Mauritius - the ultimate guide

Useful information about Mauritius and the attractions

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Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Its climate is subtropical, two seasons alternate: the humid hot summer from November to April and the dry, less warm winter from June to September. The months of May and October can be considered a transitional period between the two. The cyclone season lasts from November to May, being the worst in January and February. The period between October and December is perhaps the most ideal for traveling here due to the great weather and smaller crowds. Visiting the eastern coast is suggested form November to the end of March. However, the northern and western coast of the island awaits travelers all year round. I'm writing in more details about the weather here.

English and French are widely spoken on the island, as well as Mauritian Creole and Hindi. The official currency is the Mauritian rupee (MUR), now 1 USD is about 46.5 MUR. Bank cards are also accepted in many places, but in case you want to buy handicrafts from the vendors on the markets, it is worth exchanging rupees. We carried both dollars and euros with us that we could easily exchange at the hotel. In general, where possible we paid by card. The power outlets are of the English type, so it is worth bringing several adapters.

There are multiple ways to explore the island, but I think renting a car is the most convenient and the most enjoyable. I can confidently recommend it, even if driving on the left seems scary at first. The infrastructure is developed, there is a good road network, you only need to be more careful at multi-lane roundabouts. Overall, traffic morale is also good, I noticed that everyone pays attention to others and this makes driving safer.

The range of attractions is almost endless, here I have collected my top list, which I think should not be missed.

Le Morne Brabant, Maconde viewpoint

One of the iconic sights of Mauritius is located at the southern tip of the island on the Le Morne peninsula, which is the Mont Brabant. Its highest point is 556 meters above sea level and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to its beauty, its historical significance cannot be neglected. In the past, the peak served as a hiding place for escaped slaves, so it became a symbol of their resistance and fight for freedom. The stories say that when the authorities came here after the abolition of slavery in 1834 to inform the people in hiding, they were so scared of being dragged back, that many of them threw themselves from the top into the depths. Hundreds of people chose death rather than being forced into slavery again.

Here we also find the famous 'underwater waterfall', which is the emblematic natural wonder of Mauritius. Although this optical illusion can unfortunately only be seen from the air, the view is still magnificent. The approx. 6 km round trip takes 3-4 hours in total, depending on individual pace. There is no entrance fee and it is not necessary to hire a tour guide. There is not much shade on most of the route, so it is worth starting the climb early, between 7-8 (it is officially open from 7am till 4pm). There is a wooden house at the entrance, where you should sign in the 'guest book' both when entering and leaving for safety reasons. Until we reach the warning sign, which you can see in the pictures below, it's a good hike that you can easily take on even with older children. There are several beautiful viewpoints from which you can take amazing pictures. Reaching the warning sing is where the hard part starts. Children are prohibited from the area after this. Here we are talking about a more serious climb, often up steep rocks, so I would not recommend it to those who have fear of heights, or do not have a stable level of fitness. Appropriate clothing and sun protection are key - you should not go without good hiking shoes. Coming back from the top, we came down sliding and climbing on our bottoms in this area. It was so difficult to find a good handhold while trying to avoid oncoming traffic. The total elevation is at about 530 meters, but the majority of this happens in the final part. The tour was harder than we thought, especially the last, climbing section, because there was no safety rope or handhold. Still, I think it's the top 1 in Mauritius for me because of the breathtaking view. Of course, the adventurous, climbing part itself was also something!

In the close proximity is the Baie du Cap Maconde Viewpoint that you can visit, which is located near a small village. After climbing a few steps, you will have a beautiful view of the Indian Ocean. This free program is about half an hour long.

Grand Bassin, Bois Chéri tea plantation

Also known as Ganga Talao, this crater houses the holiest Hindu shrine on the island. In the immediate vicinity of the lake, you can also see the island's highest statue, which represents Shiva and is 108 meters high. We practically drove past it and it was a breathtaking sight. It's also worth arriving here in the morning, around 8, because then you can explore the place without any crowds. If you come to this area, you can visit the Bois Chéri tea factory and see the plantations. Their website with details can be found here. For me it was a bit sad that a big part of this plantation is near to the streets were the cars are passing by. I know it is not next to the highway and the inner parts are farer away, but still the tea leaves were being harvested where the air is polluted.

Black River Gorges bel Ombre Biosphere Reserve, Alexandra Falls

The Black River Gorges National Park is located in the southwestern, hilly part of Mauritius. This biosphere reserve plays a key role in the preservation of the native wildlife of the archipelago, which is strongly threatened by the spread of alien species. Here we can admire these species in their natural environment. From a viewpoint, we can get a glimpse at the Alexandra waterfall, but it is very hidden and what we can see of it also depends on the amount of water. If we want the real experience, we have to put on our hiking boots and go there on the hiking trail.

