Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
NORTHERN ISLANDS
Coin de Mire, Île Plate & Îlot Gabriel
The distinctive Coin de Mire (Gunner's Quoin), 4km off the coast, was so named because it resembles the quoin
(wedge) used to steady the aim of a cannon. The island is now a nature reserve and home to a number of rare spe-
cies, such as the red-tailed tropicbird and Bojer's skink. None of the major catamarans stop here as landing is of-
ten difficult. Despite the island's striking shape there's not much to see here anyway - it's the kind of place that
looks far better from far away.
Most operators take you to the lagoon between Île Plate and Îlot Gabriel, 7km further north, which offers good
snorkelling. Barbecue lunches are served on a sandy patch of Îlot Gabriel, while 20° Sud's ( Click here ) luxury
cruiser currently has the sole right to land on Île Plate - day-trippers eat in the charming ruins of the Governor's
House.
Boats to the islands depart from Grand Baie. You can book online at www.mauritiuscatamaran.com , through
any local tour agent or directly with the cruise companies. Prices are from Rs 1200 to 1500 per pers on, including
lunch.
Île Ronde & Île aux Serpents
Île Ronde (Round Island) and Île aux Serpents (Snake Island) are two significant nature reserves about 20km and
24km respectively from Mauritius. It is not possible to land on them. Ironically, Île Ronde is not round and has
snakes, while Île aux Serpents is round and has no snakes; the theory is that an early cartographer simply made a
mistake.
Île Ronde covers roughly 170 hectares and scientists believe it has more endangered species per square kilo-
metre than anywhere else in the world. Many of the plants, such as the hurricane palm (of which one lonely tree
remains) and the bottle palm, are unique to the island. The endemic fauna includes the keel-scaled boa and the
burrowing boa (possibly extinct), three types of skink and three types of gecko. Among the seabirds that breed on
the island are the wedge-tailed shearwater, the red-tailed tropicbird and the gadfly (or Round Island) petrel. Nat-
uralist Gerald Durrell gives a very graphic description of the island in his book Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons .
The smaller Île aux Serpents (42 hectares) is a renowned bird sanctuary. The birds residing on the island in-
clude the sooty tern, the lesser noddy, the common noddy and the masked (blue-footed) booby. Nactus geckos
and Bojer's skinks are also found here.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Pereybère
As development continues to boom along the north coast, it's becoming rather difficult to
tell where Grand Baie ends and Pereybère (peu-ray-bear) begins. This area is very much
the second development on the north coast after Grand Baie and has found the sweet spot
between being a bustling tourist hub and a quiet holiday hideaway.
 
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