Mauritius
Rodrigues
Mauritius without the big resorts: a hilly Creole island inside a lagoon twice its own size, a 90-minute flight out into the Indian Ocean.
Rodrigues is the small outer island of Mauritius, some 560 km east of the main island across open ocean and about 90 minutes away by plane. Hilly and rural, it sits inside a lagoon roughly twice its own size, and life runs at village pace: octopus fishers wading the shallows, a Saturday market in the little capital, Port Mathurin, and footpaths between quiet coves. There are few hotels of any size, and the draws are quiet ones: the lagoon and its seabird islets, giant tortoises, coastal walks and a Creole island culture all its own.
Suggested stay
4–7 days
Language
English, French, Mauritian Creole
Currency
MUR
Timezone
UTC+4
Why you'll love Rodrigues
The lagoon a reef-ringed lagoon around twice the size of the island, shallow and turquoise, with octopus fishers wading out at low tide and boats heading for its islets
Ile aux Cocos a sandy islet reserve in the western lagoon where noddies and white terns nest close to the path, reached by boat for a day of birds and swimming
Walking the island is small, hilly and laced with footpaths, and the east coast walk past the sheltered cove of Trou d'Argent is the classic
Island life Creole villages, accordion dances and sega tambour, a Saturday market that starts at dawn, and a pace many compare to Mauritius decades ago
Best time to visit
May-Dec
25-29° days
19.681° S, 63.422° E
UTC+4 · Indian/Mauritius
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Weather & when to go to Rodrigues
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best May-Dec
Windsports prime May-Oct
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Watch for Nov-Apr cyclones & hurricanes risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Rodrigues
No month is a write-off. January to April is hot, humid and the heart of the cyclone season, and a passing storm can ground flights and cancel boat trips for days, so leave slack before a connection home. May to December is the easier stretch, cooler mid-year and generally drier, and the steady trade winds of the cooler months are what bring the kitesurfers.
Top things to do in Rodrigues
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Ile aux Cocos - the seabird islet in the lagoon
nature wildlife scenic 👍 PopularA low, sandy islet off the western end of the island, protected as a nature reserve for its nesting seabirds, above all noddies and white terns that nest close to the path. Boats cross the lagoon in the morning, and a day usually pairs a guided walk through the colony with a picnic lunch and swimming off the beach.
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Francois Leguat Reserve - giant tortoises and Grande Caverne
nature wildlife history 👍 PopularIn the dry south-west near the airport, a reserve restoring native forest on the coral limestone is home to Aldabra giant tortoises, brought in to stand in for the island's own species, hunted to extinction in the 1700s. A small museum tells the story of the solitaire, a flightless cousin of the dodo, and guided tours lead down into Grande Caverne, a large limestone cave.
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Trou d'Argent - the east coast walk from Graviers to Saint Francois
scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedThe island's classic walk follows the cliffs and coves of the east coast between the villages of Graviers and Saint Francois, dropping to Trou d'Argent, a small sandy cove boxed in by rock and reached on foot. Allow a few hours with swim stops, carry water and shade, and plan how you will get back to the start.
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Port Mathurin - the Saturday morning market
food culture arts 👍 PopularThe little capital's market is the island's weekly meeting point, and it starts very early: come soon after dawn for fish, fruit, honey, chilli and lime pickles, dried octopus and hot snacks before the best is gone. The rest of the week, the town's few streets and harbour front make an easy hour's wander.
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Grande Montagne Nature Reserve - native forest and endemic birds
nature wildlifeIn the central hills, conservationists have cleared invasive plants and replanted native trees over decades, and marked trails lead through the regrowing forest. It is the place to look for two birds found only on Rodrigues, the Rodrigues fody and the Rodrigues warbler, and at dusk the island's endemic fruit bats are out over the valleys.
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Mont Limon - the view from the top of the island
scenicThe island's highest point, just under 400 metres, is a short walk up from the road through the central hills, and on a clear day the whole lagoon spreads out below, reef line and all. Pair it with Grande Montagne next door.
