Mauritius Island

Enjoy The view

Mark Twain got it spot on when he wrote that ‘Mauritius Island was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius Island’

One of my wife’s first observations when we got into the Mauritius Island was “What took us so long to come to this beautiful place?”!!!

The Mauritius Island is so wonderful and beautiful! The 6 days we spent there was truly memorable and enjoyable!!

We traveled to the Mauritius Island on Air Mauritius via Mumbai, India. The flight is about a 6 hours. The extremely friendly crew on board gave us a good inkling as to how friendly Mauritians are. As an added bonus we got to spend some time in Mumbai India on our way back!!

Mauritius is a volcanic island that first rose above the waves eight million years ago.
Known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch, the French and the British in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries respectively. It finally gained independence in 1968.
Mauritius is one of a small number of countries named after a person. It was named by the Dutch in honor of Prince Maurits van Nassau in the 17th century.
The country comprises the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and the outer islands of Cargados Carajos Shoals and Agalega Islands. Mauritius also claims sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago 2,000km (1,250 mi) to the northeast but this is disputed by Britain.
Mauritius is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs. There is 177km (110mi) of coastline, much of it covered by white, sandy beaches.
In 2017, Mauritius was named one of only four countries in the world which had no involvement in ongoing international or domestic conflict and no tensions with neighboring countries. The others were Botswana, Chile and Uruguay.
The above may explain why Mauritius does not maintain a standing army.
Mauritius was the only known habitat of the dodo. Dutch sailors likely first encountered the flightless bird in 1598. Within 100 years, ship rats and other introduced animals had wiped out the species. The last confirmed sightings were in the 1660s.

Facts About The Mauritius Island Continue

The dodo is prominently featured in the country’s national Coat of Arms, providing one of the more poignant interesting facts about Mauritius.
It’s said that author Lewis Carroll was inspired to write his famous book Alice in Wonderland in part by a stuffed dodo at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Le Morne Brabant Mountain was used as a refuge for escaped slaves who formed settlements in the caves on the summit. Protected by the mountain’s wooded cliffs, the slaves lived on the mountain for years.
Slavery was abolished in Mauritius in 1835. British planters brought in almost half a million indentured laborers from India to work in the sugarcane fields between 1834 and 1920.
Two-thirds of the population in Mauritius is of Indo-Pakistani origin, most of whom are descendants of indentured laborers. A quarter of the population is Creole (of mixed French and African descent), and there are small numbers of people of Chinese and Franco-Mauritian descent.
There is no official language in Mauritius, although English and French are the ‘national languages’. The vast majority of the population (85.6%) speak Creole, a French-based patois.
Mauritius is the only African country to have a Hindu majority (48.5% of the population). Freedom of religion is a constitutional right and the country is home to large numbers of Roman Catholics (26.3% of the population) and Muslims (17.3%).
With a resident population of about 1,263,000, Mauritius has the highest population density in Africa and one of the highest in the world.
The life expectancy in Mauritius – 70 years for men and 75 years for women – is higher than the world average and is well above the average for African countries.
Mauritius has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Aapravasi Ghat, a complex that represents the remains of the first buildings made by indentured laborers from India, and the aforementioned Le Morne Brabant.
Trou aux Biches in Mauritius was named the world’s best beach destination in 2011. The country is frequently voted the world’s best honeymoon destination.
One of our favorite interesting facts about Mauritius is that it is home to a spectacular underwater ‘waterfall’. From the air, it looks like a heart-stopping canyon that cracks open meters from the peninsula. Sadly, the phenomenon is just an optical illusion caused by the runoff of sand and silt.

The Fabulous Long Beach Hotel

We usually do not talk too much about the hotels we stay at in our posts. However, the hotel we stayed at in the Mauritius Island, the Long Beach Hotel, needs some mention. Much of our stay was spent at the hotel, where we enjoyed its many luxurious facilities!!

Fringing the famed beach at Belle Mare along the East Coast of the Mauritius Island, lies this chic hotel. This magnificent five-star resort, encompassed by dense tropical gardens, is uniquely modern. It provides the ultimate escape for discerning guests seeking a blissful haven. It offers equal measures of relaxation and activity. Long Beach Mauritius offers unprecedented service and contemporary luxury for active couples and families. Further, it has an immaculate beach that melts into clear blue waters, where the energy is so pure and vibrant that you can feel it.

Our daily routine usually went as follows. We rose very early on all the days we were there to witness the beautiful sunrises in spite of late nights each day. The awesome spectacle of the sun rising was too good to be missed!! . This was followed by a dip in the inviting ocean as well as the massive hotel pool replete with Jacuzzis and various fun water features!! After a fabulous leisurely breakfast we set out on our daily excursions. We had the use of a car with driver who doubled up as a very good guide.

We generally arrived back at the hotel around 3pm. After a rest for an hour or two we were back at the pool to soothe our aching bodies. All this whilst enjoying the awesome setting!!! Before dinner, we had a drink in our room whilst listening to some relaxing music. By the way we usually carry our own music set up in our many travels! Dinners were fabulous. The hotel offerred many choices of various different cuisines. Before retiring, we enjoyed some local entertainment at one of the many bars and lounges whilst downing a few cocktails to stay in the mood!!!

Things To See And Do In The Awesome Mauritius Island

The good thing from a visitor’s point of view is that the Mauritius Island is not that large. One could go from one end to the other end of the island in less than 2 hours!! Hence we were able to cover almost all the must see places in this awesome country by spending 3 full days sightseeing.

On the first day we covered the south of the island. The next day we covered the water side of Mauritius by spending a day on the small island of Ile Aux Cerf. Our last day of sightseeing took us to the northern end which included a memorable visit to the capital city of Port Louis.

We hope our write up given below does justice to this tropical island paradise!!!

Town or Curepipe and Trou Aux Cerfs Volcano

Our first stop at a model ship making factory in the small town of Curepipe which also had a duty free shop in its premises. It was fascinating to see the expert craftsmen at work, making small and intricate parts for the model ships. Most of the models being made were exact replicas of famous ships that plied the Mauritian waters in yester years. My wife ended up buying a beautiful set of earrings at the duty free shop – all in all a satisfactory visit!!!

We then went to Trou aux Cerfs (also known as Murr’s Volcano) which is a dormant volcano with a well-defined cone and crater. It is 605 meters high and located nearby in Curepipe. The crater has been alternately described as 300 and 350 meters in diameter, and is 80 meters deep. Unlike the typical volcanic features, Trou Aux Cerfs’ crater is surrounded by a vast area of lush forest consisting of indigenous plant species and some giant green pine trees. It is believed that the Trou aux Cerfs erupted once and has remained dormant for the last 700 000 years. Experts believe that there is a potential chance for it to become active again!! Looking at the crater from above was a truly wonderful experience.

The Sacred Hindhu Lake At Grand Bassin

Gand Bassin, also known as Ganga Talao is a sacred Hindhu lake. Nearby is the famous Mangal Mahadev statue, a stunning 108 feet religious monument!! Ganga Talao is one of the most sacred places for Hindus outside of India. Ganga Talao (commonly known as Grand Bassin in Mauritius) is a crater lake, about 550 meters above sea level. It is located in the mountainous Southwest district of Savanne. On the shoreline sits a temple along with a collection of small shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and other gods. There are also temples dedicated to other Gods including Lord Hanuman, Goddess Ganga, and Lord Ganesh along the Grand Bassin. During Shivaratri, many pilgrims in Mauritius walk bare feet from their homes to the lake.

It was great to walk around this very colorful place, observing the numerous devotees praying, meditating and paying homage to the various statues of their gods!!

The 23 Colored Earth - A Must See

Visiting the world famous 23 Colored Earth Park area, sometimes referred to as 7 Colored Earths was undoubtedly one of the highlights of our visit to enchanting Mauritius!!

The origin of the 23 Colored Earth dates back to millions of years after the volcanic eruption of the Bassin Blanc! Amazingly, this natural formation over the years is totally unique to this one beautiful spot on earth. It is believed that the unique colors that can be seen at the 23 Colored Earth are the result of the volcanic eruption. This resulted in a high level of gas pressure causing magma (molten rock deep within the Earth) to come to the surface. During the eruption, the cooling lava solidified quickly. Consequently, it combined its chemical elements with silica structures into vitreous small crystals resulting in this multi colored spectacle!!

The fact that the forces of nature have created this landscape of picture postcard beauty is truly mind boggling!! We were fortunate to have the chance to explore nature, science and history in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Visitors are treated to a range of natural landscapes, including plateaus, mountains, valleys, craters, waterfalls and crater-lakes. The unspoiled beauty of the land captures every heart and soul. The park is also home to tortoises, monkeys, stags, fish and also birds such as the Pink Pigeon, Paille en Queue and Cateau Vert. Additionally, various endemic trees like the Ebony, Bois de Natte, Takamaka and other rare plants also contribute to the beauty of the park.

This beautiful park can be considered “nirvana” for all nature lovers!!!

