Afrinkong
Lagoon and Gorge
Lagoon all the way round, sugar cane across the plain, and gorges cut into the plateau.
Islands · Afrinkong
Mauritius
Reef, sugar and the volcanic interior.
A volcanic island inside an almost unbroken reef, with a mountainous interior, Black River Gorges, and a culture assembled from India, Africa, France and China in the space of two centuries.
Where it is
Africa · Islands · Mauritius
The land in brief
- Borders
- None — it is an island
- Nearest land
- about 780 km
- Best time
- The dry winter, and the cyclone season is January to March.
Also in the islands
Cabo VerdeTen islands, and the mornaComorosAn active volcano, and the fish that came back from the deadMadagascarAn island that evolved aloneSao Tome and PrincipeTwo volcanic islands and a lot of cocoaSeychellesGranite islands in the Indian Ocean
Compare Mauritius with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
The dry winter, and the cyclone season is January to March.
01Highlights
What Mauritius is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
What the Dodo Left
The dodo is gone, but the pink pigeon and the kestrel were both brought back from single figures.
Le Morne and Pieter Both
Le Morne Brabant stands 556 metres out of the lagoon, and is walked in a morning.
Beaches & Coast
The Lagoon
Inside the reef the water is flat and warm the whole way round the island.
Black River Gorges
The last of the native forest, on the plateau, with trails and endemic birds in it.
Culture
Four Continents
Indian, African, French and Chinese, in one Creole language and one calendar.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Mauritius with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- Lagoon and GorgeLagoon all the way round, sugar cane across the plain, and gorges cut into the plateau.
- Le Morne and Pieter BothLe Morne Brabant stands 556 metres out of the lagoon, and is walked in a morning.
- ChamarelA hundred metres in a single drop, near the seven-coloured earths.
- Grand BassinA crater lake and Hindu pilgrimage site, with half a million people walking to it at Maha Shivaratri.
- The LagoonInside the reef the water is flat and warm the whole way round the island.
- Black River GorgesThe last of the native forest, on the plateau, with trails and endemic birds in it.
Wildlife
- What the Dodo LeftThe dodo is gone, but the pink pigeon and the kestrel were both brought back from single figures.
- Reef, Not SavannaNo big game — the wildlife here is the reef, the endemic birds, and the flying foxes at dusk.
- Bringing Back the BirdsThe kestrel, the pink pigeon and the echo parakeet were each brought back from near zero.
- Kite, Hike, DiveLe Morne's kite lagoon, the Black River trails, and dive sites outside the reef.
People and culture
- Four ContinentsIndian, African, French and Chinese, in one Creole language and one calendar.
- Creole and BhojpuriCreole spoken by everyone, Bhojpuri in the villages, and French and English in print.
- Maha Shivaratri and CavadeeHalf a million walking to Grand Bassin in February, and Thaipoosam Cavadee in January.
- Model Ships and TextilesModel shipbuilding, and a textile industry that grew out of the sugar estates.
- Dholl Puri and RougailleDholl puri off a street cart, rougaille at home, and a fish vindaye that is entirely local.
- Made for FamiliesFlat warm lagoon, no dangerous surf inside the reef, and short drives from anywhere.
- The Central MarketPort Louis market in the morning, for vegetables, tea and alouda.
Places
- Port LouisA working port and capital, with a market, a waterfront and the Champ de Mars.
- Colonial and EstateThe plantation houses of the interior, and the colonial buildings of Port Louis.
- Aapravasi GhatThe immigration depot where half a million indentured labourers first landed.
- Le MorneThe mountain where escaped slaves lived at the top, and a world heritage site for that reason.
Ways to travel
- Kite, Dive, HikeKitesurfing at Le Morne, diving the outer reef, and hiking the gorges and the mountains.
- The Resort StandardThe island effectively invented the Indian Ocean resort, and it still does it best.
- Lagoon ColourThe lagoon changes colour every hundred metres, and the aerial work here is the proof.
- RodriguesSix hundred kilometres east, a tenth the size, and the island Mauritius used to be.
03Why go
The case for Mauritius.
Why Visit This Country
Four Cultures, One Lagoon
A Hindu festival, a Creole kitchen, a French road name and a Chinese shop, in one street.
Hidden Gems
Rodrigues
Six hundred kilometres east, a tenth the size, and the island Mauritius used to be.
Eco Tourism
Bringing Back the Birds
The kestrel, the pink pigeon and the echo parakeet were each brought back from near zero.
Heritage
Le Morne
The mountain where escaped slaves lived at the top, and a world heritage site for that reason.
04Go deeper
All of Mauritius, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Mauritius starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.