Port Mathurin: Discover the Market, Culture and Rodrigues
Accommodation in Port Mathurin
Discover Port Mathurin through its distinctive places and rhythms: the market, especially busy on Saturdays; the Rodrigues Tourism Office, housed in a renovated Creole wooden house; and the cultural history presented there. At the same time, Port Mathurin is part of the Rodrigues destination, whose landscapes and traditions offer further themes to consider when planning your trip.
Market, Exhibitions and Getting Around Port Mathurin
In the centre of Port Mathurin, the Rodrigues Tourism Office is housed in a renovated old wooden house in the Creole style. The office has a permanent exhibition featuring important Rodrigues handicrafts and culinary specialities. Educational panels also illustrate the island’s history through several key stages.
The Rodrigues Tourism Office provides bus and tide timetables, as well as schedules for major events. If you are planning your stay, these different schedules can help you coordinate appointments and your daily itinerary. For specific plans, it is recommended that you check the relevant timetables and event dates in advance. The market is another point of reference for planning your schedule: it is busiest on Saturdays. If you want to make the market a focus of your visit, you can take this day of the week into account when planning your trip.
Named Places Nearby
Near Port Mathurin is Marie Queen of Rodrigues, a statue of the Virgin Mary on the heights of Pointe Canon. It is a Catholic gathering place as well as a tourist and historic site. Ben Gontran House is located on Barclay Street in Port Mathurin.
Rodrigues as the Wider Setting
Rodrigues is 18 kilometres long and 8 kilometres wide. Among the natural and landscape features of the wider destination is the François Leguat Reserve in the southwest of the island. It is set in a limestone landscape with nine caves and sinkholes. Guided tours pass through a valley with hundreds of giant tortoises, tropical birds and tens of thousands of native trees. The Grande Caverne has impressive limestone formations; the four galleries of the museum in the reserve give visitors an insight into the natural history of Rodrigues.
The views from Mont Limon are also part of the island’s landscape: from there, you can see Rodrigues’ geological relief, agricultural terraces and the ocean. At the regional level, Rodrigues has ten marine protected areas.
Culture and Nature to Help Plan Your Trip
Cultural highlights on Rodrigues include Sega Tambour, a traditional island dance that was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017.
When looking for a holiday rental in Port Mathurin, the market and cultural sites provide a local focus; the reserve, caves, marine protected areas and views from Mont Limon form part of Rodrigues’ wider natural and landscape setting.
For the wider travel overview: Port Mathurin.
