Things to do in Mauritius
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Le Capitaine
This is a popular place serving good standard seafood and fish dishes in a pleasant convivial space that combines style with informality and great bay views. Fresh lobster is the pick of the menu, while other delicious mains include whole crab cooked in white wine, and lobster ravioli with fresh mushroom and cucumber quenelles. Reservations are essential in the evening.
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Luigi's
Classic little trattoria serving authentic pizza and pasta dishes plus a range of daily specials, such as seafood gnocchi. Make sure you leave room for one of the scrumptious deserts.
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Tamarin Falls
Tamarin is awkward to reach, but it's worth the effort for a beautiful, deep, cool bathe at the bottom of a series of seven spectacular waterfalls. They are only accessible via a challenging trail that begins near the Tamarin Falls reservoir, but you will have to explore to find it. It's best to take a local guide from Henrietta.
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Iguana Lounge
Next to Fusion and incongruously situated facing an Esso garage, Iguana Lounge is one of our favourite places in town. For upscale Mexican - excellent burritos and chili con carne - look no further. Reserve a table in the charming back garden as they're hard to come by otherwise.
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Les Copains d'Abord
Hands down the most popular dining option in town (and the only one that has any real sense of nightlife), Les Copains d'Abord occupies an enviable position along the seafront promenade on the south side of town. Tasty Mauritian dishes (think fresh seafood curry and flavourful rougaille saucisses), smart decor and frequent fits of live music will help you quickly forget that the menu is overpriced.
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Fusion
Possibly the most self-consciously fashionable dining option in Grand Baie, Fusion looks just as it sounds - flash, minimalist, sleek and a little intimidating. You'll see the smart set out for dinner here, sampling fusion-flavoured Mauritian-Asian cooking.
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Grand Baie Beach
The beach at Grand Baie is nothing special and the bay here is congested with boats. Instead, you're better off heading for La Cuvette public beach beside the Veranda Hotel on the bay's north side. It's not huge, but the sand is good and the water clean.
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Bombay Sweets Mart
Bombay Sweets Mart is famous for the Indian nibbles colourfully known as caca pigeon (literally, 'pigeon droppings').
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Sakura
Despite Grand Baie's wishy-washy dining scene, Sakura has managed to hold its own for 22 years – the faded decor is living proof. The friendly owners are present every evening waving to repeat customers and watching their skilled chefs fling ingredients in the air during the exhilarating teppanyaki shows. Reservations are essential if you want your meal cooked at your table.
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Happy Rajah
Near one of the Tamil temples in a large wooden structure, Happy Rajah satisfies costumers with a large selection of surprisingly filling curries and stews. Lunches are served in the vestibule – if you come in the evening you'll eat in the more atmospheric dining room draped in oriental tapestries.
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Coolen – Chez Ram
The clear local favourite among Royal Rd's endless parade of restaurants, Coolen is situated smack in the centre of tourist town but is usually filled to the brim with Mauritians. Customers are welcomed with fish cakes and a splash of rum while they thumb through the menu of Creole and seafood staples. Go for the fish in banana leaves (Rs 175) and make sure to save room for the banana flambé.
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Blue Penny Museum
Whether or not you fully understand the philatelic obsession with the Mauritian one-penny and two-pence stamps of 1847, the Blue Penny Museum is far more wide ranging than its name suggests, taking in the history of the island's exploration, settlement and colonial period. It's Port Louis' best museum, with a fantastic selection of antique maps, photographs and engravings from different periods in history. There's a room dedicated to temporary exhibits and a small gift shop as well.
The pride of the museum's collection is two of the world's rarest stamps: the red one-penny and blue two-pence 'Post Office' stamps issued in 1847. To preserve the colours, they are only lit…
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National History Museum
The colonial mansion housing this museum, just beyond central Mahébourg, used to belong to the Robillard family and played an important part in the island's history. It was here in 1810 that the injured commanders of the French and English fleets were taken for treatment after the Battle of Vieux Grand Port (the only naval battle in which the French got the upper hand over their British foes). The story of the victory is retold in the museum, along with salvaged items – cannons, grapeshot and the all-important wine bottles – from the British frigate Magicienne, which sank in the battle.
The museum contains some fascinating artefacts, including early maps of the island…
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Père Laval's Shrine
The shrine of the French Catholic priest and missionary Père Jacques Désiré Laval is something of a Lourdes of the Indian Ocean, with many miracles attributed to visits to the priest's grave. The padre died in 1864 and was beatified in 1979 during a visit by Pope John Paul II. He is credited with converting 67,000 people to Christianity during his 23 years in Mauritius.
Today Père Laval is a popular figure for Mauritians of all religions. Pilgrims come here from as far afield as South Africa, Britain and France to commemorate the anniversary of his death on 9 September. Notice the coloured plaster effigy of the priest on top of the tomb – it's been rubbed smooth by…
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Lion Mountain
Overlooking Vieux Grand Port is Lion Mountain (480m/1575ft), immediately recognisable by its sphinx-like profile. The mountain offers a splendid half-day hike with stunning views over the coast. It's a very challenging but rewarding walk that climbs up the lion's 'back' to finish at an impressive viewpoint on its 'head'.
