SILVER HOLE

Only accessible on foot, Trou d'Argent is Rodrigues' most talked-about beach, ranked among the most beautiful in the Indian Ocean and systematically highlighted in tourist brochures. In truth, it's not a beach in its own right, with all the space and openness that implies, but rather a very large cove wedged between two silvery cliffs, whose deep, translucent waters offer marvellous bathing conditions. Although it's the one most often mentioned, it's not the only one of its kind, especially on this indented eastern coastline. If you choose to take the long coastal hike from Saint-François or, even further afield, from Port Sud-Est to Pointe Coton (a classic excursion undertaken by virtually all travellers), you'll discover just before and just after Trou d'Argent other, very similar coves, similarly embedded between silver-grey cliffs - such as anse Bouteille or anse Philibert (also known as Grande Anse). But Trou d'Argent has that je-ne-sais-quoi which makes it so much more charming than the others that it is a popular destination for walks and/or picnics for travellers and locals alike. This success does not detract from the fact that, at certain less busy times of the day or year, you can enjoy the site all to yourself - a blessed moment still possible in unspoilt destinations like Rodrigues. But until when?