Adventure Packages at La Vanille Nature Park
Crocodile Adventure
Starting with an encounter with Octar the Iguana, you will move onto enjoying a show of the big crocodiles in their enclosure. The Nile crocodile is also the largest freshwater predator in Africa, and may be considered the second-largest existing crocodilian in the world, after the saltwater Crocodile. These crocodiles can reach up to 7 metres in length and take down everything from hippos to humans. Seeing them in front of your very eyes can feel quite surreal. The accompanying caretaker will share fun facts and their personal experiences with the fierce little creatures, and the baby crocodile feeding activity will follow. The young crocodiles are split into different age groups, so you can really get a sense of how quickly they grow.
A highlight of this package and an activity not to be missed is the Crocodile Feeding Show. You will be able to witness these fierce beasts, leap and snap at the food being lowered into their enclosure. The package continues with a free visit to La Vanille Nature Park, where you can come across crocodiles, caimans, alligators, iguana, geckos, monkeys, lemurs and bats, among other species. After that, you can walk around the 3 museums and the petting farm, where interesting discoveries await.
About the Lemurs
Found in only one area on Earth- in Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands, lemurs are considered as one of the world’s most endangered groups of mammals. At La Vanille Nature Park, you will be able to encounter ring-tailed lemurs. Lemurs are very social creatures and live in groups called troops. They can be observed sunbathing during the early morning hours, sitting upright on the ground, arms held out from the sides and resting on their knees, much like a human in a yoga meditation position.
About Nile Crocodiles
This is the largest species of crocodile found in Africa and Madagascar. It can reportedly grow to 7 m, but the average length for males is around 5.2 m, with females reaching around 3.5 m. They can grow up to 80 cm in their first year, but the rate then slows down. The average lifespan is between 60 to 100 years. Large crocodiles eat approximately 120 kg of food per year and may weigh more than 500 kg. The majority of an adult crocodile’s diet comes from fish, although they will also eat large mammals such as zebra, antelope and giraffe and any other unfortunate creature found near the water’s edge, including the occasional human and also other crocodiles. They are strong swimmers and can stay underwater for up to half an hour. The crocodiles in the reserve come from the population originally imported from Madagascar in 1985. Today La Vanille houses around 1500 individuals in various stages of growth.
About La Vanille Nature Park
Set in a tropical forest, in the midst of exotic fauna and flora, the park comprises a large number of crocodiles grouped according to age and species in secured enclosures. La Vanille Nature Park also showcases a diverse range of animal species, including giant tortoises in an open enclosure amongst others. You can also learn more about various insects and colourful butterflies at the park’s Insectarium that hosts one of the largest collections of insects in the world; a 30-year-old collection by Jacques
Siedlecki of over 20,000 species of insects and butterflies originating from all five continents. Fun-loving children are welcome to indulge themselves in the specially designed play area that includes various entertaining activities and a mini petting farm. At the Fossil Museum: “100 million Years Under the Sea”, you’ll explore an exhibition of international standard that holds hundreds of fossils from Madagascar as well as a mural of what living ammonites would have looked like in their natural environment at the time of the dinosaur.
Ammonites are the most well-known and most popular of fossils. In addition, the museum includes a section on marine mammals of Mauritius – including an impressive display in whale skeletons.
What to bring/wear
Suitable footwear, Suitable clothes, Camera, Mosquito repellent cream
Comments & Notes
Children MUST be accompanied by an adult
The Baby Crocodile Feeding Activity includes 3 pieces of chicken per participant
Only adults can participate in the Crocodile Feeding Show
Participants must arrive at 10:00 or 11:00 latest for the ‘Crocodile Adventure’.
For the Lemur activity, no payment in advance is possible since the feeding Lemurs activity takes only 3 – 4 persons at a time until further notice. In addition, the lemurs’ activity can sometimes be cancelled at the last minute due to them being stressed, aggressive or simply unsettled.
Operating Days: Monday-Sunday
Operating Hours: 09:00 – 17:00
Activity time:
Lemur Feeding – Flexible
Meet Octar the Iguana – 10:30 or 14:30
Baby Crocodile Feeding Activity – 11:00, 13:00, 15:00
Crocodile Feeding Show – 11:30