La Vanille Nature Park, Mauritius Overview

La Vanille Nature Park, also known as La Vanille Crocodile Park, is a conservation park in Mauritius, located close to the Riviere des Anguilles village in the south. It is home to the largest captive herd of Aldabra tortoises in the world and the main attraction here is the crocodile farm. The nature park is also home to giant tortoises, iguanas, wild pigs, deer and many more. A free guided tour is available every 30 minutes.

The La Vanille Nature Park also has a crocodile feeding show along with giant Aldabra tortoise feeding and lemur feeding for the visitors. There are pony rides on the interactive farm for children for INR 75. One of the last locomotives to be used in Mauritius, the Ruston & Hornsby diesel engine is also on display here.

1. Reserve

Shaded by the lush green palm and giant bamboo trees, you can walk through the reserve to witness hundred of Nile crocodiles that are being raised in the park. You can also see the giant Aldabra torto (Read More)ises slowly roaming in open enclosures and the information panels would remind you that it is the largest herd of Aldabra tortoises in the entire world which makes a souvenir photo with these beautiful exotic creatures a must-do thing. Other animals that can be found are iguanas, lemurs, monkeys, deer, Japanese carp, mongooses and many more which constitute the euphoric fauna of the park.

2. Aquarium

The La Vanille Aquarium gives you a chance to discover some beautiful aquatic species residing in the freshwater. The beautiful sight of the iguanas sprawling on the banks of the pond, and the fishes (Read More)and turtles swimming together is just a peaceful experience.

3. Insectarium

After 30 years of dedication, passion and patience, Mr Jacques Siedlecki brought life to the unique collection of 26000 insect species and 30000 specimens from about 5 continents and this insectarium (Read More)is reputed as one of the largest in the world. With some luck, you can also meet Mr Jacques in the insectarium who will tell you stories related to his work and passion.

4. Fossil Museum

Named as “100 Million Years under the Sea” - the fossil museum in the park exhibits a collection of fossils from places like Madagascar, ammonites and skeletons of marine mammals such as w (Read More)hales.