part of the story.

The Stellenbosch that reveals itself to those who look a little deeper, who wake early and follow a river instead of a map, is something else entirely. A place of genuine surprise, where the most memorable moments were never on the itinerary.

According to Annemie Liebenberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch:

“Stellenbosch has always been extraordinary. What has changed is the invitation. This year, we are moving beyond the highlights reel and asking a more meaningful question: what happens when you stop ticking boxes and start paying attention? The answer, captured in our promise of ‘Unexpected Firsts. Unforgettable Moments,’ is what this town has always quietly offered. Some places you visit. Stellenbosch, you experience.”

Here is what a single day of paying attention might actually look like – just one example of the thousands of incredible, unexpected “firsts” that await…

Sunrise: The Valley That Wakes Before the Town Does

There is a quieter, more intimate side of Stellenbosch that reveals itself in the early hours of the day.

Before the estates open their gates and the coffee shops pull back their shutters, the Dwarsrivier Valley (a stretch of raw, unhurried landscape framed by the Simonsberg mountains and threaded by the Dwars River) is already alive, offering the kind of stillness that makes you aware of your own breathing.

Accessible via the R310, roughly 10 to 20 kilometres from the town centre, the valley draws trail runners and mountain bikers who understand something others are only beginning to discover: that this landscape, at this specific time, is one of the most beautiful places in South Africa.

There are trails of varying lengths for both mountain bikers and runners, winding through rocky singletrack and open farmland with elevation gains that reward the effort with panoramic views across the valley floor. The paths suit a range of fitness levels, and local guides are available for those who prefer company over solitude.

Morning: A Gallery with No Walls

Come mid-morning, after a comforting cuppa and an energising breakfast, you can choose to follow the Eerste River and let it lead you somewhere special.

The Stellenbosch Art Mile is a 1.6-kilometre open-air gallery that runs along the riverbank from the Krige Street pedestrian bridge to the Coetzenburg bridge, crossing six bridges beneath a canopy of trees. It’s free and open around the clock, and it asks nothing of you except that you pay attention.

Various South African artists have placed their work along this route, including interactive metal sculptures and site-specific pieces tied to the river’s geology and history. Recent themes have explored concepts of reflection, time, and the layered human relationship with landscape. QR codes on many of the works connect to the artists directly, but there’s no gift shop and no queue.

For those who want to extend the morning, the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden sits just a short drive away on Paradyskloof Road: seven hectares of indigenous fynbos and mountain views populated by more than 60 bronze sculptures exploring wilderness and the deeper terrain of the human psyche. Visits are by appointment only, which means you’ll never share the encounter with a crowd.

Together, the two experiences form something rare: an art morning that feels genuinely discovered rather than consumed.

Midday: The Table You Were Not Expecting

Forget, for a moment, everything the word “tasting” conjures.

In the Kayamandi township, just minutes from the centre of Stellenbosch, Nocawe Piedtopens her home and her table to visitors in a way that changes what hospitality means in this part of the world. This is the Township & Village home dining experience, and it’s unlike anything else available in the Winelands.

The table is laden with traditional Xhosa dishes, like pap, chakalaka, samp, stew, spinach with potatoes, pumpkin with sweet corn, and chicken feet, alongside amagwinya, the traditional Xhosa beer that has been poured at celebrations here for generations. There’sdancing, drumming, storytelling, and the particular warmth of a community that has chosen to share its culture not as a performance, but as a genuine act of welcome.

It’s the most unexpected lunch in the Winelands. It is also, for many who experience it, the most unforgettable.

Afternoon: A Tasting That Tastes Like South Africa

The conventional wine tasting is not what Vergenoegd Löw had in mind when they created their Indigenous Tasting.

Spekboom. Bokkoms. Roosterkoek. Kaiings. Amasi. Dexter biltong. Kei apple. The Indigenous Tasting draws on ingredients that have sustained communities across southern Africa for centuries. Flavours that most visitors have never encountered and that most tasting rooms would never think to serve. Each element is paired with estate-grown wines that reflect what Vergenoegd Löw calls their “merroir”: the particular character of this specific place andthis specific soil.

It’s a tasting that asks a quiet but significant question: how well do you actually know this land?

The answer, for most visitors, is not as well as they thought. Which is precisely the point.

Sunset: The Street That Becomes a Living Room

As the light turns golden and the oak trees cast long shadows across Drostdy Street, something shifts in Stellenbosch. The energy is contagious and everyone, locals and visitors alike, comes together to laugh, eat, sip, chat, and simply enjoy the moment.

