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A shaded valley of giant bamboo and tropical forest at Rivière des Anguilles, home to the largest captive-bred herd of Aldabra giant tortoises in the world — and the island’s crocodile reserve.
La Vanille was founded in 1985 by the naturalist Owen Griffiths, who began with crocodiles brought from Madagascar and built it out over four decades into a 3.5-hectare reserve in a river valley in the south. The setting is the first surprise: paths wind between giant bamboo, ferns and banana trees along a stream, and the temperature drops noticeably as you go in. The name comes from the vanilla vines that once grew in the valley.
The draw is the tortoise enclosure, where you walk in among more than a thousand Aldabra giants rather than watching them over a fence — the largest captive-bred population anywhere. Leaves can be bought at the park to feed them. Alongside are around two thousand Nile crocodiles, with a feeding demonstration that runs late morning, plus monkeys, iguanas, deer, wild boar, bats and eels. Indoors there is an insectarium holding more than 23,000 specimens, an aquarium and a fossil and dodo museum, and outside a petting farm, playground and pony rides for children. Guided tours run regularly through the day and are included. Worth knowing before you go: part of the crocodile operation is a commercial farm, and the on-site restaurant serves crocodile alongside Mauritian dishes.
Open daily, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Last entry around 4:30 PM
Closed 25 December and 1 January
Insect repellent, water and closed shoes — the valley is humid and shaded. Small change is handy for tortoise-feeding leaves and the supplementary encounters.
Paths are mostly level but can be damp underfoot, and the site is a river valley rather than flat ground. Guided tours run frequently and are included in admission; extras such as feeding the baby crocodiles, meeting the lemurs and pony rides are charged separately. The approach road is narrow in places.
Fifteen minutes towards the coast: water dropping over square basalt columns into a pool you can swim in.
Up the Route du Thé behind the village: the island’s oldest tea estate, with a factory tour and a hilltop tasting.
A few minutes away: a working colonial estate with vanilla and anthurium houses, an artisanal distillery and lunch in the plantation house.
La Vanille Nature Park,
Senneville, Rivière des Anguilles,
Savanne District, Mauritius
Around 1 hour from Port Louis
Approximately 35–40 minutes from the airport
Around 15 minutes from Souillac
Turn off at Rivière des Anguilles towards Senneville and follow the signs to the park entrance, where there is parking. The last stretch is narrow, so take it slowly.
A 3.5-hectare wildlife reserve in a forested river valley at Rivière des Anguilles, founded in 1985. It holds the largest captive-bred population of Aldabra giant tortoises in the world, alongside around two thousand Nile crocodiles.
Yes — that is the highlight. Visitors enter the enclosure and walk among the giants rather than viewing them from outside. Leaves for feeding them can be bought at the park.
Daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with last entry around 4:30 PM. The park closes on 25 December and 1 January. The crocodile feeding demonstration runs late morning — check the day’s timing at reception.
An insectarium with more than 23,000 specimens, an aquarium, a fossil and dodo museum, a petting farm, a playground and pony rides. Guided tours run through the day and are included in admission.
Two to three hours covers the reserve comfortably, including the tortoise enclosure, the crocodile feeding and the indoor collections. It pairs easily with Rochester Falls or St Aubin on a southern loop.