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Anse Mourouk - kitesurfing the south-east lagoon
windsports adventureThe broad, shallow lagoon off the south-east coast and the steady trade winds of the cooler months have made Mourouk the island's kitesurfing centre. Schools teach beginners on the flat water inside the reef and rent gear to experienced riders.
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The outer reef - diving and snorkelling off Rodrigues
diving nature wildlifeOut through the passes in the reef, the coral is in better shape than around much of the main island, with drop-offs, big shoals of fish and very few other divers. A few dive centres run boat dives, and inside the lagoon the snorkelling is best from a boat over the coral heads.
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Octopus, limon and honey - eating Rodriguan
foodOctopus is the island's signature, sun-dried on lines by the lagoon and cooked into salads and curries, alongside small sour limes pickled with chilli, island honey and the tourte, a sweet pastry filled with coconut or papaya. Much of the best eating is at guesthouse tables d'hote, set dinners of home cooking shared with the other guests.
Best areas to stay in Rodrigues
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Port Mathurin and Anse aux Anglais
First-time visitors $Small harbour capital and quiet bay
Explore hotels in Port Mathurin and Anse aux Anglais →
Pointe Coton and Saint Francois
Beaches and walks $$East coast beaches and clifftop paths
Explore hotels in Pointe Coton and Saint Francois →
Mourouk and the south-east coast
Kitesurfers $$Wide lagoon, steady wind, kite schools
Explore hotels in Mourouk and the south-east coast →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Rodrigues
Getting to & around Rodrigues
Getting there
Fly in from mainland Mauritius to RRG on the south-west tip, then around 45 minutes by road to Port Mathurin
Flight
Sir Charles Gaetan Duval Airport (Plaine Corail) (RRG)
Flights from the main island's international airport take about 90 minutes. The airport sits on the island's dry south-west tip; a taxi or a pickup arranged through your guesthouse takes around 45 minutes over the hills to Port Mathurin.
Ferry
Port Mathurin
A passenger-cargo ship sails between Port Louis and Port Mathurin, a crossing of more than a day that is slow, weather-dependent and mostly used by islanders
Getting around
Bus
Buses fan out from the station in Port Mathurin to most villages; pay the conductor in cash, and expect services to wind down early in the evening
TBC
Car or scooter hire
The easiest way to explore on your own: roads are narrow, steep and winding, and traffic drives on the left
TBC
Taxi
Available in Port Mathurin and through guesthouses; agree the fare before setting off
TBC
Walking
The island is small and footpaths link many villages, beaches and coves; the hills are steep and shade is scarce
Free
Day trips from Rodrigues
Ile aux Cocos
Full daySeabird islet reserve
Nesting noddies and white terns, a guided walk through the reserve, then a picnic and a swim off the islet's beach. The ride over the shallow turquoise lagoon is half the pleasure, and trips are called off when the wind is up, so do not leave it to your last day.
Getting there
tour | ferry
About an hour by boat across the lagoon, on an organised trip
Graviers to Saint Francois via Trou d'Argent
Half dayCoastal cliff walk
Cliffs, coves and a string of small beaches along the east coast, with the sheltered sand of Trou d'Argent as the reward partway along. Start early to beat the midday sun, take plenty of water, and leave time to swim.
Getting there
car | bus | walk
Around 30-45 minutes by car or bus from Port Mathurin to the trailhead, then on foot
The south-west: tortoises and caves
Half dayTortoise reserve and caves
The Francois Leguat Reserve's giant tortoises, its museum and the guided descent into Grande Caverne fill a morning in the island's dry coral-limestone corner. It sits close to the airport, so it also fits neatly on the way in or out.
Getting there
car | bus
Around 45 minutes by car or bus from Port Mathurin to Plaine Corail
Grande Montagne and Mont Limon
Half dayNative forest and summit
Walk the trails of the replanted native forest looking for the island's endemic fody and warbler, then take the short path up Mont Limon for a view over the whole lagoon. The hills are cooler and greener than the coast.
