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La Vanille Crocodile Nature Park

In the south of Mauritius, La Vanille Nature Park lies on 3.5 hectares of luxuriant vegetation where you can find geckos, macaques, deer, mongooses.

La Vanille is the largest Giant Aldabra tortoises’ center of reproduction in the world with more than 700 tortoises of all ages roaming in liberty: an unforgettable experience among those colonies of tortoises.

We owe to the founder of La Vanille the initiative of re-creating a sanctuary of giant tortoises of Seychelles on Rodrigues Island.

You can also discover in complete security more than 1500 Nile crocodiles: a picture with a 6 months old baby crocodile is a must!

The Insectarium is one of the largest collections of insects in the world with more than 23,000 species.

The Ammonites museum is the latest addition but not the least as it is a world class exhibit featuring hundreds of ammonite fossils from Madagascar – the result of years of collecting by Owen Griffiths. The exhibit and associated artwork shows their diversity; biology and how they are collected and processed in Madagascar. Ammonites are one of the most popular and easily recognized of all fossils.

The Restaurant “The Hungry Crocodile” offers its speciality which is crocodile meat cooked in various ways including the Mauritius way.

The souvenir shop cannot be missed. There, you will find fine goods made of crocodile skins as well as handcrafted products: it is a souvenir that will prove precious and unforgettable for everyone.

Saint Aubin House

Visit to the Saint Aubin House – discover the story of the Mauritian tea. The Saint Aubin house was built in 1819. It has been home to several managers of the sugar estate, before being renovated in the 90's in order to preserve a part of the Mauritian heritage. Today one may still see the beams and ship poles used in its original construction.

Visiting the Saint Aubin house is the third stop in taking the Mauritian Tea Route (the first stop is the Domaine des Aubineaux and the second stop is Bois Cheri). The estate produces sugar cane which is then processed to make sugar as well as delicious rum. The manufacture of which you may see during your visit to the distillery. You will also discover the interesting transformation process of the vanilla orchid from the flower to the aromatic pod. Your visit to Saint Aubin includes A guide to lead you around Visit of the “Rum” House and Tasting Guided tour of the Sugar Factory and Le Moulin du Domaine de Saint Aubin Visit of the Vanilla House Visit of the Anthurium (flowers) greenhouses Visit of the tropical garden and spice garden The visit to Saint Aubin takes 1-2 hours. We highly recommend that you will end your tour with a special 5 course typical Mauritian lunch at the highly recommended restaurant of “Le Saint Aubin”.

Gris Gris

About Gris Gris and the Viewpoint The appeal of Gris Gris lies in it scenery, the high cliffs here drop abruptly to the sea and the refreshing winds of the Indian Ocean blow all year round.

Far away from the idyllic setting of calm seas and the tranquil scenery, is the Gris Gris beach, at the southernmost point of Mauritius. It is a few kilometers southeast of the village of Souillac- a historical village that dates back to the French colonial period.

Gris-Gris is well known for its sea cliffs and offers visitors a magnificent view from the top- this is definitely a sight worth seeing. Coral reefs do not surround this part of the island, which allows large waves to crash directly on the cliffs, creating big splashes of water.

At the southern end of Gris-Gris, you will have a great viewpoint on the cliffs and will see the crashing of waves against the flanks. There is a small garden offering many quiet spots for you to relax on one of the many benches, while having a view of the sea, waves and rock cliffs. From the garden, a path leads to a small beach where you can admire the view of the sea up close. Despite the white sandy beach, the waves and currents are extremely strong, so it is not advised to swim, but rather to have a stroll, admiring the view.

Further down the road from the Gris Gris Viewpoint is the ‘Roche qui Pleure’ (Weeping Rock). This is also another fantastic viewpoint where if you look at the rock from the right angle, it will appear as a face with tears constantly streaming down, as the waves continually crash.