Things to do in Rodrigues
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Rodrigues
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best all round months: warm lagoon, manageable wind, everything open and fewer crowds, with October the sweet spot.
Kitesurf wind season, peaking in July and August, when Mourouk is world class but lagoon swimming and boat trips can be choppy.
Warmest water and calmest lagoon for snorkelling and diving, with sea temperatures up to about 29 degrees in March.
Cyclone season and the worst months to come: in 2026 cyclones in January and February cancelled all Rodrigues flights for a period.
Domestic holiday peak: Mauritian families, full flights and full guesthouses, festive but booked out.
What's on
- Rodrigues International Kitesurf Festival Usually early July
Slalom, wingfoil and big air competition at Anse Mourouk, the island big sporting week, organised by the Mourouk Wind Sports Club.
- Festival Kreol Rodrigues 1 to 8 December in the 2024 edition
A Creole culture week with a Mourouk regatta, food tents in Port Mathurin, theatre, poetry and sega tambour in its home setting.
Best things to do in Rodrigues
François Leguat Giant Tortoise and Cave Reserve
Walk among more than 2,000 giant tortoises in replanted endemic forest, then descend into a lit cave beneath the reserve.
Île aux Cocos
A permitted boat day to a bird reserve sand island, with a guided walk, a Creole lunch and lagoon swimming.
Île aux Chats
A private pirogue day to the southern islets with snorkelling and a beach lunch, run entirely on your own schedule.
Trou d'Argent
A cliff folded cove reached only on foot along the east coast path, with no facilities and almost no one else there.
Pointe Coton Beach
The long, calm lagoon beach on the north east tip, reached by road and made for a whole lazy sunrise to sunset day.
Marché de Port Mathurin
The island in one market, biggest on Saturday morning, for honey, lemons, octopus, vacoa craft and hot street snacks.
Cathédrale Saint-Gabriel
A large coral limestone church built by Rodriguans themselves from 1939, best seen at Sunday mass when the village fills.
Caverne Patate
A rough, torch lit coral cave walk of about 600 metres, best paired with the Leguat reserve on the same south west day.
Where to stay in Rodrigues
Port Mathurin and Anse aux Anglais
short stays, no car trips, food and market life
The transport hub with the bus station, harbour, market and most restaurants, in a working Rodriguan town.
Pointe Coton and Saint-François
beaches, couples and quiet
The east coast of long sand and coves, with the Trou d'Argent trailhead and the island top hotels and guesthouses.
Mourouk and Port Sud-Est
kitesurfing and diving
The lagoon front at Anse Mourouk, with the kite schools, the dive centre and the southern islet boats on the doorstep.
Think twice about
- Grande Anse south coast as a swimming base
The sea there is rough and swimming is often inadvisable. See it from the road and swim on the east coast instead.
Best restaurants in Rodrigues
L'Atelier Gourmand
The island splurge dinner, French Creole cooking and local fish in the most polished dining room on Rodrigues.
Chez Solange et Robert
A frond walled barbecue shack famous for grilled fish of the day, if you phone ahead and accept the island pace.
Kafe Rose
The town beloved cafe for excellent coffee, cakes and what reviewers call the best bread on the island.
La Cambuse
A straightforward French leaning town restaurant, the useful mid band dinner of grilled fish and Creole standards.
Le Pandanus
A relaxed family seafood restaurant with sunset views, where travellers report a full meal for about five euros.
Lakaz Kreol
Home style Creole plates, curries and grilled fish at the cheapest restaurant band in town, with vegan options.
Manze Lakaz
A tiny eat at home spot known above all for its octopus curry with lemon chilli and chutneys.
Chez Viash
A small French, Chinese and Indian kitchen with the island highest restaurant rating on a small review base.
Outdoor things to do in Rodrigues
Etik Kitesurf School Rodrigues
Beginner lessons and guided downwinders in standing depth flat water, from a Rodriguan school teaching here since 2001.
