Île aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve

Île aux Aigrettes is a small coral island about 1 kilometre offshore from Mahébourg, accessible by a 15-minute boat transfer from the waterfront. The island is being actively restored to its pre-human state by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, making it one of the most ambitious ecological restoration projects in the Indian Ocean.

Visits are guided and timed — you walk with a ranger through the restored forest, seeing giant tortoises, endemic Mauritian wildlife, and rare plants. The Pink Pigeon, brought back from the brink of extinction in the 1990s, nests here. Dodo bones and models explain the world that was lost. Book in advance through the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation website; tours depart from the Mahébourg waterfront.

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Île aux Aigrettes is a raised coral island that was stripped of most of its original vegetation by settlers over several centuries. Since 1987, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has been removing invasive species and replanting native vegetation — essentially rewinding the ecological clock. Giant Aldabra tortoises introduced as ecological replacements for the extinct Mauritian giant tortoises now roam freely. The project aims to recreate what Mauritius looked like before humans arrived.