Grande Montagne: Nature Reserve and Cultural Heritage

A clear anchor for planning your trip to Grande Montagne is the Grande Montagne Nature Reserve. The visitor centre and access to the reserve are in the village of Grande Montagne. In 1983, the area was legally declared a nature reserve; it is one of only two nature reserves on the main island of Rodrigues. The reserve preserves one of the last remaining remnants of native forest. About 40 endemic and native plant species are found there.

This figure combines endemic and native species. Grande Montagne thus brings together a history of legal protection with a specific natural feature: the remaining native forest and the plants found there.

Ecotour and views of the east coast

A Mauritius Wildlife Foundation article dated 6 December 2023 describes an ecotour where visitors can see Aldabra giant tortoises. The same article describes a guide leading visitors to the reserve’s main viewpoint, from which they can look out over the east coast.

Two perspectives help frame the tour: observing the giant tortoises and looking out over the east coast from a viewpoint. The tour described therefore features both wildlife and landscape.

Exhibitions at the Dominique Farla Information Centre

The Dominique Farla Information Centre focuses on the extinct and surviving wildlife of Rodrigues. Exhibits include the most complete Solitaire skeleton on Rodrigues—the Solitaire was an extinct relative of the dodo—as well as an extinct endemic giant tortoise. There are also paintings of the extinct fauna of Rodrigues and detailed portraits of the surviving endemic birds and rare plants.

The exhibition thus brings together two perspectives: the memory of extinct animal species and portraits of birds and plants. It complements the view of the reserve with a museum perspective on the natural history of Rodrigues.

Rodrigues in a broader context

For context within the wider destination: Rodrigues is 18 kilometres long and 8 kilometres wide. In the southwest of Rodrigues, the François Leguat Reserve lies in a limestone landscape with nine caves and sinkholes. The Grande Caverne there features impressive limestone formations.

Guided tours pass through a valley with hundreds of giant tortoises, tropical birds and tens of thousands of native trees. Four galleries in the reserve’s museum give visitors an insight into the natural history of Rodrigues. The focus differs: Grande Montagne centres on native forest and the Dominique Farla Information Centre, while the François Leguat Reserve features its limestone landscape, caves and valley.

Rodrigues’ cultural heritage also includes its own traditions: Sega Tambour is a traditional dance of the island and was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017. Mont Limon offers views of Rodrigues’ geological relief, agricultural terraces and the ocean. These examples add further regional cultural and landscape perspectives to Grande Montagne’s nature and exhibition themes.

Discover more destinations

Saint Gabriel, Terre Rouge, La Ferme, Petit Gabriel, Port Sud-Est

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