Rodrigues Island Port Mathurin, Mauritius
Mauritius
Frequently Asked Questions
At the Port Mathurin quay, right on the edge of the town centre. The capital of Rodrigues is one of the smallest in the world, and everything in it is walkable from the gangway.
650 kilometres northeast of Mauritius, of which it is a dependency. It is an isolated volcanic dot in the Indian Ocean, ringed by a lagoon nearly twice the size of the island itself.
Walking the centre takes under an hour, so pick one outing: Île aux Cocos by boat, or the François Leguat reserve and Caverne Patate by road. If your call falls on a Saturday morning, the market is the island's big social gathering.
Yes, at the François Leguat reserve, about 45 minutes by road from Port Mathurin. Hundreds of Aldabra tortoises roam replanted native vegetation, standing in for the Rodrigues tortoises that disappeared in the 18th century.
By organised boat excursion, roughly half a day, with timing set by the tides. It is a seabird reserve where terns and noddies nest by the thousand, and you walk between the colonies under a guide's supervision.
An underground network carved into the limestone of the coral plateau, visited with a guide among stalactites and stalagmites. It pairs easily with the François Leguat reserve in a single half-day from the pier.
The Mauritian rupee. Bring small notes for the market and the basket weavers: cards are of little use outside a handful of places in town.
Rodriguan Creole in daily life, with French widely understood and English as the official language. Visitors in either language get by without trouble.
No, and it is better to know that before booking a tour. Rodrigues has no major monuments: it offers a vast lagoon, a market where everyone knows everyone, and a slow pace. This is a call for nature and encounters, not built heritage.
Ourite, octopus sun-dried then slow-cooked, fish curry with local saffron, lime chilli paste, and the celebrated honey that Mauritians come here to buy. Family-run table d'hôtes, often perched above the lagoon, are easiest to book through the ship's excursion.
