Interesting Facts

- It is considered polite to receive a gift with your right hand in Mauritius.

- Out of 18 former species that flourished on the islands, the Aldabra tortoise is the only remaining species. This was one of the first species to be protected on the island.

- Mauritius has the highest life expectancy rate of 73 years amongst the African Sub Sahara countries.

- The country with the lowest fertility rate is Mauritius, 2 in the African Sub Sahara.

- Mark Twain said "You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius."

II. Destinations & Sight Seeing

A. Port Louis

The French governor, Mahe de Labourdonnais in 1735, established Port Louis, the capital and major harbor of Mauritius. The port lies protected in an arc of mountains. Off the main square, palm-lined Place d'Armes, there are a few particularly fine French majestic buildings, especially the Government house and the Municipal Theatre, which were constructed during the 18th century. There are also two stunning Cathedrals, Anglican and Catholic and also a mosque. The Natural History Museum, containing rare artifacts is also located in Port Louis. In addition, there is the Worldwide Masks museum, which is a private museum in the centre of the unique and historic site of the 'Parcours Culturel'. This is located at the Old Council Road, Port Louis. It exhibits a magnificent collection of various tribal masks from Africa, America, Asia and Oceania.

B. Chamarel

Chamarel is one of the oldest spots on the island and is also famous as the Seven Colored Earth. The different layers of color, and patches of blue, green, red, purple and yellow earth is believed to have resulted from the weathering of volcanic rocks. These undulating and colorfully contrasted layers of earth are at a short distance away from the beautiful Chamarel waterfalls. You can follow the road from the Case Noyal village hat leads to the colored earth at Chamarel.

C. Jardin Botanique de Pamplemousses

The gardens are also referred to as the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens. They are only a 15-minute drive from Port Louis. The gardens are famous among naturalists all over the world for their innumerable species of native and exotic plants, including the giant Victorial Regia water lilies (native to the Amazon), and the talipot palm. The latter is said to bear flowers once in every sixty years and then die. Pierre Poivre founded this garden in 1767 in the Estate of the French Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais. The latter's Chateau de Mon Plaisir, constructed in 1735, is still there.

D. Grand Bassin

Grand Bassin, which is one of Mauritius' natural lakes, is centered in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is a place of pilgrimage for a lot of Mauritius following the Hindu religion, particularly at the time of Maha Shivratree, which is celebrated in the month of February. This lake is situated in close proximity from Mare aux Vacoas.

E. Aquarium

It is located between Pointe-aux-Piments and Trou-aux-Biches, and is home to approximately 200 varieties of native fish, invertebrates, corals and sponges. The Aquarium offers visitors an exclusive opportunity to view the flora and fauna of the Indian Ocean.

F. The Bird Garden of Casela

Situated in a wonderful location between Bambous and Tamarin in the Riviere Noire district, the Casela Bird Park covers more than 20 acres of land and boasts of around 140 species of birds from all over the world. The major attraction is the Mauritian Pink Pigeon, which is one of the most rarely found bird species in the world. One of the huge tortoises is 150 years old. The Park is known worldwide as an excellent bird watching locale. The park is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily and the entry charge is US $ 4.04 on weekdays and US $ 4.85 on weekends

G. Ile aux Cerfs

There are no stags (Cerfs) left over on this small island, which now belongs to Le Touessrok Sun Hotel and draws a large number of holidaymakers. It takes 20 minutes to travel to this island by boat from Pointe Maurice off the east coast. The boat runs numerous times each hour between 9am and 4pm and costs US $ 2.58 per person return, though this is expected to increase. Le Touessrok Sun Hotel residents do not have to pay any traveling charges. The island has miles of protected coastline and lagoon for water sport activities or sunbathing, eateries and some souvenir stores. The island also offers a boathouse from where you could rent water skis, pedalos, sailboards, surfcats, Laser dinghies and canoes.

H. Black River Gorges National Park

Black River Gorges National Park stretches over an area of 6,574-hectare, and shelters much of the remaining native forests of Mauritius. This park offers tourists an opportunity to enjoy stunning natural landscape and some of the unique plants and bird life. The National Park is easily reachable from Vacoas of Curepipe, through La Marie and Mare aux Vacoas. Tourists can walk the 4-mile roundtrip path to see the Macchabee Forest or, 9 mile roundtrip through the Gorges to the Black River. There are several longer walking tracks including one to the Black River Peak, more than 2,700 feet, the nation's highest point.

