La Ferme: Market, Crafts and Local Cuisine

The best way to get to know La Ferme is through its market. Located near the village centre, it brings together food, handicrafts and opportunities to meet the vendors. Baskets, hats, mats and bags made from palm leaves or straw give the market a distinctly artisanal feel. If you are travelling with children, you can look at the materials and shapes together; conversations with vendors and sampling local specialities offer other ways to explore the market.

Market Offerings and Opening Hours

The market offers mangoes, papayas, pineapples, bananas and passion fruit, as well as fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage and chillies. Fresh octopus, squid, tuna, swordfish and rock lobster are also available to buy. If you are looking for a particular item, check what is currently available before you visit. The market is listed as being open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Check this schedule before your visit, too.

Local Cuisine and Local History

One of the typical dishes you can try in La Ferme is octopus curry. This means you will encounter octopus both as a market product and in a dish associated with the local cuisine. The market is therefore more than a place to shop: it brings together a range of local foods and culinary experiences.

La Ferme also has a historical connection. At Stade de La Ferme, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass on 16 October 1989 during his visit to Rodrigues. This event links the place to a clearly dated moment in the history of Rodrigues.

Rodrigues: Nature and Culture in a Wider Context

Rodrigues is 18 km long and 8 km wide. In the southwest of Rodrigues, the François Leguat Reserve is set in a limestone landscape with nine caves and sinkholes. The reserve offers guided tours through a valley with hundreds of giant tortoises, tropical birds and tens of thousands of native trees. Its four museum galleries offer insight into the natural history of Rodrigues. The Grande Caverne in the reserve is also shaped by its limestone formations.

The Mont Limon offers further landscape views, with vistas of Rodrigues’ geological features, agricultural terraces and the ocean. Hiking on Rodrigues is a way to discover the island’s landscapes, flora and fauna. The Rodrigues region is also home to ten marine protected areas.

Sega Tambour, a traditional dance added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2017, is also part of Rodrigues’ culture. Natural history, landscapes and dance offer a different perspective from the market and cuisine in La Ferme, revealing other sides of the Rodrigues destination.

Choose the Right Focus

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first consider what you want your holiday to centre on: the market, handicrafts and local cuisine of La Ferme, or Rodrigues’ nature and culture as well. This way, you can choose a destination based on the experiences you want to prioritise.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Grande Montagne, Saint Gabriel, Terre Rouge, Petit Gabriel, Port Sud-Est.

Go to the main travel overview: Rodrigues.