If you want to have a panoramic 360° view over the island, then you go to Mont Limon. This is the highest point of the island at 1,300 ft above sea level, and is situated at the heart of the island. It is easy to access because it is close to Port Mathurin. Sometimes the top of the mountain will be covered with fog and it may be chilly due to the altitude.
Due to the hilly landscape of Rodrigues, it literally takes less than 5 minutes to reach the summit. There’s no parking lot but you can leave your car on the other side of the road. The path is well-marked and easy to follow thanks to the orange and purple markings.
Green forest in Mont Limon
Beside magnificent views of the island, you also get to see the gorgeous geological relief, agricultural terraces, and the azure blue ocean.The temperature there is slightly elevated, and due to this, there is plenty of lush green vegetation.
Most people only visit the main viewpoint but once you get to the summit, take the path on your right and you’ll find other scenic lookout points.
Port Mathurin is the capital as well as the regional administrative centre of Rodrigues and it offers all the necessary facilities such as the banks, ATMs, travel agencies, well equipped library with free wifi access, the market, craft shops, casino, restaurants and supermarkets, along with other developments,which are not likely to be found in other parts of the island.
If you want to buy fruits and vegetables, it’s best to go early as almost everything will be gone by 10 a.m. The tourist/craft market, on the other hand, stays open until 1-2 p.m. This is the most visited part of the market where you can buy all sorts of local products including dried octopus and fish, pickles, chili sauce, tourtes (a Rodriguan pie filled with papaya, pineapple, and coconut), rattan baskets, handbags, etc.
Port Mathurin Market
There is also a magnificent mosque and a church that add to the highlights of the capital. Going further, you will find the local handicraft shops selling articles such as hats, baskets, jewellery boxes, that have been skillfully woven in raffia or in screw pine leaves.
There is a big parking lot behind the market and you will have no problem if you arrive there by cr,
Craft Aid, a small enterprise that employs handicapped people, has a workshop in the capital. The workshop makes a multitude of jewelleries from the shell of coconuts and the workers are also specialised in bee keeping. The Craft Aid had won an Excellence Award in 2000 during an international contest, along with the honey of Rodrigues which had acquired much fame.
The most popular night club is situated at Port Mathurin, just near the bus station. There are usually some theme nights such as for Halloween, Christmas, and new year where the DJs will make you dance till dawn.
Bazar Port Mathurin
Central Market in Port Mathurin The market plays an important role in the lives of people living in the city. The market becomes active from the early morning at 5 AM. Vendors from all over the island flock to the market by packed buses. The market is open daily. But on Saturdays, the ship from Mauritius brings vegetables, fruits and seafood. There will be more crowds on Saturdays. There will also be many local women selling artisanal products such as handicraft bags, accessories, hats, mat, including food stuffs such as the pickles, coffee, and salted seafood.
Pointe Canon is located in Port Mathurin and was used as a watch area during the British ruling. Nowadays, it serves as both a panoramic viewpoint and religious site. Pointe Canon has more than 300 inhabitants.
The place got its name from a cannon, placed on a promontory to monitor and protect the harbor. At the time, this “point” was appropriate, because erected on the heights of Port Mathurin, it was the ideal place to scan the horizons and thus detect the approach of enemy ships.
In the early 1950s, money was raised to buy a statue of the Virgin Mary from England to create a monument similar to Marie Reine de la Paix in Mauritius. The statue was then inaugurated in 1954. The statue, named Marie, Queen of Rodrigues, is 6 feet tall. Every August 15, the Rodriguans attend mass at the foot of the statue to commemorate the inauguration of the statue. It is not just a gathering site for the Catholics of the island, but is also a popular tourist site.
Marie Queen Of Rodrigues
From this viewpoint you will get a panoramic view of the whole capital including the market, bus terminal, the azure blue lagoon, harbor and neighboring villages. The place also offers a panoramic view of the bus station, rue François Leguât and the Winston Church Hill bridge. You can also witness disembarkation of the goods at the mooring of the MV Anna or the Mauritius Trochetia in port.
Pointe Canon also hosts the headquarters of the meteorological station. It is from this old observatory of the English era that the population receives the predictions of the weather.
The place is also a meeting place for French expatriates in Rodrigues to mark the French National Day.
There is a parking area next to the hairpin bend beside Pointe Canon Meteorological station.
Escale Vacances, Lacaze TiMay, Le Flamboyant Hotel , Hebergement Vue Sur Mer, Hebergement Fatehmamode and Chez Jenny,Villa Le Chapo are some of the accommodations near Pont Canon.