Anse Mourouk
A vast, waist deep, reef protected flat water lagoon with steady trade winds, one of the great kitesurf spots on earth.
Bouba Diving
Small group diving on reefs so rarely visited that you are unlikely to share a site with another boat.
Sentier de randonnée Saint-François - Trou d'Argent - Anse Bouteille
The classic free coastal hike past a chain of empty coves, swimming where the tide allows on the way.
Mont Limon
The highest point on Rodrigues at 398 metres, reached by a five minute stepped path to a panorama over the whole lagoon.
Jardin des 5 Sens
A small five senses garden of fragrant, medicinal and fruit plants, guided by the family who planted it.
Tyrodrigues
A valley zipline and a two plank suspension bridge, the one engineered adrenaline day between lagoon days.
Le Marlin Bleu
Big game charter fishing beyond the reef for marlin, tuna and wahoo, with smaller marlin released.
Best hotels in Rodrigues
Constance Tekoma Rodrigues
The finest address on Rodrigues, villa style units in gardens above Pointe Coton beach, with a pool and spa.
Bakwa Lodge
A small, design led, all white lodge where the road ends above Mourouk, the most romantic base on the south coast.
Cotton Bay Resort & Spa
A full service resort on the best east coast beach, a step below Tekoma prices and the default family choice.
C Rodrigues Mourouk
The hotel on the kite spot, facing the Mourouk lagoon, lending boards to guests and built around the wind day.
Cocotiers Rodrigues Boutik Hotel
The practical town hotel on the seafront, a short walk from the market, the harbour and the bus station.
Auberge St Francois
A family auberge under 100 metres from Saint François beach, loved for its local produce breakfasts and dinners.
Chez Ronald Guest House
A simple, well rated local guesthouse in Saint François village, where the real product is the home Creole table.
Is Rodrigues expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MUR 2,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MUR 5,800 a person |
| Splurge | MUR 14,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- François Leguat Giant Tortoise and Cave Reserve: a few days ahead
- Île aux Cocos: weeks ahead
- Île aux Chats: a few days ahead
- Caverne Patate: a few days ahead
- Grande Montagne Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- Etik Kitesurf School Rodrigues: weeks ahead
- Bouba Diving: weeks ahead
- Jardin des 5 Sens: a few days ahead
- Book the Air Mauritius Rodrigues leg when you book the international flight, especially for June to September and December.
- Book Tekoma, Bakwa, hire cars, Ile aux Cocos boats, kite lessons and dive days well ahead in season.
- Leguat reserve tours and Grande Montagne walks run at set guided times, so check the session before driving out.
- Reconfirm small places by phone, because posted opening hours on Rodrigues are often aspirational.
Is Rodrigues safe?
- The sea is the real hazard: currents outside the reef, rough south coast water, and urchins and stonefish inside it.
- Wear reef shoes for lagoon walking, especially the low tide wade toward Ile aux Cocos.
- Health care is a small hospital and clinics, with serious cases evacuated to Mauritius, so take evacuation cover.
- In cyclone season follow official alerts, and expect flights and boats to stop when warnings are raised.
Rodrigues travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not plan a swim holiday on the rough south coast, and do not schedule Ile aux Cocos on your last day.
- Do not expect main island Mauritius here: no malls, no golf, no beach clubs and almost no nightlife.
- Buy honey and lemon products at Port Mathurin market rather than at main island airport prices.
- Caverne Patate is a good Leguat reserve add on, not a headline trip on its own.
Getting around Rodrigues: public transport and more
- Hire a car for the whole stay and collect it at Plaine Corail airport, because buses are infrequent and stop early.
- Without a car, base in Port Mathurin or Anse aux Anglais and use phone booked taxis.
- Drive on the left, expect livestock on rural roads, and fill up in Port Mathurin where fuel stations are.
- The airport is in the south west, roughly 30 to 45 minutes by road from Port Mathurin and the east coast.
Who Rodrigues suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Rodrigues your trip
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