ADVENTURE

adventure SENSE OF

The Indian Ocean’s Leading Adventure Destination for the third year running at the World Travel Awards 2021, Mauritius is on the bucket-list for adventure travellers. Created by a volcanic eruption around eight million years ago, the island's rugged interior is ripe for exploring. With forested mini-mountains and canyons with tumbling waterfalls to surf-sculpted cliffs – and all packed into an area just the size of Surrey – Mauritius' wild side is never far away. The beautiful Black River Gorges National Park is the lungs of the island, crisscrossed with scenic hiking trails, and offer the chance to spot rare birds.

TERRA FIRMA/YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND

Guided eco-hikes with Yanature, the island's original trekking company, have the ‘wow’ factor. Tamarin Falls, with seven waterfalls tumbling through jungle- like scenery' is one of the destination's most stunning while their newest, ‘Trails and Waves – The Wild South’ takes in scenic waterfalls, cliffs, deserted beaches and ends with a dip in a rock pool. Lokal Adventures' original ‘Moris, Out Of The Box’ activities include river trekking in the turquoise waters of Eau Bleu, featuring waterfalls and caves and an underground hike to explore lava tubes at Roches Noires (‘Black Rocks’). On a visit to the island, American writer Mark Twain observed its ‘picturesque groups of toy peaks’and Mauritius’ characterful miniature mountains can all be climbed'. Family-friendly hikes include Le Pouce (‘The Thumb’), where monkeys play, with a view over Port Louis and Ebony Forest’s guided hike up Chamarel’s Piton Canot mountain, with a museum visit and refreshments at Sublime Point. Those taking ‘The Slave Route’ up Le Morne Brabant with Yanature are rewarded with breathtaking 360-degree views of the lagoon and islands. For a challenge, Trois Mamelles mountain with Explorers Mauritius weaves and winds along the razor's edge of a ridge, while Lokal Adventure offer a unique technical sunset climb up Piton Jacob (Pieter Both’s little brother). Yanature, originators of trail running in Mauritius, has a trail to Black River Peak, the island's highest while Lokal Adventure offers ‘Anou Galope’, a 10- day trail run through diverse landscapes. For awe-inspiring views of Mauritius'’ volcanic nature, take a helicopter trip into the

Mauritius is small, safe and easy to get around. For a DIY adventure, rent an electric bike, electric scooter or mini moke to explore it

Kayaking

© Lokal Adventure Snorkelling in Pirogue South

© Lokal Adventure Sunset 3 Mamelles

© Lokal Adventure

highlands. Aerial thrills range from parasailing to a tandem skydive from 10,000 feet. The newest adrenalin-pumping craze is Flyboarding, described as ‘Fly like Iron Man n’ Dive like a Dolphin’ with FLYn’Dive in Grand Baie.

BIKE ADVENTURES

Discover authentic island life on an electro-bike ride with Explore Nou Zil, tasting local food and interacting with islanders and artisans in Souillac, Grand Port, Pamplemousses and Chamarel. Their scenic Le Morne ride takes in fi shing villages, Macondé viewpoint, and the poignant monument to slavery. A new coastal ride from Yemaya Adventures is a 20-kilometre circular mountain bike trip along sandy trails from Belle Mare beach, guided by former cycling champion Patrick Haberland, with stops at a sugar mill ruin and a lake. A 30-kilometre cultural bike tour in the east with Lokal Adventure (pedal power or electric) visits a Hindu temple by the sea, sugar fi elds and farms, with a locally-made picnic.

© Lokal Adventure Eau bleu river trek Electric bike ride in Grand Port

SPILLS AND THRILLS

Island eco-parks offer nature-based thrills. Activitis at the newest, Lavilleon Adventure Park in Chamarel, include ziplining, a Nepalese bridge and a via ferrata, with horse-riding and a riverside hike coming soon. The largest adventure playground, Casela Nature Parks, has a Predator Kingdom that offers visitors encounters with big cats, including cheetahs, and feeding the white rhinos to rides on Thrill Mountain. Try a Segway safari and the island's biggest zipline park with a ‘zip and splash’ into the river. Or drive an eco-buggy on rugged offroad trails in Heritage Nature Reserve, ride a quad through the wild south with Big Foot Adventure or take a mountain bike along 20kms of open track in La Vallée de Ferney.

SPORTS AND ADRENALINE

Veranda Tamarin’s new Explorer Program includes a sunset hike up Trois Mamelles mountain with Lokal Adventure, a discovery tour by electrobike with Explore Nou Zil and hiking in the Black River Gorges or Le Morne

Located in the southeast of the island near, Mahebourg, Blue Bay is a marine park renowned for its remarkable coral garden, with hundreds of varieties of corals including a 1,000-yearold brain coral

6Wild South Trekking

Here’s how SALT does it:

You still get your ice-cold water to stay hydrated under the tropical sun. It’s just that it didn’t arrive in singleuse plastic. It’s the island’s water, purified by Nordaq Fresh filters (which makes the world’s best tasting water, according to chefs with 161 Michelin stars between them). This deliciousness is served in pretty reusable bottles. The upshot is zero contribution to the 8 million pieces of plastic pollution that hit the ocean every day. That’s right, no single-use plastic here. You still get wantto-take-them-allhome toiletries in your bathroom. It’s just that they are not made of, or packaged in, plastic.

You still get tips on what’s good in the area. It’s just that those tips lead you not only to local places but to local people and the authentic experiences and skills they share with you.