In the area of ​​the national park, there are several hiking trails along which you can explore more. This is a great choice for those looking for an active day. The green surroundings provide more shade than what we can see when climing up to Le Morne Brant peak.

There is no entrance tickets to walk around the area near to the car park. TThere are different tours available to discover more, the pricing depends on the type you choose - i.e. a hiking with a tour guide. maybe joining a quad safari (homepage here).

Seven Colored Earth, Chamarel waterfall, Crystal rock

This is another iconic place in Mauritius, which Google quickly brings up among the beautiful ocean images if you search for the island. In this geopark, you can explore several locations at the same time if you buy a combined ticket for the waterfall and the 7 Colored Earth area together with a turtle park. It really has 7 colors, as you can see in the pictures, and their separation can be explained by the different proportions of the particles in the ground and the interactions between them. However, be prepared that it might seem more grandiose on the images than it really is. Regardless, I think it's a special attraction for both young and old in the family. You can observe giant turtles in a separate area, and then refresh yourself with a sugar cane drink at the buffet. It didn't become a big favorite of mine, but it's definitely worth tasting.

Another attraction of the park is the Chamarel waterfall, which can be admired from a nice viewpoint. During our visit, there were no crowds, and we were able to take nice pictures. Depending on your individual pace, you can walk around the place in 1-2 hours (website here). The entrance fee is 550 MUR- 12 USD.

If we come here then we can also check out the Chrsytal Rock on the way. This is a coral formation located about 200 meters from the shore with beautiful mountains in the background. It is another iconic phenomenon of the island. It is also possible to book a trip to Île aux Bénitiers to admire the rock and the aquatic life that surrounds it up close. This can give us a better view than just seeing it from the shore.

SSR Botanical Garden

The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden is located in the district of Pamplemousses and is named after the first prime minister of independent Mauritius (so is the airport). It has a variety of flora and fauna, one of its most iconic attractions being the gigantic pools filled with water lilies. Unfortunately, when we were there, they were not in their most beautiful condition, although they bloom continuously throughout the year. We also observed that in many places the vegetation seemed to be unkempt or neglected. We were a bit diasppointed, but regardless of this, the garden is wonderful. We could see deers and different spieces of birds up close in the peaceful, quiet corners of the garden. It can be visited every day of the week between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and the entrance fee is minimal, about 300 MUR - about 6.5 USD (website here).

L'Aventure du Sucre - Sugar factory and museum

This was a place we couldn't miss because of the long history and relevance of sugar cane processing onthe island. The exhibition is located in a surprisingly large area and with an audio guide we can walk through the various steps of sugar production and get to know its history. We were immediately challenged to taste little pieces of sugar cane upon entry, so everyone should be careful with sugar intake! It is a very spectacular and interactive exhibition, I especially recommend it for families with children. You can easily spend several hours here, if you read through carefully every story. At the end, in the gift shop, you can taste sugar from the different stages of refining and also buy them (among many other things). The dark, moist, molasses-like sugar was a great curiosity to me. I liked it so much that I drank my coffee with it afterwards in the hotel and we also bought some to take home. The entrance fee here is not too high, for adults 800 MUR - about 17 USD (website here). It can be visited every day except for Sundays from 10am till 4pm. The latest entry time is suggested to be 3pm, the ticket booth closes at 3:15 pm.

Île aux Cerfs - Deer island

The privately owned island lies off the Trou d'Eau Douce in Mauritius' largest lagoon near the east coast. It awaits travelers with a lush environment, white sandy beaches and slowly deepening coastlines. There are several ways to get here, either by individually booking a boat ride or by joining a larger excursion. We paid for a full-day catamaran trip with lunch and snorkelling on Get your Guide. I was a little skeptical whether it would be as good as much it costs, and I can safely say that it was worth it. We spent about half an hour in 1-1 shallower parts twice during our way to the island, where you could snorkel. Then we had lunch on the boat, and we also stopped at a waterfall halfway up the island to take a picture. It was a great day, we really enjoyed it and the catamaran wasn't crowded at all. This is a program that you shouldn't miss, it's a great experience even with children. Due to the bad weather, we had to reschedule it to another day, but they were very helpful, they wrote on time, there was no problem with it. You can find a link to the excursion here.

If you have any questions regarding the above attractions and you'd like to learn more, leave a comment here or ask them in the forum.

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