Rodrigues Island
Rodrigues Island is a volcanic island in the east of the Mascarene Archipelago, 560 km from Mauritius, and is part of the Republic of Mauritius. It was named after the Portuguese navigator Diogo Rodrigues, who discovered it. It has a unique nature, clean air and gentle coastal waves. On Rodrigues Island there is no traffic and noise of civilization, only mangroves, deserted beaches and picturesque bays. The island attracts tourists from all over the world with its beaches with black volcanic sand, eco-tours to the most remote corners of the island and tropical forests, as well as the opportunity to windsurf, diving and snorkeling. The most popular activities on the island are beach vacations and great fishing.
Highlights
In previous years, tourism development on Rodriguez Island was not given enough attention, which affected the level of infrastructure and tourist accommodation facilities. Recently, however, the local government has begun to pay more attention to the industry, which has manifested itself in the construction of modern hotels, the construction of a new airport, the reconstruction of seaports and recreation centers on the coast.
Rodrigues Island has an elongated east-west slightly oval shape, with a length of 20 km and an average width of 5 km. Rodrigues’ coastline is highly sinuous and forms quite a few small bays and coves. The relief of Rodrigues Island is mostly hilly, which in the central part of the island changes to mountainous. The tops of the mountains on the island are the domes of volcanoes that have long ceased their activity. The highest point of Rodrigues is the volcanic Mount Limon, which is 398 meters above sea level. There are many small rivers on the island, forming quite a few beautiful waterfalls in the mountainous areas. The total area of Rodriguez Island exceeds 100 square kilometers.
.Climate
The climate of Rodrigues Island is tropical maritime. Here the average temperature in February is +23 degrees Celsius and August is around + 19. The rainfall, which falls on the island in the form of tropical showers, is distributed almost evenly throughout the year. On average, Rodriguez receives about 1500-1600 millimeters of rainfall per year in the mountains and up to 5200-5300 on the coast.
.History
Rodrigues Island was uninhabited prior to the discovery by the Portuguese, although it had been visited many times by Indian and Arab seafarers prior to this event, however, without any attempt at colonization on their part. The island was discovered in 1528 during an expedition to India under the Portuguese captain Diogo Rodrigues. In 1691, Rodrigues Island was captured by the Dutch East India Company, which managed to hold on to the island until 1693. After the Dutch abandoned the island of Mauritius, they also abandoned Rodrigues. At the beginning of the 18th century, French colonists appeared on Rodrigues Island and established several settlements and sugar cane plantations, for which they brought slaves from the island of Madagascar. In 1810 during the Napoleonic wars Rodrigues is captured by Britain and included it in its colony with the center on the island of Mauritius. In 1968, the independence of Mauritius is declared and Rodrigues Island is incorporated territorially into that state. In 2003, Rodrigues was granted extended autonomous as part of the Republic of Mauritius.
.
Attractions
The beaches of Rodrigues Island are famous for their yellow and slightly blackish sands washed by the clear emerald blue waters of the Indian Ocean. They stretch virtually along the entire coast of the island. But, strangely enough, fans of beach vacation on the island arrives little. The reason for this is the remoteness of Rodriguez and the virtual absence of necessary infrastructure. The most popular beaches of the island are Gravier, Coton and St. Francois. In addition to luxurious beaches Rodrigues impresses with its picturesque bays, the most famous of which are Pointe-Cotton, Baie-aux-Huitres and Grand Baie.
.Rodrigues Island attracts a large number of divers and snorkelers from all over the world. The proximity of the coral reef that surrounds the island, as well as the richness of the animal life that inhabits it, attracts hundreds of tourists from different parts of the world. Like the island of Mauritius, Rodrigues is one of the best places in the world for underwater fishing, where you can dive to shallow depths and hunt for a variety of sharks, blue and black marlin, black barracuda, yellowfin tuna, sailfish and dorado. “Coral Plain” is famous for its many magnificent caves, inviting the adventurous diver to explore.
.
Also a large number of tourists come to Rodriguez and in order to enjoy the unique nature of the island. Fans of wildlife will not remain indifferent to the diversity of flora and fauna. The most popular places for eco-tourism are two islets located off the coast of Rodrigues Ile aux Sables and Ile aux Cocos, on the shores and rocks of which nest huge colonies of seabirds. Tourists are also recommended to visit the unique Patat caves, which lie at a depth of 600 meters. In the caves you can admire coral stalactites, stalagmites and other underground curiosities. In the François Lega Nature Reserve you can see giant tortoises and the emdemic species of flying mice Pteropus rodricensis. Trekking tours and various hiking trails are also available to the volcanic Mount Limon, which offers a unique view of the surrounding rainforest, where a large number of species (including 42 emendemics) of vascular plants grow.
.Port Maturin is the capital of Rodrigues Island, located in the northwest of the island. There is virtually no use of vehicles here. The architecture of the city is quite unique, not fitting any of the common styles. The clothes of the locals are characterized by brightness and unusualness. The city is characterized by originality and silence, which is broken only by the noise of numerous craft stores and small stores.
.
For lovers of attractions on Rodriguez Island are presented Museum of Island Development, Maritime Museum, Botanical Garden in Port Maturin, where the most unique plants from all over the world are collected, reconstructed the first Dutch settlement on the island. In addition, the architecture of the cities and towns of Rodriguez, which is also of genuine interest to tourists.
.Not far from the coast of Rodriguez Island are 17 small islets. Some of them have the status of nature reserves and their visit is possible only after obtaining the appropriate authorization (in particular, on the islands of Ile aux Sables and Ile Coco). Other islands are amazingly beautiful places, with unique plant life, and no permit is required to travel to their shores (for example, Ile aux Crabs and Ile Hermitage can be visited without problems).
.Rodriguez’s cuisine
The local cuisine is a mixture of culinary traditions from Europe, Africa and Asia. The basis of almost all dishes is rice, which is flavored with tasty sauces and spices. A dish called “puri” is popular as an appetizer. It is prepared in the form of sandwiches made of special kinds of flour with a variety of ingredients (vegetables, meat, fish, seafood). They are necessarily served with sauce.
.On the island you can try a huge number of dishes from fish and seafood. Most often used tuna, marlin, mullet. Fish fried on coals, smoked, cooked with various spices or eaten raw, doused with lemon juice. Octopus, snails, sea shells, freshwater crayfish and sea urchins are considered a special delicacy. There are many ways to prepare them, but in any case a huge amount of spices, vegetables and herbs are used.
.While on Rodriguez Island, you should also try the local flour products: puff pastry filled with fish, meat or vegetables called “samussa”; eggplant and potato patties; yam patties; coconut crumb cakes, spiced donuts and small tartlets filled with seafood paste.
.Locally brewed coffee is very unusual in taste and unusual for Europeans, but all restaurants will brew you a regular black coffee. Rodriguez Island cuisine includes the following drinks: spiced aludo milk; fruit juices of all kinds; light local beers (Blue Merlin, Stella, Phoenix), excellent herbal tinctures, and Green Island rum.
.Hotels
On Rodriguez you can find accommodation options for every taste: quality “fours”, nice private mini-hotels, cottages and apartments. A distinctive feature of hotels on the island – compactness: in any of them no more than 30 rooms, so that the silence and comfort of the guests are provided.
.How to get there and get around
Air Mauritius operates regular flights to the island several times a week. There is also a Mauritius Pride ship between the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, with a travel time of – just over a day. Passenger traffic on the island is carried by bicycles, motorcycles and cabs.
.
