Central Mauritius

Introducing Central Mauritius

The island’s mountainous centre is often overlooked by visitors seeking a quick fix of sun and sand, which is a shame as the magical mountains, the Black River Gorges National Park and the bustling towns of the Central Plateau all make for very worthwhile visits. As you can drive anywhere in Mauritius in under an hour, it’s well worth hiring a car and exploring the country’s interior for a day or two. Walkers and bird-watchers will love the Black River Gorges National Park, climbers and hikers will love the idiosyncratic, almost whimsical nature of Mauritius’ volcanic mountains and anyone who likes bargain hunting will enjoy a trip to Curepipe or Quatre Bornes for the shopping and markets or to Floréal’s textile museum. There’s very little else to see in the corridor of towns that runs almost unbroken from Curepipe to Port Louis, but over half the population dwells here (drawn by the cool highland air) and it’s about as unlike picture-postcard Mauritius as can be imagined, with busy streets, factories, bustling shops and traffic everywhere. This is modern Mauritius, whether you like it or not.

Southwest of Curepipe lies a more appealing region of lakes and natural parkland. The Mare aux Vacoas reservoir is the island’s largest lake. It is flanked to the west by the Mare Longue and Tamarin Falls reservoirs – the latter named after a spectacular series of seven waterfalls immediately north of the lake – and to the south by Grand Bassin. This crater lake, sacred to Hindus, is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009