Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues
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The price includes scheduled return flights London/Mauritius, internal flights as detailed above, ground and boat transportation as described, accommodation, all meals, local taxes, incidental tips, and the services of the leader.
The price excludes holiday insurance, the services of the leader on the extension, optional tips to local guides, drinks and other items of a personal nature. Leaders: David Simpson with local guides |
The Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues are also known as the Mascarene Islands - and are the original source of mascara. So we think you'll be well 'made up' if you join us there on our new tour! |
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The Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean have been, like Madagascar, biologically isolated for many millions of years, and have developed their own unique array of wildlife, much of it found nowhere else in the world.
The most famous Mascarene creature, the Dodo of Mauritius (a flightless pigeon), sadly became extinct shortly after the arrival of man. Since then, many other less well known animals and plants have also become extinct under the advancing tide of civilisation, and the western taste for cane sugar. However, in recent years, the wildlife has been fighting back, helped to a large extent by conservationists led by Gerald Durrell. His foundation still has a hand in administering many of the wildlife reserves, and in the sometimes intensive rescue of certain species: the Mauritius Kestrel was down to four pairs at its lowest ebb, but there are now 900 pairs and rising. During the tour we will visit a selection of the best reserves and other wildlife-rich places, and witness some impressive schemes of conservation in action. As well as their extraordinary wildlife, the islands are beautiful and scenically dramatic, their forms shaped by long-extinct oceanic volcanoes. Our leader, David Simpson, worked as Island warden for the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation on Ile aux Aigrettes in 2002. This is his second wildlife tour visit. Itinerary Day 1 We take an evening flight from London via Paris, arriving early the next day. Day 2 We arrive in Mauritius at midday and travel to our hotel through a landscape of sugar cane fields with a backdrop of low mountains. The people of Mauritius are largely of Indian origin and we'll pass through villages with a feel like those of India, with little temples and many small shops. After we've checked in, there will be time in the afternoon to rest from the flight, and to get our first views of the bird life of Mauritius in the hotel grounds. Birds around the settlements include many exotics such as Village Weaver, Mynah, Madagascar Fody, Barred Ground Dove and Red-whiskered Bulbul as well as occasional native species such as Mascarene Martin. Overnight Mauritius Day 3 Our first excursion will be a short trip of ten minutes in a small pleasure boat across the shallow lagoon to Ile aux Aigrettes, a beautiful small coral island nature reserve managed by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Here we will see the restoration of lowland tropical forest and associated endemic species such as Pink Pigeon (made famous in Gerald Durrell's book 'Pink Pigeons and Golden Bats'), Mauritian Olive White-eye and Mauritian Fody, plus the giant Telfair's Skink and the huge Aldabran Tortoise, which has been introduced to provide the grazing management. This island was possibly the last resting place of the Dodo, and indeed the remaining small area of mature native Ebony forest has a magical atmosphere, and may be something like the island was in prehistoric times. After lunch we drive up to the spectacular Black River Gorges National Park and the Visitor Centre. This is an area of eroded volcanic hills with steep gorges and dramatic peaks. The best surviving remnants of the native forest lie on the higher ground within the Park, together with most of the Mauritian endemic birds. Near the centre we'll look for the highly endangered Mauritian Kestrel, down to only four known wild birds in 1974. As a result of a very successful captive breeding and re-introduction scheme the population in the wild is up around 900 wild birds. We will drive to several other sites around the Park area on forest tracks and roads to look for other endemic birds such as Mauritian Cuckoo-shrike, Mauritius Bulbul and Grey White-eye, and to experience the last vestiges of upland forest in Mauritius. Overnight Mauritius Day 4 In the morning we travel northwards to the Terre Rouge Estuary Reserve north of the capital Port Louis. Here we will visit the visitor centre and watch the water birds on one of the few good estuaries for birding in the Mascarenes. Familiar northern hemisphere terns and waders mix with more exotic species such as Crab Plover and Lesser Crested Terns, making for interesting viewing. In the afternoon we take a pleasure boat trip around the Northern Islets. We will pass Round Island, which was declared a nature reserve in 1957 and brought to the attention of conservationists and the general public in the 1970s by Gerald Durrell and Jersey Zoo. The island is covered with palm trees and has endemic geckos and nesting seabirds, including Trinidade (Round Island), Bulwer's and Black-winged Petrels, as well as Red-tailed and White-tailed Tropicbirds and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Perhaps surprisingly, it is possible to see the Round Island Petrel on the wing or at its nest sites in the daytime. We continue past other islets and hope to land on one or two, such as Flat or Gabriel Islands, which we will find makes an interesting contrast to Ile aux Aigrettes. These now also have conservation programmes underway including habitat restoration and rare species re-introductions. Overnight Mauritius Day 5 Ferney is an old hunting estate which is now a nature conservation showpiece. This area contains one of the last remnants of lowland dry forest in Mauritius, and conservation work is being undertaken to restore a whole landscape here. This is another place where we might see the Mauritian Kestrel - saved from extinction by Dr Carl Jones and his team in the 1970s. White-tailed Tropicbirds also nest in the forest here. We will travel a