It is wonderful to visit Tropical Island that boasts some of the finest cuisine. An island that offers many of the best golf courses this side of paradise. We could tell you that the reason you’ll visit the seven hundred and eighty square mile volcanic island for the breathtaking mountainous backdrop that can be explored on horseback, 4X4 or on foot. But we know that the real reason thousands of visitors flock to Mauritius is of course for the sandy white beaches, the warm azure sea and what lies below. After achieving independence in 1968, Mauritius has quickly earned its place as one of the top tropical island destinations for honeymooners as well as families. Little wonder, with sunny days that seem to last forever, the world’s third largest coral reef, 5 start hotels and a selection of private villas. And because the island is malaria free, it’s an ideal destination for the whole family.

Enjoy water sports such as parasailing, explore the multi coloured coral reef on an underwater walk, in a submarine or a semi-submersible scooter. Climb Le Pouce (The Thumb) at 812m and take in the spectacular 360 degree view of Port Louis. Bargain and barter your way around the city’s market where you can find everything from souvenirs to high end fashion. Swim on the northern beaches, shaded by casuarinas. Dive off the west coast with sharks, turtles and a myriad of multi coloured fish.

 

General Information on Mauritius:

Location: In the Indian Ocean, south of the Equator and just north of the Tropic of Capricorn

Size: 1864km²

History: Discovered by Arabs then the Portuguese, Mauritius was first settled by the Dutch in 1598. It was claimed by the French in 1715 as Ile de France and captured by the British in 1810. It was a British colony until 1968 when it became an independent member of the Commonwealth. It became a republic in 1992.

Climate: Hot summers ( November to April) with average coastal temperature of 30°C and warm winters ( May to October), averaging 24°C. Interiors are 3-5°C lower. The rainy season is January to May with the possibility of a stray cyclone from January to March.

Nature: Mountainous with plateaux; flowers, forests and crops; rare wildlife and nothing dangerous; fine beaches within coral reefs.

Visitors: Tourists come all the year around; November to January and August most popular months; May to October most pleasant.

Population: 1,206,000 of Indian, African, European and Chinese origin

Capital: Port Louis

Economy: Based on industry and agricultural exports, tourim and financial services.

Currency: The Mauritian rupee (Rs), which is divided into 100 cents (cs). The international exchange rate fluctuates daily, linked to a basket of currencies.

Language: The official language is English but creole is the most widely used. Most people speak (and read) French, with Hindi, Tamil and Chinese as the main alternatives.

Religion: Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, and also Confucianism and Buddhism.

International telephone code: +230

Time: GMT +4

Electricity: 220 volts

 

Mauritius’s most popular areas

Port Louis

Port Louis looks best from the sea. It is a booming city that combines new buildings with old, contrasting with the spires and peaks of the threadbare mountain range behind. In the centre is Pouce, poking 811m into the sky like Jack Horner’s thumb. On its left is Pieter Both, a peak named after a Dutch notable who drowned in the bay, distinguished by the boulder balanced precariously on its tip. To the right the city’s boundary extends along a switchback of daunting crags: Snail Rock, Goat Rock, Spear Grass Peak and Quoin Bluff. The sheer sides of Signal Mountain (323m) dominate the western flank of the town.

Solid Victorian warehouses and modern concrete towers, like sawn-off skyscrapers, crowd the flat expanse of the city. Houses claim the land right up to the foothills of Pouce Valley, leaving open spaces only on the plain of the Champ de Mars and the isolated 86m-high hill in the middle of the city, on which perches the battered vulture of a fort called the Citadel. Tall royal palms have somehow survived the city’s growth to form an avenue of greenery leading from the waterfront up the centre of the Place d’Armes to Government House.

It is a city of boundless charm and has preserved a village soul, perhaps because the crowds of people who descend from the plateau towns during the day to work leave the city alone at night. Its streets are empty then, echoing with the sound of recorded music from wedding parties in upstairs halls, the click of dominoes from Chinese club rooms, or the call of the muezzin.

 

Northern Mauritius

Northern Mauritius is divided into two districts: Pamplemousses in the west and Riviere du Rempart in the east. The coast of Pamplemousses is largely given to tourism and includes the lively resort of Grand Baie. Its boundary is the mountain range encircling Port Louis, with Creve Coeur, behind Pieter Both, as its southernmost village. It cuts through the sugar plantations east of Pamplemousses town and runs northwards to the coast at Pointe aux Canonniers.

Riviere du Rempart is a compact district of contrasts, encompassing the tourist hot spots to the east of Grande Baie, the industrial/agricultural area of Goodlands and the rugged northeast coast around Poudre d’Or. The town of Riviere du Rempart is in the east of the district, originally named Rampart River for its steep banks.

