Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFFLINE MAP
( 832 8141;
www.tortoisescavereserve-rodrigues.com
;
adult/child incl tortoises & cave Rs 285/135, tortoises only
Rs 155/90; 9am-5pm, tours at 9.30am, 10.30am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm)
In 1691, François Leguat wrote
that there were so many tortoises on Rodrigues that 'one can take more than a hundred
steps on their shell without touching the ground'. Sadly the Rodrigues version of the giant
tortoise went the way of the dodo, but this giant tortoise and cave reserve has grand plans
to re-create the Eden described in the logbooks of the island's early explorers. The project
is well underway - hundreds of tortoises roam the grounds (the outcome of a successful
breeding program); there's a small enclosure with several giant fruit bats (the island's only
endemic mammal); and over 100,000 indigenous trees have been planted over the last
four years. The on-site museum recounts the history and settlement of the island, and of-
fers detailed information about the extinct solitaire, cousin of the like-fated dodo. Don't
miss the guided tours of the on-site caves. Spirited tour leaders point out quirky rock
shapes and discuss the island's interesting geological history. Keep an eye out for the tibia
bone of a solitaire that juts out from the cavern's stone ceiling. The reserve is in the is-
land's southwest, and is signposted off the main road around 1.5km northeast of the air-
port.
Caverne Patate
OFFLINE MAP
CAVE
(guided tours Rs 100; guided tours 9am, 11am, 1pm & 3pm)
Caverne Patate, in the southwest corner
of the island, is an impressive cave system with a few stalagmite and stalactite formations.
Visit is by guided tour during which a guide points out formations with uncanny resemb-
lances to a dodo, Buckingham Palace and even Winston Churchill! The 700m tunnel is an
easy walk, but gets slippery in wet weather; wear shoes with a good grip and take a light
jacket or pullover.
The track to the caves is signposted off the road from La Ferme to Petite Butte. Buses
en route to La Fourche can drop you off at the turn-off.
Grande Montagne
Nature Reserve
OFFLINE MAP
( 832 5737;
www.mauritian-wildlife.org
;
Grande Montagne; 8am-3pm Mon-Fri)
One of the last re-
maining stands of forest on Rodrigues, this nature reserve crowns the highest part of the
island. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF;
Click here
) has overseen the planting
NATURE RESERVE