You still get to eat from a global menu of incredible food made by seriously gifted chefs. It’s just that the ingredients haven’t been flown in.

SALT of Palmar’s chefs get more creative than that. They take whatever’s in season on the island and run with it.

There’s a lot of lip service in the hospitality industry. A lot of ‘we endeavour’ to do this. And ‘we aim’ to do that. But there’s also a lot of good, and game-changing going on. And it’s happening in remote places in the hands of small brands who are showing the rest of us how it’s done.

One of those is SALT, whose first hotel, SALT of Palmar in Mauritius, was even awarded Brand of the Year by the know-their-eco-stuff judges of the Positive Luxury Awards.

Being a Positive Luxury brand is a sign that you’re doing right by the world while you offer it a high-quality product. It means the brand has met the highest standards of innovation and environmental performance. And that it’s a star of the global culture shift towards a sustainable economy. Winning one of these awards is something of which to be next-level proud. And SALT is proud plus some. It’s on a mission to operate hotels differently and help people take more positive travel actions, and this award proves it’s no pipedream.

Luxury doesn’t have to mean that you have to go without. Eco can be beautiful. Thoughtful can be stunning. And responsible has never been so desirable.

So, it’s a well-deserved well done to all the good folk at SALT. At a time when the biosphere is in crisis, it’s a brand that’s able to help people have a happy, guilt-free time. From-theheart service meets on-point actions. It has answered the needs of some, broadened the horizons of others, and panned for the lifestyle gold that is transformational travel. And it’s the result of living by the values of being simple, local, curious, and human.

They’ve demonstrated real change. And they’ve created an alternative. It’s an attitude, not a platitude. It’s a bit David and Goliath. It’s a lot higher consciousness. And it’s the future of hospitality.

Want a taste of SALT?

Starting from € 850 for a 5-night stay

Call 230 698 9800 or visit saltresorts.com 22

Brabant mountain with Yanature. Attitude hotels’ guests can take a scooter to secret beaches, hidden villages or along trails through sugar cane fi elds to discover a spectacular view using the self-guided Otentik app. Complimentary adventures for honeymooners are mountain biking, horse riding or hiking Le Morne Brabant mountain at Dinarobin Beachcomber and Paradis Beachcomber to a walk on the wild south coast at Shandrani Beachcomber. Radisson’s Blu Passport gives access to hiking in Bras d’Eau, a cycle trip and mangrove trail at Radisson Blu Poste Lafayette Resort & Spa and a kayak safari, cave exploration and mangrove eco track at Radisson Blu Azuri Resort & Spa.

AQUA FUN

The Splash N Fun Leisure Park (formerly Belle Mare Waterpark) on the east coast has an adult and wave pool and three thrilling rides as well as fairground-style attractions. Watery island adventures include sea karting at Black River and parasailing in Grand Baie and Trou D’Eau Douce. Island-hopping is an unmissable nautical adventure. Catamaran and speedboat cruises to the northern and southeast islands are offered as complimentary experiences to honeymooners and familymooners at selected Beachcomber resorts. New collectable island experiences from LUX* Resorts range from swimming with dolphins and a barefoot breakfast at pretty

SALT of Palmar Horse rising by the ocean

Île aux Benitiers (Clam Island) at LUX* Le Morne to a pirogue trip with a local fi sherman to Îlot Bernaches at LUX* Grand Gaube, with fi shing and snorkelling, ceviche-making, and a nature walk to plant a mangrove stem. A speedboat trip to Île Plate (Flat Island) at newly-opened LUX* Grand Baie Resort & Residences, includes s a trek to the 19th century lighthouse ruin and a plantbased breakfast on a secret beach. New at SALT of Palmar is an insider tour with a Mahébourg local, taking in the National History Museum, sailing by pirogue for an eco-tour of Île aux Aigrettes, and a fourcourse dinner with southern products. Located in the south-east of the island near, Mahebourg, Blue Bay was declared a national park in 1997 before being designated as a wetland site. The marine park is renowned for its remarkable coral garden, which harbours hundreds of varieties of corals – including a 1,000-year-old brain coral – and its abundant fauna. Close to the coastline, it offers ideal conditions for snorkelling with a rich biodiversity as well as calm and shallow sea-water. Local company EnezGreen offers glassbottom boat trips and those looking to get closer to the undrwater scene can embark on a boat and snorkel the site. At an average depth of 5.5 meters, with crystal clear waters offering great visibility, the snorkeling conditions are ideal!

Swimming with dolphins

© Alexandre Lassemillante Take a speedboat ride

TOP FIVE ISLAND-HOPPING ADVENTURES

1 Take a catamaran or speedboat to Île aux Cerfs, the ultimate tropical island playground in the eastern lagoon, with watersports, scenic golf and ecolodges for a night to remember 2 Enjoy a lobster lunch on the terrace of romantic ruin, Governors House, on Île Plate, with snorkelling, and white-tailed tropic birds overhead 3 Take a short boat hop for a rangerled hike around tiny nature reserve Île aux Aigrettes spotting endemic birds, ornate geckos and giant tortoises 4 Sail to four southeast islands by traditional pirogue with Lokal Adventure, including historic Île de la Passe and Îlot Vacoas, for a fi sh BBQ 5 Take a family-friendly paddle through the mangroves by sea kayak to Île d’Ambre (Amber Island) with Yemaya Adventures, which includes visiting the ruins and forest