The Sandy Beaches at Ile Aux Cerf Island

Ile Aux Cerfs is a picturesque island spread over 87 hectares of untouched land off the east coast of the main Mauritius Island. It is famous for its white sandy beaches, its turquoise lagoons and for the wide range of restaurants, water sports and land activities on offer.

We spent a really fun-filled day on this island swimming, lazing around on the beaches and tasting some of the food and cocktails on offer at the various restaurants!!

It was a day of pure relaxation as we soaked up the sun on the dazzling white sand and swam in the warm turquoise waters that fringe the beaches.

Towards evening we were taken up a river on the eastern coast of Mauritius Island on a speed boat to see a waterfall that could only be accessed via that river!! It turned out to be yet another “out of this world” experience for the 2 of us. We met up with some up with some really interesting fellow-travelers on this excursion, and we all had a great time!!! Meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures, and getting to know them, is one of the greatest joys of travel!!

Port Louis - The Capital

Port Louis is the capital city of Mauritius Island. It is the economic center-point of this paradise island. It is also the largest city with approximately 200,000 inhabitants. The city of Port Louis is home to the country’s biggest harbor.

We had to travel to the north of the island to get to this beautiful city. We made a number of stops along the way to marvel at the beauty of the countryside which is mountainous, very green and full of sugarcane plantations.

Our first stop was at the Citadel Fort Adelaide, also known as “La Citadelle”, located on the highest hill, Petite Montague, near the city center. This point offers some of the best unobstructed views of the city, the Port Louise harbor and the Champ de Mars horse-racing track. The fort was originally built between 1834 and 1840 by the British Army to defend against enemy attacks. Amazingly, it still has some of the old cannons standing guard. The old barracks in the interior have now been renovated into small shops for visitors.

The Champ de Mars horse-racing track, founded in 1812, is the oldest racecourse in the Southern Hemisphere and the second oldest in the world. The track held its first races in June 1812, the same year that British forces took over the island from the French. 156 years later, the country finally declared its independence right at the racecourse!!!

Port Louis in Mauritius Island is known for its French colonial architecture. It can be best described as yesterday’s treasures merging beautifully with the present. We spent some time at the waterfront area which is a lively dining and shopping precinct. Nearby, vendors sell local produce and handicrafts at the huge Central Market. The Blue Penny Museum, at the center of town focuses on the island’s colonial and maritime history, along with its culture. Our visit happened to be just before the Chinese New Year, and the city was all decked up for the occasion. We even witnessed a very colorful parade to commemorate the dawning of the New Year.

Port Louis is full of small and varied attractions where the old mingles with the new. Vintage China Town, the cannons, mouth-watering street food and the country’s famous herbal ‘doctor’, just to name a few.

The roti and mutton feed we had at one of the many street food outlets was so delicious!!!

Port Louis, the heart and soul of Mauritius Island, left us spellbound at the end of the day!!

Yummy Food At Mauritius Island

Our usual modus operandi in our travels, is that we seek to eat at the best restaurants in town as recommended by reviews on the web. In Mauritius Island, we deviated from our normal practice.

The hotel we stayed at had 5 restaurants, which were all great! We ate at all of them!! The cuisines available included Italian, Chinese, Seafood and Japanese. In addition, the main dining room had a variety of different cuisines including many Mauritian dishes. We also tried and enjoyed many local favorites in the form of the readily available delicious street food of the Mauritius Island, during our many excursions within the island.

The cuisine of Mauritius Island is a blend of Chinese, European and Indian influences. Dishes from French cuisine have also grown very popular in Mauritius. Most of the dishes and practices into the culinary traditions are inspired by former slaves, Indian workers and Chinese migrants arriving during the 19th century.

The most common ingredients used in Mauritian recipes are tomatoes, onions, garlic and chilies, which are cooked with spices into a delicious fresh tasting sauce known as rougaille that is widely used. Vegetables, meats and seafood can be cooked in the rougaille and eaten with achards (pickles) and dhal or rice. Spices are also a big part of Mauritian cuisine with turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves used liberally.

As always, we enjoyed all the food we ate!!!

Last Word On Mauritius Island

We had a fabulous time in beautiful Mauritius Island. We highly recommend Mauritius to all travelers.

Mark Twain got it spot on when he wrote that ‘Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius’.

Mauritius Island is rightly famed for its sapphire waters, powder-white beaches and luxury resorts. But there’s so much more attraction to Mauritius than the beach, and it’s the kind of place that rewards even the smallest attempts at exploration.