Rodrigues: a blissfully unspoilt Indian Ocean island
The remote and peaceful Rodrigues island belongs to Mauritius

It is one of the most remote islands in the Indian Ocean, lying 600km east of its nearest neighbour, Mauritius. And, though it has been inhabited for the past three centuries, Rodrigues remains a "blissfully peaceful" place, says Nigel Tisdall in the FT.
Named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, who visited in 1528, it was permanently settled by the French, after a few aborted attempts, in 1735. Many of its present inhabitants are descended from the enslaved people they brought from Africa. The British took over in 1809, and today, Rodrigues is an autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius. It's home to some 44,000 people, but has "barely any" traffic, has never been blighted by heavy industry, and receives fewer than 20,000 tourists a year.
The island is only 16km across at its widest, and from its highest point – Mont Limon, at 325m – you can see all its hilly farmland, and the "mesmerising" turquoise lagoon that surrounds it. Hire an e-bike to explore (Rodrigues is so safe, no one bothers with locks). At the Grande Montagne Nature Reserve, there's a skeleton of the solitaire, a flightless bird unique to the island, which – like the dodo of Mauritius – was hunted to extinction. Also wiped out by humans were the island's endemic giant tortoises, once so numerous that a visitor wrote you could walk on their backs "for a hundred paces without touching the ground". You can see 4,000 Aldabra giant tortoises – their nearest relatives – at the François Leguat Reserve. And it's worth taking a boat out to Île aux Cocos, an uninhabited island where seabirds gather in their thousands.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the capital, Port Mathurin, you can discover Rodrigues's traditional music and dance, known as sega tabour. There's a lively market selling local treats, such as pickled sour lemon, and homemade papaya tart. And elsewhere there are some pleasant beach resorts. Two of them were recently taken over by the hospitality giant Constance Hotels – a sign, perhaps, that "change is coming" to Rodrigues – but hopefully not too fast.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?
The Explainer Human extinction would potentially give rise to new species and climates
-
The best TV shows based on movies
The Week Recommends A handful of shows avoid derivative storytelling and craft bold narrative expansions
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflict
Speed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Too Much: London-set romantic comedy from Lena Dunham
The Week Recommends Megan Stalter stars as a 'neurotic' New Yorker who falls in love with a Brit
-
Apocalypse in the Tropics: a 'troubling' portrait of modern Brazil
The Week Recommends Petra Costa's sobering documentary examines the rise of right-wing evangelical Christianity in Brazilian politics
-
Murderland: a 'hauntingly compulsive' book
The Week Recommends Caroline Fraser sets out a 'compelling theory' that toxins were to blame for the 1970s serial killer epidemic
-
The 2025 James Beard Award winners
Feature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
Film reviews: Superman and Sorry, Baby
Feature A hero returns, in surprising earnest, and a woman navigates life after a tragedy
-
Music reviews: Lorde, Barbra Streisand, and Karol G
Feature "Virgin," "The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two," and "Tropicoqueta"
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventure
Feature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'
Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups