Afrinkong
Lagoon and Gorge
Lagoon all the way round, sugar cane across the plain, and gorges cut into the plateau.
MAURITIUS · Tourism
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.
IslandsRegion
27Tourism experiences
Reef, sugar and the volcanic interiorKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
Le Morne and Pieter Both
Le Morne Brabant stands 556 metres out of the lagoon, and is walked in a morning.
Chamarel
A hundred metres in a single drop, near the seven-coloured earths.
Photo Moritz Feldmann / Pexels
Lakes & RiversGrand Bassin
A crater lake and Hindu pilgrimage site, with half a million people walking to it at Maha Shivaratri.
Photo Nitish Kumar / Pexels
Beaches & CoastThe Lagoon
Inside the reef the water is flat and warm the whole way round the island.
Photo Dominik Ruhl / Pexels
Black River Gorges
The last of the native forest, on the plateau, with trails and endemic birds in it.
Photo K / Pexels
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
What the Dodo Left
The dodo is gone, but the pink pigeon and the kestrel were both brought back from single figures.
SafariReef, Not Savanna
No big game — the wildlife here is the reef, the endemic birds, and the flying foxes at dusk.
Photo Talha Resitoglu / Pexels
Eco TourismBringing Back the Birds
The kestrel, the pink pigeon and the echo parakeet were each brought back from near zero.
Photo Cyrill / Pexels
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
Four Continents
Indian, African, French and Chinese, in one Creole language and one calendar.
Photo pipop kunachon / Pexels
Traditional PeopleCreole and Bhojpuri
Creole spoken by everyone, Bhojpuri in the villages, and French and English in print.
Dholl Puri and Rougaille
Dholl puri off a street cart, rougaille at home, and a fish vindaye that is entirely local.
Photo Litoon dev / Pexels
Festivals & CelebrationsMaha Shivaratri and Cavadee
Half a million walking to Grand Bassin in February, and Thaipoosam Cavadee in January.
Photo Jyoti Pur / Pexels
Model Ships and Textiles
Model shipbuilding, and a textile industry that grew out of the sugar estates.
Photo Pankaj Mishra / Pexels
Historic SitesAapravasi Ghat
The immigration depot where half a million indentured labourers first landed.
Photo Chandi Saha / Pexels
HeritageLe Morne
The mountain where escaped slaves lived at the top, and a world heritage site for that reason.
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
Port Louis
A working port and capital, with a market, a waterfront and the Champ de Mars.
Colonial and Estate
The plantation houses of the interior, and the colonial buildings of Port Louis.
Photo Laura Meinhardt / Pexels
Local LifeThe Central Market
Port Louis market in the morning, for vegetables, tea and alouda.
Photo Nothing Ahead / Pexels
Made for Families
Flat warm lagoon, no dangerous surf inside the reef, and short drives from anywhere.
Photo Kunal Lakhotia / Pexels
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Kite, Dive, Hike
Kitesurfing at Le Morne, diving the outer reef, and hiking the gorges and the mountains.
Kite, Hike, Dive
Le Morne's kite lagoon, the Black River trails, and dive sites outside the reef.
The Resort Standard
The island effectively invented the Indian Ocean resort, and it still does it best.
Photo Jyoti Pur / Pexels
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
Photography / Scenic ViewsLagoon Colour
The lagoon changes colour every hundred metres, and the aerial work here is the proof.
Photo Dominik Ruhl / Pexels
Hidden GemsRodrigues
Six hundred kilometres east, a tenth the size, and the island Mauritius used to be.
Photo Dominik Ruhl / Pexels
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.
Four Cultures, One Lagoon
A Hindu festival, a Creole kitchen, a French road name and a Chinese shop, in one street.
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