little further up the coast after lunch and visit Bras d'Eau and a coastal forest which still supports the endemic Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher. Overnight Mauritius Day 6 Today we make the first of our island transfers and fly to pretty petite Rodrigues, where the islanders are arguably some of the friendliest people in the world! This is a Creole island where, in contrast to Mauritius, most people are of African descent. It is a very small island with a patchwork of little fields and cattle grazing areas. After checking-in to our hotel we will have time to relax and explore a little. In the evening we plan to drive up to the Rodrigues Fruit Bat roost near Mont Lubin and hope to watch them flying out to feed. This is another species that was perilously close to extinction in the 1970s but which is now increasing. Overnight Rodrigues Day 7 This morning we drive west to take the small boat to Les Iles Cocos, an important seabird reserve. The route takes us past several beaches and mangrove areas, and we will keep an eye out for waders. Approaching the low sandy island we will start to see more and more birds. Common and Lesser Noddy are most numerous but there are usually some beautiful, dainty Fairy or White Terns that may be guarding their precariously placed eggs or young amongst the trees - as well as Common Terns (if we need to be reminded of home...unlikely we think!). Wedge-tailed Shearwaters nest here and we hope to see their nesting burrows - unfortunately the birds are most active at night. We will have a barbeque and salad lunch on this away-from-it-all little paradise island. Overnight Rodrigues Day 8 During the morning we will visit the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's Solitude Research Station. Here they are masterminding the restoration of indigenous woodland across the island and we will see the impressive nurseries with many endemic plants. The woodland at Solitude is also one of the best sites to find the endemic Rodrigues Warbler and Rodrigues Fody. We will go on to visit a woodland restoration area at Grande Montagne - also a good spot for the warbler. Nearby is a small breeding colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds. After lunch we head west to the newly created Leguat Tortoise and Caves Reserve. Leguat was a famous 17/18th century French naturalist who recorded the island's wildlife. He also reported on the massacre of the endemic giant tortoise - rounded up and put on European boats for food and ballast and which rapidly became extinct. The reserve is a tribute to him and uses Seychelles Aldabran Giant Tortoises and Madagascan Radiated Tortoises to recreate an ancient landscape in a large enclosed valley and cave system. Overnight Rodrigues Day 9 Today we fly to Réunion Island via Mauritius. Réunion is a French département with a very different atmosphere to the other two islands. The central mountains, which include an active volcano, attain 10,000 feet in height with virgin forests though much of the lowlands are sugar cane fields as in Mauritius. From the airport it is a short drive to our hotel accommodation in St Pierre. The rest of the day will be to relax. In the evening we may do a little sea-watching as there are two endemic petrels on Réunion. These are the common grey Barau's Petrel and the much rarer dark Réunion Petrel. Both only nest on the mountains inland but can often be seen offshore late in the day and flying high inland in the evening to their nesting colonies. Overnight Réunion Day 10 We will drive up onto the plateau this morning and explore the fascinating and unspoilt Bebour and Belouve Forests. As we go we will look out for the endemic Réunion Harrier (which resembles a Marsh Harrier). We will walk slowly on various trails and tracks searching for the endemic birds including the Stonechat, and Grey and Olive White-eyes. With luck we may find some epiphytic tree-dwelling orchids in flower. After lunch we will continue by minibus through the forest and take a short walk through the Tamarin forest to the magnificent view across the Cirque de Salazie. The high ground here has a fascinating endemic flora, including screw-pines, tree ferns, palms and heathers. Overnight Réunion Day 11 In the morning we travel east along the coastal road to Mare Longue, one of the last vestiges of lowland forest in Réunion. Here we will find impressive specimens of indigenous trees and perhaps the Mascarene Flycatcher (the Réunion form is probably a sub-species). After lunch we continue eastwards and stop to explore the coastal lava fields - some are from very recent eruptions and show nicely the natural regeneration of vegetation and development of forest. This is another site to watch out for the Réunion Harrier. On our way back to the hotel we will stop at Manapany-le-Bains, a popular little beach resort - but not to join the sun and sand brigade: this is one of the only locations in the world to find the endemic Ornate Day Gecko - in garden trees just behind the beach! Overnight Réunion Day 12 On this final day on Rodrigues we head back up to the mountains at Cilaos. Here there is a magnificent rounded valley or cirque. We will walk and make stops around La Roche Merveilleuse. In this unspoilt forest we will see just how tame the endemic birds really are - the two White-eyes, Stonechat, Flycatcher and Bulbul - as they flit around us. Perhaps this is something like how it was for the first explorers who landed here in the 17th century, although many species are now sadly extinct. With luck we may see the large dark Réunion Swallowtail butterfly. In the afternoon we drive westward towards the coast near St Leu to visit the Conservatoire Botanique de la Réunion. We will be able to see some of the endemic plant species and habitats in some detail and discover how the French Government is conserving them. Overnight Réunion Day 13 Sadly on the last day of the holiday we must check-out of our Réunion hotel and transfer to Mauritius for the return flight to the UK via Paris, arriving on Day 14. Special Note While we shall do our utmost to keep to the above itinerary, local weather conditions may make it impossible to land on some of the islands. Accommodation will be in good hotels with all rooms en suite. Leaders: David Simpson with local guides Numbers: Max. 14 clients |
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