Île aux Aigrettes is the most ambitious conservation project in the Indian Ocean — a 87-hectare coral island 800 metres off the south-east coast that the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) has spent 30 years painstakingly restoring to the ecological state it was in before humans arrived.

The island was first settled in the 17th century and was subsequently used for guano extraction, military purposes, and limestone quarrying — all of which stripped it of most of its original vegetation and wildlife. The MWF began work in the 1980s, removing invasive species, replanting endemic Mauritian dry coastal forest (a near-extinct habitat type), and reintroducing animals that filled ecological roles left vacant when their predecessors were hunted to extinction.

The most striking residents are the Aldabra giant tortoises — the largest land animals in the Indian Ocean — which the MWF introduced as proxies for the extinct Mauritius giant tortoise. They wander the forest paths freely and are so habituated to humans that they'll eat out of your hand if you offer them a piece of fruit on a guided tour. Their role in the ecosystem — seed dispersal, vegetation management — is visible in how the forest structure has changed since their introduction.

Pink pigeons, echo parakeets, and Mauritius fody all breed on the island, and the guided tour is exceptional for seeing them at close range. The snorkelling from the beach is superb — the coral reef surrounding the island is in better health than most of the mainland coast. The boat trip from Mahébourg takes 10 minutes. The tour lasts 2–2.5 hours and is genuinely one of the most moving experiences in Mauritius: a rare example of a landscape being genuinely healed.