COCONUT ISLAND

Cocos Island can be reached from Port Mathurin (4h round trip) or, more frequently, from Baie du Nord (2h). Written authorization from Discovery Rodrigues is required, which is why it's a good idea to use a local tour operator. Nearly all of them organize the excursion, including boat transfer and lunch. You can also hire a boatman, the most famous of whom is Jo Cool.

The islet, the largest of those surrounding Rodrigues, is protected and monitored for its biodiversity and endemic species. The number of daily visitors is limited to preserve this fragile ecosystem, which consists of a long strip of magnificent white sand that shimmers like a mirage against the turquoise immensity of the lagoon. Wow!

Covered with coconut palms, filaos and acacias, the islet is home to thousands of birds that give it its magic and identity. Birds can be seen swarming over the waves before you've even disembarked. But it's on foot that you can contemplate them at your leisure, first under the guidance of a guide who explains the history of the island and gives advice on how to behave, then freely. Some of the birds are quite shy, nesting just a metre away from the towels, while others take to the skies and swirl around in their hundreds as people pass by.

The islet is one of the last refuges for sooty terns(Onychoprion fuscatus), brown noddies(Anous stolidus), white schooners(Cygis alba) and marian noddies(Anous tenuirostris), very rare species that have almost disappeared from the skies over Rodrigues. Some of these are migratory, so it's best to visit during the warmer months. White-winged schooners and terns, for example, fly between Saint Brandon (where they are increasingly threatened by fishermen) and Île aux Cocos or Île aux Sables, just opposite. The latter is also a nature reserve populated by birds, but not open to the public.

Apart from visitors, the birds of Ile aux Cocos are the only companions of the two rangers who share surveillance of the reserve. The western part of the reserve is inaccessible to walkers and partially fenced off to ensure that the birds are not disturbed. The island also serves as a coconut tree nursery for the reforestation of Rodrigues. It's easy to see why this is such an exclusive excursion, not to mention that the site is absolutely breathtaking: translucent seabed, large sandbanks, intense turquoise lagoon. IMMANQUABLE!