Francois Leguat Reserve

The reserve at Anse Quitor is named after Francois Leguat, the French Huguenot who spent two years on Rodrigues from 1691 and left the earliest description of the island and its animals, including the solitaire and the giant tortoises that once covered it in enormous numbers before being taken for ship provisions and driven extinct. The project has replanted a limestone valley with native species and stocked it with Aldabra and radiated tortoises, several hundred of them now roaming the enclosure, as ecological substitutes for the lost Rodrigues species. A cave system runs beneath, visited with a guide, and a museum covers Leguat, the extinct fauna and the restoration. Fruit bats, endemic to Rodrigues, roost nearby.

Highlights

• The tortoise valley - hundreds of giant tortoises in restored vegetation.
• The cave - the limestone passage visited on the guided route.
• The museum - Leguat, the solitaire and the extinction story.
• Native replanting - the restored valley vegetation.

When to go

Year round; the site works in any season. Mornings are cooler for the outdoor part. Tours run at set times and take around two hours including the cave.

Practical notes

The tortoises are introduced substitute species, not the extinct Rodrigues animals. Visits are guided on a fixed route and schedule. The cave section involves uneven ground. The site is commercial and entry is charged for each element.

Nearby

Caverne Patate lies close by; Port Mathurin is northeast.