COCONUT ISLAND
Coral Plain Island offering a visit that requires a written authorization issued by Discovery Rodrigues
The Cocos Island can be reached from Port Mathurin (4 hours round trip) or from Baie du Nord (2 hours). A written authorization issued by Discovery Rodrigues is necessary, hence the interest to go through a local tour operator (almost all of them organize the excursion, transfer and lunch included) or one of the numerous boatmen. The islet, the largest of those surrounding Rodrigues, is protected and controlled for its biodiversity and endemic species. The number of daily visitors is therefore limited in order to preserve this fragile ecosystem, which consists of a long strip of magnificent white sand that shimmers like a mirage on the turquoise immensity of the lagoon. Wow! !
Covered with coconut trees, filaos and acacias, the islet serves as a habitat for thousands of birds that give it its magic and identity. The birds can be seen in clouds above the waves even before we have disembarked. But it is by walking around that you can contemplate them at leisure, first under the guidance of a guide who will explain the history of the island and give advice on how to behave, then freely. Some birds are not very shy and nest within a meter of the towels; others fly away and turn by hundreds when people pass by.
The islet constitutes one of the last refuges of sooty terns(Onychoprion fuscatus), brown noddies(Anous stolidus), white schooners(Cygis alba) and marian noddies(Anous tenuirostris), very rare species that have almost disappeared from the skies of Rodrigues. Among these, some are migratory, hence the interest to come during the warm months. The white schooners and the terns, for example, travel between Saint Brandon (where they are increasingly threatened by fishermen) and Cocos Island or Sables Island, just opposite. This last piece of land is also a nature reserve populated by birds, but forbidden to the public.
Apart from visitors, the birds of Cocos Island are the only companions of the two guards who share the surveillance of the reserve. The western part of the reserve is inaccessible to walkers and partially fenced off so that the birds are not disturbed. The island is also used as a coconut tree nursery for the reforestation of Rodrigues. It is therefore easy to understand why the excursion is so exclusive, not to mention the fact that the site is absolutely masterful: translucent bottoms, large sandbanks, intense turquoise of the lagoon. IMMANQUABLE!