The first thing that comes to mind when we speak of Mauritius is a postcard picture of a sandy beach and a palm tree; but Mauritius also has other great things to offer. Here is a snapshot of my one-week stay in this little paradise.
An interesting fact about Mauritius is that most of the population speak at least three languages. Although the official language is English, this is mainly used for administration; Mauritian Creole is spoken at home with friends and family, and French is used in most of the media and at work.
Since it’s in the southern hemisphere, the Mauritius’ seasons are the opposite of ours. But in general the weather is nice all year long. The heat is always pleasant, never unbearable. Staying at the north of the island was a good choice as this is the driest and warmest place in Mauritius.
On the first day, we went walking along the beach to the famous red-roofed church in Cap Malheureux. Facing the lagoon, the scene offered us a beautiful view over the ocean and the Coin de Mire Island.
During our stay, we decided to visit the west of the island with a taxi. We started with the visit of Trou aux Cerfs, situated in Curepipe. At an altitude of 550m, Trou aux cerfs is in fact a beautiful crater, the opportunity to recall that the island is of volcanic origin. From the top, there is a wide and beautiful view of the island. Our next stop was at Grand Bassin, in a landscape of green hills, where there is the Ganga Talao Lake. It is a large natural water reservoir that fills the crater of an extinct volcano. It is said that at the end of the 19th century, a Hindu had a revelation that the lake of Grand Bassin was in contact with the Ganges. Ever since, it remains the symbolic representation of the river. Along the way, we stopped few times to admire splendid views over the valley, the rainforest and several waterfalls. We finally went to the Seven Colours Land (Terres de Couleurs) in Chamarel, a kind of a large curved and bare variation, which has seven colours. Once mixed, they always end up separated; according to the light, the effect varies.
The best experience I had in Mauritius was when we went for a boat day trip to the three northern islands (Coin de Mire, Ile Plate, Ile Gabriel), where we did snorkelling in crystal-clear water. There were fishes of all colours! It was a fabulous experience, especially when we gave bread to the fishes and they were all around us. We even saw flying fishes.
And finally, probably the best place to see on the island was the Botanical Garden of Pamplemousses, which covers 26 hectares. It includes among others, a park with huge and beautiful turtles, a pond with waterlilies, no fewer than 85 varieties of palm trees, clumps of bamboo, and more… It is a very lovely and quiet place to stroll.
I highly recommend the IGN map of Mauritius, which is great.
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Author: Violaine Sabot