The importance of sugar in the north of Mauritius gave rise to the construction of the island’s first railway line in 1864. The Northern Line, which connected Port Louis to Pamplemousses and Placq, was used to transport sugar to Port Louis. It stopped carrying passengers in 1956 and was closed down completely in 1964.

 

Eastern Mauritius

The district of Flacq occupies most of the east of the island, which for our purposes extends from the Roches Noires in the northeast down to Bois des Amourettes in the southeast.

Much of eastern Mauritius was covered with ebony forest when the dutch settled here in the 17^th century, but it didn’t take them long to start felling the trees to make a road northwards from their settlement at Grand Port. The French continued attacking the forests, using the timber to build ships and houses. The land is now primarily devoted to agriculture and the area boasts two of the island’s largest sugar estates.

The beaches around Belle Mare are glorious, and have attracted swarms of upmarket hotels. Nevertheless, there is sufficient mid-range and budget accommodation in the area.

The uninhabited Ile aux Crefs, off Trou d’Eau Douce, is one of the best-known tourist attractions of the east, with its miles of beaches, new championship golf course and copious water sports facilities. The area south of Trou d’Eau Douce is largely undeveloped owing to the lack of beaches. Driving along this coast is a real pleasure, with the road sandwiched between the sea and unspoilt fishing villages.

 

Southern Mauritius

The south extends from historic Vieux Grand Port in the southeast to Baie du Cap River, on the border between the districts of Savanne and Black River, in the southwest.

Saved by a lack of beaches, the south of Mauritius has avoided much of the tourist development that has taken place elsewhere. The southeast is most visitors’ first experience of the island, having arrived at the international airport at Plaisance. Many simply pass through the area, returning only to catch another flight, yet there is so much for the visitor to see.

The ruins and monuments around Vieux Grand Port attests to its dramatic past: the first landing of the Dutch in 1598 and the naval battle between the English and French in 1810. Nearby is the south’s main town, Mahebourg, a sleepy fishing community crammed with colourful houses.

There is a small beach resort around Pointe d’Esny and Blue Bay, with a good selection of accommodation. Just off the coast here is Ile aux Aigrettes, a nature reserve run by the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, which is well worth a visit.

Savanne is the southernmost district of Mauritius, stretching westwards from the sugar-growing villages of Savannah along a coast that is the island’s most rugged.

Cane Fields interspersed with fishing villages dominate the coast, while the interior around Grand Bois is tea-growing country. In 2004, this area changed foe ever when the Bel Ombre Sugar Estate, prompted by the downturn in the sugar industry, allowed three upmarket hotels to be built on some of its coastal land. Thankfully the hotels were built in such a way as to minimise any negative impact on the local area and the community. For visitors looking for tranquillity, the area now offers a peaceful alternative to the north and east coast.

 

Western Mauritius

The district of Black River covers the west coast of Mauritius, extending from the southwest, by Baie du Cap, northwards to the boundary of Port Louis. It was called Zwarte River by the Dutch and Riviere Noire by the French, who created the district in 1768. The river itself is not black, so the name probably refers to the black rocks of its bed and banks.

Black River is mostly mountainous and sparsely populated, its inhabitants employed in fishing tourism and sugar. It has no towns, only village communities, and is the most ‘African’ part of the island. Creole lifestyle dominates, with Catholic churches rather than Hindu temples providing the focal point for communities. The region is also famed for its sega music and dancing.

The Black River Gorges National Park is by far the island’s largest nature reserve. For walkers and nature lovers, the park offers spectacular scenery and wildlife.

The west is the driest and sunniest of the island’s coasts and it boasts dramatic sunsets. Its climate, combined with some superb beaches, makes this a popular weekend escape for Mauritians. There is also plenty of accommodation for visitors, particularly around Flic en Flac.

The west is the best coast for deep-sea fishing. This is particularly so around the area of Grande Riviere Noire, where the ocean floor drops away to a great depth, attracting large predators to feed on smaller fish.

 

Central Mauritius

Two districts make up central Mauritius: Plaines Wilhems to the south and west of centre and Moka to the north and east.

At around 600m above sea level, the centre of the island is noticeably cooler and wetter than the coast. Temperatures are generally 3-5°C lower so a visit to the centre can be a welcome break from the heat of the beaches.

The central plateau is characterised by extinct volcanic craters, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Some of the island’s most spectacular scenery lies within the Black River Gorges National Park, which protects Mauritius’s remaining forest and offers good opportunities for hiking.

Another attraction which draws tourists to the centre is the abundance of discount clothing and souvenir shops in the plateau towns. These towns are largely residential, linked to each other and to Port Louis by the motorway that cuts through the centre of the island.