The Stellenbosch Street Soirées, a summertime highlight, are among the most joyful expressions of what this town truly is at its core: a community that genuinely enjoys itself. Wine tokens in hand, visitors graze on street food and find themselves in conversations they never planned to have with people they never expected to meet.

No itinerary leads here, and no booking is required. You simply follow the music and let the evening unfold.

It is the perfect final note for a day that began in a misty valley and moved through river art, a township kitchen, and an indigenous wine pairing. A day that looked nothing like the Stellenbosch most visitors would imagine, and everything like the one they will spend years trying to describe to people who were not there.

Stellenbosch is only 40 minutes from Cape Town, or a scenic 25-minute helicopter transfer away, placing you within easy reach of your next unforgettable moment. For more information on experiences, visit www.visitstellenbosch.org

SATSA, in partnership with Futureneer Advisors, has released a new white paper revealing South Africa’s adventure tourism industry generated R12 billion in direct revenue in 2024, while supporting 91,000 jobs.

The strategic document outlines the full economic impact of adventure tourism (which reaches R25 billion when multiplier effects are applied), gaps and opportunities, and how South Africa can capitalise on the global adventure tourism market, projected to reach USD 1.68 trillion by 2032 with an annual growth rate of 9.42%.

Key findings:

• Adventure tourism offers significant opportunities for geographic expansion beyond established tourism hotspots.
• The sector creates meaningful social inclusion in areas with high unemployment.
• South Africa faces a critical choice to either lead with its extraordinary diversity of adventure experiences or risk losing market share to global competitors.
• The report highlights the importance of integrating professional standards through initiatives like SATSA’s 101 Adventures self-regulation framework (which now covers more than 101 adventure activities), inclusive of a  free self-assessment tool,  Adventure Tourism Self-Regulation Roadmap, Category-specific Codes of Good Practice and Adventure Industry Toolkits.

“Adventure tourism is no longer a niche market for adrenaline junkies. It’s a powerful economic force reshaping how and where tourism revenue flows across destinations,” explains Nic Shaw, Chair of SATSA’s Adventure Chapter. “It spreads economic benefits into previously bypassed communities, creating opportunities for sustainable regional development – while meeting the changing needs of international visitors.”

Those needs centre on cultural immersion, natural environments, and physical activity that creates authentic connection rather than passive consumption.

For South Africa’s tourism industry, this shift offers visitors something beyond iconic destinations like Cape Town and Kruger, dispersing economic benefits into rural corridors, mountain ranges, and coastal trails. It creates jobs for guides, shuttle drivers and hospitality staff – roles that keep value local and build career ladders for youth.

Call to action

For SATSA, the question isn’t whether adventure tourism represents opportunity, it’s whether South Africa will act decisively to claim its share, as global competitors double down on adventure tourism for regional development.

“Other countries aren’t sitting still,” explains Hannelie du Toit, SATSA COO. “Australia, one of our biggest competitors, continues expanding its adventure portfolio, with regional Australia presenting massive opportunity. And yet, our offering is deeper and more diverse. It’s an opportunity we can’t afford to let slip through our fingers.”

The full white paper is available for download at here.

Review SATSA’s 101 Adventures Self-Regulation Framework here.

Adventure Tourism | Southern Africa Tourism Services Association

As the only African association representing the Southern Africa’s tourism industry in the ATTA stable, SATSA is now linking its 1,200+ members — particularly SMEs in nature-based and community tourism — with ATTA’s network of 30,000+ professionals across 100 countries, unlocking access to international buyers, market intelligence and specialist sustainability expertise.

“Adventure tourism creates jobs in communities where potentially few other economic opportunities exist — from tourism entrepreneurs and guides to local craft makers and hospitality providers,” says Hannelie du Toit, COO of SATSA. “This collaboration helps us scale that impact by connecting operators with international markets that value authentic, conservation-focused but credible experiences.”

The partnership is already active. SATSA recently participated in a global stakeholder call with ATTA alongside more than 30 international partner associations. “The knowledge-sharing potential was immediately evident,” says du Toit. “These connections will directly benefit our members.”

“There’s strong value in the two-way exchange this creates,” says Nicolás Caram, Vice President: Destination and Business Development at ATTA. “SATSA members can tap into global markets, while we gain deeper insight into Southern Africa’s conservation-led and community-based tourism models.”

At the same time, SATSA is creating Codes of Conduct and practical tools for adventure operators. These guides and checklists help businesses understand safety requirements and put industry standards into practice. The 101 Adventures platform then showcases operators who meet these standards, making it easier for travellers to find quality adventure experiences and helping Southern African adventure businesses reach more customers.

