L'Union Estate

L'Union Estate covers the southwestern corner of La Digue and is the only way through to Anse Source d'Argent, which is why almost everyone on the island passes through its gate. Within it are a copra mill still worked by an ox turning a stone wheel, a vanilla plantation, a colonial plantation house, a pen of giant tortoises and an old cemetery. The granite outcrop called Union Rock stands over the whole thing.

History

The estate was set up in the 18th century as a 300-hectare plantation of coconuts for copra and oil, vanilla and other crops, and its Plantation House, known locally as Grann Kaz, is an example of French colonial building. By the end of the 2010s it had been preserved as a national monument, and in 2017 the government offered 49% of it to residents of La Digue (Wikipedia, L'Union Estate).

The main sights

• The copra mill - the ox-driven stone wheel still crushing coconut.
• The vanilla plantation - the vines grown across part of the estate.
• The plantation house - the colonial building at the centre of the grounds.
• Union Rock - the granite outcrop standing above the estate.

When to go

Year round on daytime hours. Mornings are cooler and less crowded. The gate closes in the late afternoon.

Practical notes

The entry fee is effectively a charge for reaching the beach beyond. Demonstrations at the copra mill are brief and staged. The estate gets very crowded from mid-morning.

Nearby

Anse Source d'Argent is beyond the estate, and La Passe is north.

Key facts