Visit Thousands Of Nile Crocodiles At La Vanille Reserve Des Mascareignes

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Travel to the richly exotic Rivière des Anguille, a densely forested valley just south of Mauritius and visit the La Vanille Crocodile Park and the La Vanille Nature Reserve, also known as the La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes. The La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes is a beautiful and secluded park that specialises in the breeding of Nile Crocodiles which were all initially imported from Madagascar in 1984. Established by an Australian Zoologist and his wife together with a native Mauritian Microbiologist the La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes is home to about 1000 Nile Crocodiles. The majestic Nile Crocodiles are popularly known as ‘social’ crocodiles as a number of different breeders can live in the same enclosed space.

Every year in October and November each female will lay up to 40 eggs. These eggs are then incubated for 80 days until they hatch. Remarkably, the sex of the hatchlings is entirely dependent on the temperature of egg incubation, females produced at lower temperatures and males at higher temperatures. The new born Nile Crocodiles are then kept indoors for their first year after which they are then moved to the outside growing pens.

As while as being a home to this vast number of Nile Crocodiles, the La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes is also the home to many Mauritian fauna, as well other Mauritian mammals and reptiles including turtles, skinks, tortoises, deer, bats, monkeys, mongooses and many others. This home for an expansive range of mammals and reptiles is all set in a rain forested thriving valley strewn with natural springs and streams. The springs contained within the park contain a host of freshwater prawns and fish. End off your journey to the amazing La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes by visiting the restaurant and souvenir shop for some locally manufactured crocodile products.