This adventure race, with teams from no fewer than 26 countries, was guaranteed to place Rodrigues firmly on the tourist map. For a week, competitors biked, trail ran, zip-lined and trekked into the forested peaks or valleys; coasteered, snorkelled and swam the ocean reefs, and propelled themselves non-stop under human-power along a gruelling 320km route. Best thing is, though, you don’t have to be an endurance athlete to immerse yourself in the multitude of outdoor and leisure activities on Rodrigues. Situated on the extreme eastern tip of the Mascarene island group, this autonomous territory of Mauritius is isolated 560km east from the rest of the island republic. The island is a mere 18km long and 8km at its widest point. At well over 15 million years, it’s substantially older than most of the surrounding Indian Ocean island groups, with layered conglomerate sediment topping an underlying volcanic basalt rock layer. This makes for a pleasing rounded topography, often bisected by precipitous gorges but still easy enough to be explored. And take it from me: this compact paradise begs to be explored.
SOURCE: GETAWAY