A natural cleft provides access to the cold, damp tunnel that leads to the cave, about 100m underground. The stalagmites and stalactites, sculpted by time, are lit up, projecting dragons, lions, buddhas and other strange silhouettes onto the coral wa..

After Caverne Patate cave, follow the road leading down to the sea until you reach a trail (on the right) that gives onto a former coral quarry, closed in 2002. Large blocks of coral were sawed off the rocks here, cut into bricks and used as econom..

Past the visitor’s centre, with some rare Rodriguan plants on display, you enter this vast park (30ha, part of it designated a nature reserve) that is striving to promote the regrowth of primary forest. For a really interesting tour, it is best to ha..

According to popular legend, a treasure is said to be buried on Hermitage Island, on a spot off its southern coast from which there is a fine view of the island. A 25-minute crossing from Port Sud-Est.

This foundation, in the exceptional setting of a former sugar factory, houses the studio of French painter Yvette Maniglier , who settled here in 2004, a private museum exhibiting her work, and a gourmet restaurant. The collection includes paintings..

The dodo, symbol of Mauritius, was a sort of large pigeon that couldn’t fly due to atrophied wings and went extinct by the 17C. You can see a reconstruction of one here, perhaps justifying a visit to the Natural History Museum, although its collectio..

When the capital was struck by a malaria epidemic in 1865, there was a vast exodus from Port Louis, mainly by rich residents who came to settle in Moka and St-Pierre. These superb colonial houses are the vestiges of their time here.

The old royal road, which crossed the island from east to west and was doubled by a railway line in the 19C, contributed to the development of the central plateau that became a place of refuge for islanders when malaria struck Port Louis and the coas..

This superb colonial home built in 1872 belongs to the Guimbeau family who run the Bois Chéri tea business. Its twelve rooms decorated with period furniture are open to the public. The dining room giving onto the façade verandah is undoubtedly the mo..

For a lively experience, check out the covered market near the harbour (on Wednesdays and, better yet, on Saturdays from 4am). Rodriguans hurry here before daybreak, sometimes coming on foot from far away, to buy colourful fruits and vegetables, ra..

The Résidence, the finest edifice in town, stands near the harbour and the new administrative buildings. This pretty whitewood colonial house with a green roof was built in 1873 and was the home of the island’s governors until the early 20C. Today it..

The Mauritius Pride is a spectacle unto itself, and its arrival at -or departure from- Port Mathurin is an attraction that one never tires of. Two or three times a month this cargo ship unloads goods from Mauritius, indispensable to the inhabitants..

The top of Mont Limon, the highest peak in Rodrigues (393M, slippery access), affords a view of the entire island. The golden light at the end of the day gives this panorama of rugged hills an extraordinary aura of colour with its green trees scatt..