ISLAND GUIDE
Île aux Cocos
Île aux Cocos is an uninhabited seabird reserve four kilometres west of Rodrigues. You cannot go on your own. It is visited by guided boat, access needs authorisation, and the southern tip of the island is fenced off entirely so the nesting colonies are left alone. Book it through an operator, who arranges the permission with the trip.
What the trip actually is
A boat crossing from Pointe du Diable, a few hours on a sandbank island in the western lagoon, and lunch — most operators include it. What you are going for is the birds: the island is a breeding site for brown noddy, lesser noddy, sooty tern, fairy tern and roseate tern, and they are there in numbers that are difficult to describe to somebody who has not stood underneath them. Migratory waders turn up too — ruddy turnstone, curlew sandpiper, crab-plover, whimbrel.
Boats go when the lagoon allows. If the weather moves your trip, that is normal — leave a spare day rather than putting it on your last morning.
The part people get wrong
The southern tip is marked off with wooden posts and closed to visitors. That is not a suggestion or a soft boundary — it is the condition the reserve is open on, and the whole reason the colony is still there to visit. Walk the part you are shown and stay out of the rest.
What we cannot tell you
Figures circulate for the island's size, the crossing time and the number of birds on it. We have not found any of them sourced well enough to repeat, so this page does not. Ask your operator when you book — they cross it every week and their answer is worth more than a number copied between websites.
Common questions
- Can you visit Île aux Cocos on your own?
- No. The island is a nature reserve and is not open to the public independently — visits are guided, by boat, and access requires authorisation from Discovery Rodrigues Co. Ltd. In practice that means booking through a local operator, who arranges the permission as part of the trip.
- Where is Île aux Cocos?
- Four kilometres west of Rodrigues, inside the lagoon. It is uninhabited. Excursions depart from Pointe du Diable by chartered boat.
- What birds are on Île aux Cocos?
- It is a breeding site for brown noddy, lesser noddy, sooty tern, fairy tern and roseate tern. Migratory waders recorded there include ruddy turnstone, curlew sandpiper, crab-plover and whimbrel. The nesting colonies are the reason the island is protected and the reason access is limited.
- Is all of the island open to visitors?
- No. The southern tip is marked off with wooden posts and closed, to keep people away from the nesting colony. Staying out of it is not a formality — it is the condition the reserve is visited on.
- How much does the Île aux Cocos excursion cost?
- Operators price it themselves and it usually includes the boat and lunch. The trip listed on Roulé Rodrigues is Rs 2,000 per person with Les Inséparables. Confirm what is included when you book, because that varies between operators.
- When should you go?
- Mornings, and book ahead rather than on the day. Boats go when the lagoon allows, so a trip can be moved for weather — leave a spare day if it matters to you.
Booking it
The excursion listed on Roulé Rodrigues runs with Les Inséparables. Operators arrange the authorisation as part of the trip, so booking with one is how the permission happens.
Sources
- Rodrigues Tourism Office — Île aux Cocos — authorisation, departure point.
- Wikipedia — Île aux Cocos — breeding species, closed southern tip, position.
Prices and access rules change. If you find something here out of date, tell us — bookings@roulerodrig.com.