FRANCOIS-LEGUAT RESERVES GIANT TURTLES AND CAVES

It is one of the star attractions of Rodrigues: a site that required years of effort and the planned breeding of hundreds of turtles. The company's objective is 100% ecological: to preserve and enhance Rodrigues' natural heritage, particularly the island's original flora. In a well-defined and marked area, naturalists have thus uprooted exotic species to promote the development of endemic plants such as the vacoas of Rodrigues, the gournable or the white wood. 250,000 plants have been transplanted and are the object of all attention.

At the same time, in order to reproduce the island's original fauna as closely as possible, three species of tortoises have been introduced into the reserve: the Aldabra giant(Aldabrachelys gigantea), the star tortoise(Astrochelys radiata - a small species originating from south-western Madagascar) and the plinth tortoise(Astrochelys yniphora). These are not the species found in Rodrigues in the past and which are now extinct. But they are the most morphologically similar turtles. Bred at the Vanille Nature Park in Mauritius, the first 294 turtles were welcomed by a huge crowd of curious people in 2006. Since then, hundreds of others have joined them and a multitude of babies have been born, bringing the total number of individuals on site to over 4,500. They can be observed in vast enclosures, delimited by low dry stone walls and by the natural topology: a very beautiful valley between two rocky slopes. This pleasant walk is enhanced by another activity: the organised and commented discovery of one of the nine limestone caves on the site, which are mainly reserved for scientific research. Accessible to all (walkways, stairs and lighting), the visit is only made in small groups with trained guides.

Also on site: a large aviary into which one can enter and which shelters Rodrigues fruit bats or Pteropus rodericensis, the only endemic mammal of the island; a documentation centre on Rodrigues; an interesting small museum (the only one on the island) on the fauna and flora, the history of settlement, the limestone geology and the postal history of Rodrigues

Restaurant. In the shade and quiet, it is a large terrace where local dishes are served. Also a small rustic bar serving drinks and infusions