Mauritius Vacation Guide
The volcanic island of Mauritius is a lush green haven of incomparable beauty, featuring some truly outstanding beaches, a first class cuisine and a year round warm climate to add to its stunning array of underwater coral reefs. There are some great opportunities to take advantage of these through numerous dive and snorkelling sites, and people travel from all over the world to do just this. Mauritius though is far more than just coral reefs and beautiful beaches. The island holds a universal appeal due to its vast array of scenic and historical tours, blended cultures, rugged coastlines, excellent golf courses, deep sea fishing and diverse water sports.
Mauritius Attractions
Ile aux Cerfs is possibly the most beautiful beach on Mauritius, it's a tiny island perched on the Indian Ocean and is water sports enthusiasts' paradise. It's also a popular attraction for daytime relaxation, swimming and snorkelling. If you prefer your activities a little more rustic, try an afternoon perusing the diverse stalls of Flacq Market in the east of the island. Here, you may findthere are some real bargains tocan be found! Venture to the Dutch Ruins in the south, where you'll find some important Mauritian history displayed through the various artefacts at Vieux Grand Port. Don't forget Port St Louis, the island's capital. This is an attractive, old world market town with picturesque harbour where you can enjoy a traditional Creole lunch overlooking the boats. The 90m high Chamarel waterfall and the 7 coloured earth to the south west of the island are also visual treats not to be missed.
Mauritius Excursions
Mauritius excursions can be arranged for visits to key attractions in all corners of Mauritius, where you can enjoy a wealth of nature parks, museums, shopping, naval ports, waterfalls and historical places of interest. Just some of the many Mauritius excursions include:
Coconut Island
Ile De Deux Cocos rises just a few feet out of the crystal clear water at Blue Bay National Marine Park in the south east corner of Mauritius. Enjoy an amazing trip here on a glass bottomed boat where you'll be served a superb Mauritian lunch. Trip includes the whole afternoon to enjoy the beaches on the island or take a session of snorkelling in the waters.
Domaine de l'Etoile
Mauritius excursions don't come much better than this. Quad biking across a 5000 acre nature reserve! The guided tour itself lasts for around 3 hours and you can expect to see magnificent viewpoints over Mauritius, including coffee and vanilla plantations, deer reserves, rare endemic birds and other sites of historical interest. A delicious lunch overlooking the serene Grand Riviere Sud Est is included in this fabulous full day excursion.
Dolphin Cruise
Enjoy a day's cruising aboard the luxurious O'Plezir boat in the hope of catching a glimpse of the indigenous Spinner dolphins. You'll sail north towards the magnificent coastline which boast the highest mountains on the island. During your cruise you will be served a delicious barbeque with salads and drinks, and later on in the day the boat will anchor close to a coral reef where you can swim and snorkel in the shallow waters.
Mauritius Shopping
Mauritius is well known for featuring good shopping outlets where you can pick up anything from models of old ships to leading brands of shirts, trousers and suits.
Textiles production is a booming business on these shores, meaning that good bargains can be found on items such as shorts, swimwear and any of the above. You'll also find an array of pottery, embroidery, basketwork and cut stones through differing large scale and smaller independent stores. Vanilla tea and rum make for good locally produced presents.
Location wise the best shops on Mauritius are located at Grand Bay in the north, although you'll find smatterings of shops all over Mauritius, most notably at Pereybere, also in the north.
Mauritius Restaurants
North of the island you should venture to Grand Bay for an array of traditional restaurants serving Creole and Mediterranean food. The nearby Pereybere beach is also a popular choice for a night out, and features a range of bars and restaurants dotted along the coastline. If you are based in the south of the island, there is a lovely restaurant at Domaine du Chassuer, which specialises in superb venison and seafood platters with a panoramic sea view backdrop. Hotel wise you will find an amazing range of superb restaurants to choose from. Why not try Three-Nine-Eight restaurant at Le Toussrok, where there are nine different cuisines available from eight open kitchens. This three level restaurant is the perfect place to unwind, perhaps after a round of golf at the hotel's championship golf course.
Mauritius Bars & Nightlife
Grand Bay features a range of restaurants, bars and discos for a fun filled night out, and this is the main hub for Mauritians wishing to have something resembling a party atmosphere. La Cuvette beach has also recently undergone a major renovation programme and you will find pubs and eateries here also. The bars at Pereybere run along the beachfront and offer a laid back and casual ambience with an attractive Indian Ocean backdrop. Bars within the hotels featured by Destinology range from the distinctly refined, such as the Golf Clubhouse at Anahita World Class Sanctuary, to the superb bar and casino at One&Only Le Saint Geran.
Mauritius Family Attractions
The Waterpark Leisure Village on the east of the island offers a great, family orientated day out where you can slide down giant water chutes, and swim to your heart is content. This is an aquatic experience to savour and is located in Belle Mare on the east side of the island. For a more educational day out try L'Aventure du Sucre, a fantastic modern interactive museum set on the site of a sugar mill. Or take a trip to the north of the island to The Labourdonnais Orchards and discover a wide variety of tropical fruit trees, colourful and perfumed exotic flowers and rolling green hills. This is a perfect location for mountain biking for the whole family. Children will also love Ile aux Aigrettes, a nature park in South East Mauritius where you can see kestrel and the indigenous pink pigeon and the Aldabra giant tortoise.
Other Mauritius Travel Information
Currency: Mauritian Rupee (MUR). This is divided into 100 cents.
Language: English is the official language, although Creole and French are more widely used
Flight time: 11 hrs 55 mins
Time difference: + 4 hrs from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Voltage: 220/240v throughout the island. Most power sockets use the 3 pin plug, although French 2 pin plugs are also used throughout the island.