I. Domaine Les Pailles

Domaine Les Pailles is a nature park, at a distance of ten minutes south of Port Louis. It stretches over an area of more than 3,000 acres and is situated at the base of the Moka mountain range. You can take a trip round the park either in a Land Rover; ride in a horse-drawn carriage or in a vintage train. The gardens also feature a model of an ancient ox drawn sugarmill and an ‘alambic' (an equipment previously used in distilling rum). Moreover, there is a spice garden, a natural spring, a horseback riding club, swimming pool, mini-golf and a Casino. This place offers a number of delicious dining options: Le Clos St. Louis is a connoisseur restaurant, La Canelle Rouge is slightly less formal place, Indra for Indian food, Fu Xiao for brilliant Chinese cuisine, and a pizzeria for the quick snack.

J. Grand Baie

Grand Baie is at present, a major tourist town for visitors and inhabitants alike, with a lot of hotels and restaurants. Grand Baie lies in a scenic bay at the northern tip of the islet. Its shoreline is the most important centre for yachting, water-skiing, windsurfing and many other sports activities. This town also has a number of art galleries, an assortment of boutiques and attractive souvenir shops.

K. Curepipe

This is the island's major urban center, a pleasant town that does not have an atmosphere like that of Port Louis, but is home to some of the finest stores and restaurants. Lush green landscapes as well as a few remaining tea fields from which the Mauritian vanilla tea is produced border Curepipe. The town has a fine blend of architecture and old wooden colonial buildings that liven up the concrete jungle.

L. Trou aux Cerfs

The stunning Trou aux Cerfs, an extinct crater 85m deep and over 200m wide, is perhaps the major attraction in Curepipe for visitors other than shopping. A tarred path leads up to and around the rim. From the rim of this crater you can enjoy an extensive view of the island. There is a radar station for keeping an electronic eye on tropical storm activity.

M. Domaine du Chasseur (Domaine des Grands Bois)

In the past, this was a hunting lodge, but presently this 2,000-acre property is a wonderful park. The slopes are full of a variety of trees such as ebony, eucalyptus, ravenals, palm trees and wild orchids. Bird watchers come to stalk the elusive and very extraordinary Mauritian Kestrel. The domain has a superb open-air restaurant with magnificent view and you can enjoy seafood and the local wild venison. This park is situated in the hills on the island's southeastern side, at Anse Jonchee, close to Mahebourg.

N. Eureka House

Eureka House, a wonderful and brilliantly renovated Creole-style house is presumed to be one of the largest houses on the island, with 109 doors and windows. This house, built in 1830 in a splendid garden bounded by the Moka River waterfalls and the Moka Mountain Range, was refurbished and opened to the public as a museum in 1986. The museum has sections dedicated to music, art, traditional maps, Chinese and Indian house wares and unusual machines such as a colonial-era shower. The house is placed on a 5-acre estate, which consists of an andreanum garden and a restaurant serving Creole and local cuisine.

O. Vanilla Crocodile & Tortoise Park

This magnificent forest is home to luscious tropical flora. Here you can find a range of endemic as well as exotic plants. You can view the beautiful scenery and freshwater springs and enjoy a small trip around tiny zoo comprising of native Mauritian wild animals. In this fertile green environment, where banana and palm trees as well as massive Bambous grow, over a thousand Nile crocodiles imported from Madagascar, are bred. On a guided trip, you can meet these animals in their breeding ponds, in complete safety. This park is situated in close proximity to Riviere des Anguilles, in the southern part of the island.

P. Rochester Falls

Rochester Falls, close to Souillac, was shaped by nature into an arrangement of fine cooled volcanic lava joints and is one of the island's unique sights. The path that leads the entrance of the Rochester falls crosses a sugar property to give tourists a close look at the island's main agricultural product in its pre-production stage.

Q. Souillac

One of the most charming places in Mauritius is the beautiful seaside resort of Souillac. This small town is situated on the rugged coastline of the Savanne district where the tall cliffs drop off to the ocean. The famous ‘Gris Gris' is a favorite spot found at the top of the cliff towards the southern end of the village.