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mauritius discover

Mauritius is a fascinating, world-in-oneisland slice of paradise. We show you the best this island has to offer.

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remember your

TRAVELS 10 tips and

techniques to help bring your travel journal writing alive.

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mauritius discover

Mauritius is a fascinating, world-in-one-island slice of paradise.

We show you the best this island has to offer.

19

M

auritius is a fascinating,

find your own patch. The smells,

world-in-one-island slice

noises and bustle of the mercantile

of paradise. Its very name

capital Port Louis, Africa’s wealthi-

of conjures up images of tropical

est city, are never far away, while

luxury and stupendous extravagance.

the busy garment markets in the

While in many destinations famed for

Central Plateau towns of Quatre

cobalt-blue seas, white sandy beach-

Bornes and Curepipe and Black

es and luxury hotels, you may even-

River Gorges National Park's dra-

tually find yourself wishing for some-

matic virgin forests give the lie to

thing to do besides sunbathing and

Mauritius being just another beach

swimming, it’s often hard to know

destination. But what beaches!

what to do next in Mauritius. The

From the stunning sand-rimmed

island is loaded with historic sights,

lagoons and popular wide public

cultural diversity, geographic varia-

beaches to the picturesque islands

tion and almost limitless activities to

off the country’s coastline, there’s

distract you from the daily grind of

truly something for everyone here.

beach and pool. But perhaps its sin-

Add to this the joys of Chinese, In-

gle biggest asset is the relaxed charm

dian, French and African cuisine,

of its warm and welcoming people.

the rousing beat of séga music and

Mauritius is the most developed

the infectious party spirit of the

of the Mascarene Islands, but with

locals, and you soon understand

a bit of effort and resourcefulness

why Mauritius really is so many

you can escape the crowds and

people’s idea of paradise on earth.

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1

Port Louis With

its

spectacular

set-

ting beneath the impres-

sive mountain peaks of Le Pouce and Pieter Both, Port Louis makes an impression on anyone arriving on the main road from the airport – descending from the Central Plateau into the hectic city centre with the Indian Ocean spread out in a perspective-defying frieze above the city is a wonderful experience.

Despite being the national capital, the main economic hub and the biggest city in the country, Port Louis occupies a rather strange place in the psyche of modern Mauritius.

Port Louis has plenty going for it, but it’s a city that profits from exploration: those who only visit the fantastically

Disneyesque

Caudan

Waterfront will get a very bland impression of the national capital. The bustle and chaos of the streets, the city’s famous market, Chinatown, the collection of museums and some wonderfully preserved colonial buildings make Port Louis far more than a place to come for some pricey shopping away from the beach.

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2

Le Morne Peninsula

remain free. The story has it that

Visible from much of south-

the slaves, ignorant of the fact that

ern Mauritius, Le Morne Bra-

slavery had been abolished sub-

bant (556m) is the stunning, vast

sequent to their escape, panicked

rock from which this beautiful pen-

when they saw a troop of soldiers

insula takes its name. The peninsula

making their way up the cliffs one

itself has some of the country’s best

day. Believing they were to be recap-

beaches along its 4km shores and is

tured, the slaves flung themselves

home to a number of upmarket ho-

from the cliff tops to their deaths

tels. Almost totally uninhabited by

in huge numbers, which explains

locals, the peninsula nevertheless

the origin of the name Le Morne

has a particular resonance in Mau-

(Mournful One). Although there are

ritian culture – it was apparently to

no historical records to substantiate

here that a group of escaped slaves

the story, it’s an important one for

fled in the early 19th century, hid-

Mauritians as a reminder of the is-

ing out on top of the mountain to

land’s brutal history.

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3

Lion Mountain

set of concrete steps begins on the Grand

right just after you reach the start

Mountain

of the forested area. The steps lead

(480m/1575ft), immediately recogni-

to a bunker, from where a footpath

sable by its sphinx-like profile. The

climbs through the forest to the top

mountain offers a splendid half-day

of the lion's 'back'. Once here, you

hike with stunning views over the

can detour to the right for a view

coast. It's a very challenging but

out over the coast before heading

rewarding walk that climbs up the

inland to the peak itself.

Overlooking Port

is

Vieux Lion

lion's 'back' to finish at an impressive viewpoint on its 'head'.

The main trail runs straight along the ridge and up over a rocky area to the

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The trail begins beside the police sta-

peak. There are a few hairy scrambles

tion at the north end of Vieux Grand

over the rocks before you reach the

Port. From there, a 4WD track heads

flat area on the lion's 'head'. From

inland through the sugar cane; turn

here, you can see right across the

right at the first junction and fol-

interior of the island. Allow around

low the trail up towards the ridge. A

three to four hours for the return trip.

4

Tamarin Falls Tamarin is awkward to reach, but it's worth the effort for

a beautiful, deep, cool bathe at the bottom of a series of seven spectacular waterfalls. They are only accessible via a challenging trail that begins near the Tamarin Falls reservoir, but you will have to explore to find it. It's best to take a local guide from Henrietta.

5

Île aux Cerfs This stunning island off the east coast of Mauritius is

one of the most popular day trips in the country for both foreigners and Mauritians alike. In fact it’s rather become a victim of its own success, inasmuch as it’s now hard to find the deserted beaches that were once the main draw in the first place. While the island was once populated by cerfs or stags (imported for hunting from Java) you’ll find only touts and tourists there today. However, the further you go from the boat jetty, the more likely you are to find a patch of sand between the sun-bronzed bodies. At low tide you can also wade across to the smaller and quieter Île de l’Est, which is joined to Île aux Cerfs by a picturesque sand bar. In winter, the beaches on the island’s west side provide sheltered sunbathing spots.

Much of the Île aux Cerfs belongs to the plush Le Touessrok hotel. The majority of water sports on offer are reserved for hotel guests, although the magnificent 18-hole golf course is also open to outsiders as long as they book in advance.

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6

Cap Malheureux The northern edge of Mauritius has stunning views out

to the islands off the coast beyond, most obviously of the dramatic slopes of Coin de Mire. Although it feels like rather a backwater today, ‘Cape Misfortune’ (thus named for the number of ships that foundered on the rocks here) is a place of great historical importance for Mauritius: it was here that the British invasion force finally defeated the French in 1810 and took over the island.

A little further on lies the minuscule fishing village also known as Cap Malheureux, with its much-photographed church, the red-roofed

7

Belle Mare & Around North from Trou d’Eau Douce as far as Pointe de Flacq, a

10km-long

beach

includes

some

Notre Dame Auxiliatrice. It’s worth

of the best white sand and azure

a quick peek inside for its intricate

ocean in Mauritius, unsurprisingly

woodwork and a holy-water basin

also home to the largest stretch of

fashioned out of a giant clamshell.

luxury hotels in the country. The beach around Belle Mare is generally

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Heading around the coast the land-

regarded as one of the island’s fin-

scape becomes wilder and more rug-

est; Palmar beach, just to the south,

ged. In between the rocky coves and

is not far behind. Belle Mare itself

muddy tidal creeks a clutch of hotels

is a small, nondescript kind of place

occupy the few decent beaches. They

with little to recommend it. How-

offer a perfect hideaway for those

ever, there are several currency ex-

who want to get away from it all.

changes here and two supermarkets.

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