Getting there
car | bus
Around 20-30 minutes by car or bus up into the central hills
A little history of Rodrigues
Rodrigues was uninhabited when Portuguese sailors reached it in the 1500s, and for almost two centuries it was only a landfall for passing ships. Its most famous early resident, the French Huguenot refugee Francois Leguat, spent two years here from 1691 with a handful of companions and left the fullest account of the solitaire, a flightless relative of the dodo, and of the giant tortoises that then crowded the island. Through the 1700s ships and traders from Mauritius took the tortoises in enormous numbers, and by the end of the century both they and the solitaire were gone.
A small French settlement worked by enslaved Africans and Malagasy took hold in the later 1700s. Britain seized Rodrigues in 1809 as a staging post for the capture of Mauritius, kept both under the 1814 Treaty of Paris, and ended slavery in 1835. Most Rodriguans today are of African and Malagasy descent, Creole-speaking and largely Catholic, which gives the island a character distinct from the main island. It became part of independent Mauritius in 1968 and has run its own local affairs through a Regional Assembly since 2002.
Portuguese navigator Diogo Rodrigues reaches the uninhabited island, which comes to bear his name
Francois Leguat and a small group of Huguenot refugees land and spend two years on the island
French astronomer Alexandre-Guy Pingre observes the transit of Venus from Rodrigues
A small French settlement takes hold, worked by enslaved people; the giant tortoises and the solitaire are extinct by the century's end
British forces occupy the island as a base for the capture of Mauritius the following year
Rodrigues passes to Britain with Mauritius under the Treaty of Paris
Slavery is abolished across Mauritius and its dependencies, including Rodrigues
Rodrigues becomes part of independent Mauritius
Rodrigues gains autonomy, with its own elected Regional Assembly
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / E / G
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+230
Cyclones & hurricanes risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
FAQs about Rodrigues
▸ When is the best time to visit Rodrigues?
May to December is the best stretch: cooler through the middle of the year and generally drier. January to April is hot, humid and the heart of the cyclone season, still visitable but with a real chance that a storm grounds flights and boats for a few days. Kitesurfers come for the steady trade winds of the cooler months.
▸ How do you get to Rodrigues?
Almost everyone flies from the main island of Mauritius, a flight of about 90 minutes, usually as an add-on to a Mauritius trip. A passenger-cargo ship also sails from Port Louis, but the crossing takes more than a day and is mostly used by islanders and freight. Book flights early, as seats are limited.
▸ How many days do you need on Rodrigues?
Four days covers the essentials: Ile aux Cocos, the east coast walk, the tortoise reserve and the Saturday market. A week lets you settle into the pace, add more walks, a dive or a kite lesson, and absorb a boat trip lost to wind. The flight is too long to make Rodrigues a day trip from the main island.
▸ Rodrigues or mainland Mauritius?
They are very different trips. The main island has the big beach resorts, the choice of restaurants and the nightlife; Rodrigues has small hotels and guesthouses, village life, walking and a vast, quiet lagoon. Many visitors do both, adding a few days on Rodrigues to a stay on the main island.
▸ Do you need a car on Rodrigues?
Not necessarily. Buses from Port Mathurin reach most villages and trailheads, cheaply but slowly, and wind down early in the evening. Hiring a car or scooter makes beaches and viewpoints far easier to reach on your own schedule; roads are narrow and steep, and traffic keeps left. Many guesthouses also arrange drivers and trips.
▸ Is Rodrigues safe for travellers?
It is a quiet, close-knit island and serious crime against visitors is rare. The main hazards are natural: strong sun on shadeless walks, currents near the passes in the reef, and cyclones in the hot season, when you should follow local warnings. Swim inside the lagoon where locals do, and check the tides before wading out.
▸ What language is spoken on Rodrigues?
Rodriguan Creole is the everyday language, close to Mauritian Creole, and French is widely understood. English is the language of government across Mauritius, but you will hear far less of it on the street than on the main island's tourist coasts; a few words of French help.