The trail begins beside the police station at the north end of Vieux Grand Port. From there, a 4WD track heads inland through the sugar cane; turn right at the first junction and follow the trail up towards the ridge. A set of concrete steps begins on the right just after you reach the start of the forested area. The steps lead to a bunker, from where a…
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Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens
Don't be put off if you've never been particularly interested in botany – after London's Kew Gardens the SSR Botanical Gardens is one of the best places in the world to learn about plants, trees and flowers. It's also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius and is easily reached from almost anywhere on the island.
Named after Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the first prime minister of independent Mauritius, the gardens also house the funerary platform where he was cremated. His ashes were scattered on the Ganges in India.
The plants are gradually being labelled and map boards installed, but this is still very patchy and thus the gardens are best seen with a…
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Domaine Les Pailles
Just a few miles outside of the capital the strange sugar estate turned theme park Domaine Les Pailles has been transformed into a cultural and heritage centre that makes for an enjoyable day or half-day excursion. The facilities include rides in horse-drawn carriages, a miniature railway, a working replica of a traditional ox-driven sugar mill, a rum distillery producing the estate's own brew, a spice garden, a quad-biking circuit and a children's playground. There is also a selection of upmarket restaurants.
Visitors can choose to tour the site by train, horse carriage or jeep, with the cost of entry varying accordingly. To get to the Domaine, take any bus running…
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Yacht Charters
Perhaps the most interesting of the options on offer is the trip offered by Yacht Charters. Its magnificent sailing ship, the Isla Mauritia, was built in 1852 and is claimed to be the world's oldest active schooner.
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L'Aventure du Sucre
This excellent museum in the former Beau Plan sugar factory not only tells the story of sugar in fascinating detail, but along the way covers the history of Mauritius, slavery, the rum trade and more. The factory was founded in 1797 and only ceased working in 1999. Most of the machinery is still in place and former workers are on hand to answer questions about the factory's history and the complicated process of turning sugar cane into crystals.
There are also videos and interactive displays as well as quizzes for kids. At the end of the visit, you can taste four of the 15 varieties of unrefined sugar, two of which were invented in Mauritius. Allow at least a couple of…
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Champ de Mars Racecourse (Hippodrome)
This racecourse, also known as the , was a military training ground until the Mauritius Turf Club was founded in 1812, making it the second-oldest racecourse in the world. Mauritian independence was proclaimed here in 1968. Within the racecourse stands a statue of King Edward VII by the sculptor Prosper d'Épinay, and the Malartic Tomb, an obelisk to a French governor.
The racing season lasts from around April to late November, with meetings usually held on a Saturday or Sunday. The biggest race of all is the Maiden Cup in September. If you're here on a race day, it's well worth joining the throng of betting-crazy locals. Tickets for the stands and loges range from Rs 50…
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Black River Gorges National Park
A network of hiking trails crisscross the wild and empty Black River Gorges National Park. Unfortunately, they're not always well marked, so check the route and trail conditions at the information centres before setting off. Look for the rare tambalacoque (dodo tree), the black ebony trees and the wild guavas. Bird-watchers should keep an eye out for the Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, echo parakeet and Mauritius cuckoo-shrike.
Mauritius' sole national park is a spectacularly wild expanse of thick forest covering 3.5% of the island's surface and home to over 300 species of flowering plants and nine species of bird unique to Mauritius, including the famous pink pigeon…
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Maurisun Adventure & Tours
Grand Baie's numerous tour agents can provide information on things to do in the area with the aim, naturally, of signing you up for this cruise package or that coach trip. While prices tend to be similar, the details may vary, so make sure you know exactly what is included. All agents sell tickets for glass-bottomed boat trips, undersea walks, Le Nessee and the Blue Safari Submarine. Many also offer car-hire services and airport transfers and can organise accommodation.
Maurisun Adventure & Tours has a reliable reputation and is seen as a cut above the competition, thanks to its range of adventure tours, including sea kayaking.
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Central Market
Port Louis' Central Market has a wide selection of T-shirts, basketry, spices and souvenirs; bargain to get a decent price.
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Natural History Museum & Mauritius Institute
There's only one real attraction at this small but proud museum: the famous (though somewhat grubby) reconstruction of a dodo. Scottish scientists assembled the curious-looking bird in the late 19th century, using the only complete dodo skeleton in existence. The rest of the museum's three halls get marks for trying, but the majority of the other exhibits are a sad testimony to the fact that fish don't readily lend themselves to the process of taxidermy. Look out, however, for the stuffed birds, including the solitaire and red rail, both also now extinct.
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Company Gardens
It's a real pity that Company Gardens has such a sleazy atmosphere as it's by far the most attractive park in the city, with its vast banyan trees, huge number of statues, quiet benches and fountains. During the day it's perfectly safe (though keep your wits about you), but you should avoid it at night when it's a flashpoint for muggings, drug deals and pimps. Once the vegetable patch of the French East India Company in early colonial times, it's now best known for its statues of local sculptor Prosper d'Épinay and the much-loved musician Ti-Frère.
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