The move also responds to proven market demand. In 2025, SATSA conducted South Africa’s most comprehensive adventure tourism market study with Wesgro, engaging over 4,200 travellers. Results confirmed a strong appetite for nature-based and culturally immersive experiences, alongside operators’ need for support in meeting international standards.

“Our members are doing exceptional work, especially in remote areas where tourism creates meaningful economic impact,” says Nic Shaw, SATSA Adventure Chapter Chairperson. “This alliance provides the international connections and practical support they’ve been seeking to grow sustainably.”

The collaboration also advances SATSA’s policy work, including South Africa’s first Adventure Tourism White Paper, due for release this month.

“We’re focused on building a sector that benefits local communities long-term,” adds du Toit. “Learning from ATTA’s global experience helps us avoid the pitfalls other destinations have faced and build something genuinely sustainable.”

Table of Contents

Johannesburg, South Africa: The third edition of the Seychelles Nature Challenge returns on Saturday,16 May 2026, with all-inclusive packages now available for professional and novice trail runners alike.

The 22 km technical course winds its way through Morne Seychellois National Park – the archipelago’s largest and most biodiverse protected area. With a 1,200 m elevation gain, runners traverse dense indigenous rainforest, rocky mountain paths, and pristine coastal trails on the island of Mahé, in what is becoming one of the most spectacular and sought-after races on the global trail running calendar.

A once-in-a-lifetime trail experience awaits. For seasoned trail runner, Paul Ingpen, the 2025 edition inspired new awe and wonder:

“Even after 40 years of travelling to run, ride and paddle my way through the world’s most remote wildernesses, I have never seen plants as tall, leaves as big, or shapes as varied as in this forest,” said Ingpen. “It may be the first time that I’ve run a race wishing time would slow down and the distance would extend.”

An unparalleled way to discover the island. For Stellenbosch-based trail runner, Shaundre Jacobs, who finished third in the ladies’ race in August 2025, it was the best way to experience Seychelles for the very first time:

“If you like the outdoors and exploring a new place, I suggest putting this race at the top of your list,” says Jacobs. “It’s the best way to explore the island, by foot. In this way, you take it all in through feeling and experiencing nature first-hand. Whether you are a beginner or expert trail runner, this race is for you. It will be the experience of a lifetime. Seychelles is not just a place; it is a feeling.”

Accessible to runners of all levels. Jacobs, who describes the event as “well-organised”, “well-marked” and “magically surreal”, believes anyone can enjoy the challenge – with a little preparation.

“If you are considering it, try and train in warm conditions and get some time in a sauna. The humidity is quite high and can catch you off guard,” explains Jacobs. “Hydrate well before, during and after the race, with water and electrolytes. Also, do lots of vertical training where you focus on power hiking. This will help prepare you for the vertical kilometres in the race – and reward you with astounding views.”

RACE DETAILS

The Seychelles Nature Trail Challenge 2026 takes place on 16 May 2026, starting at the Constance Ephelia Resort at Port Launay before heading into Mahé’s national park trails and finishing at Grand Anse Mahé.

The race entry fee includes a race bib and timing chip, race pack (including a t-shirt and other surprises), a finisher’s medal, refreshments and aid stations along the route and post-race recovery area and refreshments.

ALL-INCLUSIVE RACE PACKAGES

Comprehensive travel packages for South African runners are available through Ace Sport Travel, making it easy to experience this bucket-list event. Packages start from R49,990 per person, including 5 nights’ accommodation, breakfast and dinner daily, flights and transfers and race entry. Rates depend on accommodation selected (Constance Ephelia or Avani+ Barbarons), and single supplements apply. 

Price excludes the Seychelles Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy, which amounts to approximately R121.00 per person per night, payable at the hotel upon check out.

For booking enquiries, please contact nadine@acetravel.co.za.

BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY

Online entries are open, please visit https://racepass.com/za/tours/the-seychelles-nature-trail for more information.

For Christine Vel, Market Manager for Seychelles Tourism, it is a highlight on the organisation’s calendar:

“The 2025 event attracted 169 entrants from around the world, including 52 international athletes and 10 participants from South Africa alone,” says Vel.  “For 2026, we’re expecting an even larger field and are excited to cement Seychelles’ position as a premier destination for both luxury and adventure tourism, showcasing Seychelles’ extraordinary natural beauty to a globalaudience of outdoor enthusiasts.”