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Mauritius
Awarded Best in Travel 2022
Mark Twain once wrote that ‘Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius’. For the most part, it’s true: Mauritius is rightly famed for its sapphire waters, powder-white beaches and luxury resorts. But there’s so much more attraction to Mauritius than the beach, and it's the kind of place that rewards even the smallest attempts at exploration. There’s hiking in the forested and mountainous interior and world-class diving and snorkelling offshore. There are boat trips to near-perfect islets and excursions to botanical gardens and colonial plantation houses. Mauritius is a fabulous culinary destination with great wildlife watching thrown in. And the real Mauritius away from the beach resorts – a hot curry of different cultures and quiet fishing villages – is never far away.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Mauritius.
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Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens
After London's Kew Gardens, the SSR Gardens is one of the world's best botanical gardens. It's among the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius and easily reached from almost anywhere on the island. Labelling of the plants is a work in progress, and you can hire one of the knowledgeable guides who wait just inside or use the maps for a self-guided tour. Golf-buggy tours (adult Rs 250, child Rs 100) are available on request for those with limited mobility. The centrepiece of the gardens is a pond filled with giant Victoria amazonica water lilies, native to South America. Young leaves emerge as wrinkled balls and unfold into the classic tea-tray shape up to 2m across in a matter of hours. The flowers in the centre of the huge leaves open white one day and close red the next. The lilies are at their biggest and best in the warm summer months, notably January. Palms constitute the most important part of the horticultural display, and they come in an astonishing variety of shapes and forms. Some of the more prominent are the stubby bottle palms, the tall royal palms and the talipot palms, which flower once after about 40 years and then die. Other varieties include the raffia, sugar, toddy, fever, fan and even sealing-wax palms. There are many other curious tree species on display, including the marmalade box tree, the fish poison tree and the sausage tree. Another highlight is the abundant birdlife – watch for the crimson hues of the Madagascar fody – while there are captive populations of deer and around a dozen giant Aldabra tortoises near the park's northern exit. The gardens were named after Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the first prime minister of independent Mauritius, and were started by Mahé de Labourdonnais in 1735 as a vegetable plot for his Mon Plaisir Château (which now contains a small exhibition of photographs). Close to the chateau is the funerary platform where Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was cremated (his ashes were scattered on the Ganges in India). Various international dignitaries have planted trees in the surrounding gardens, including Nelson Mandela, Indira Gandhi and a host of British royals. The landscape came into its own in 1768 under the auspices of French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre. Like Kew Gardens, the gardens played a significant role in the horticultural espionage of the day. Poivre imported seeds from around the world in a bid to end France's dependence on Asian spices. The gardens were neglected between 1810 and 1849 until British horticulturalist James Duncan transformed them into an arboretum for palms and other tropical trees.
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Blue Penny Museum
Although dedicated to the world-famous 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, and even detouring into the Paul and Virginie story. It's Port Louis' best museum, one that give visitors a then-and-now look at the city, although travellers with mobility issues should know that the stamps are on the 1st floor and there’s no lift. Central to the museum's collection are 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 up for 10 minutes at a time: every hour, at 20 minutes past the hour. The stamps are considered a national treasure and are probably the most valuable objects on the entire island. On the ground floor you'll see a fantastic selection of antique maps, engravings from different periods in history, and photographs, as well as the country's most famous work of art: a superbly lifelike statue by Mauritian sculptor Prosper d'Épinay, carved in 1884. Based on Bernardin de St-Pierre's novel Paul et Virginie, the sculpture depicts the young hero carrying his sweetheart across a raging torrent.
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Père Laval's Shrine
The shrine of French Catholic priest and missionary Père Jacques-Désiré Laval is something of a Lourdes of the Indian Ocean, with many miracles attributed to pilgrimages here. The padre died in 1864 and was beatified in 1979 during a visit by Pope John Paul II. Père Laval is credited with converting 67,000 people to Christianity during his 23 years in Mauritius. To get here, take a bus signed 'Cité La Cure' or 'Père Laval' from the Immigration Square bus station. Père Laval is a popular figure with Mauritians of all religions. Pilgrims come 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 miracle-seeking pilgrims. At other times of year the shrine is fairly quiet, though the services held on Friday at 1pm and 5pm attract a reasonable crowd. In the same complex is a large, modern church and a shop with a permanent exhibition of Père Laval's robe, mitre, letters and photographs.
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Central Market
Port Louis' rightly famous Central Market, the centre of the local economy since Victorian times, is a good place to get a feel for local life, watch the hawkers at work and buy some souvenirs. Most authentic are the fruit and vegetable sections (including Chinese herbal medicines and aphrodisiacs).
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François Leguat Reserve
In 1691 François Leguat wrote that there were so many tortoises on Rodrigues that 'one can take more than a hundred steps on their shell without touching the ground'. Sadly the Rodrigues version of the giant tortoise became extinct, but this reserve is recreating the Eden described by the island's early explorers. Hundreds of tortoises from elsewhere (the outcome of a breeding program) roam the grounds, and more than 100,000 indigenous trees have been planted. Cave visits are also possible. In the caves, spirited tour leaders point out quirky rock shapes and discuss the island's interesting geological history. Keep an eye out for the tibia bone of a solitaire bird that juts from the cavern's stone ceiling. There's also a small enclosure with several giant fruit bats (the island's only endemic mammal) and a handful of recently arrived, critically endangered ploughshare tortoises from Madagascar. The on-site museum recounts the history and settlement of the island, with detailed information about the extinct Rodrigues solitaire, cousin of the dodo. The reserve is in the island's southwest and is poorly signposted off the main road around 1.5km northeast of the airport.
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Gorges Viewpoint
On a clear day, the views from here across the gorge and down towards the west coast rank among the best on the island.
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Ebony Forest of Chamarel
One of the most exciting conservation initiatives in Mauritius in the last few years, the Ebony Forest seeks to recreate a small pocket of indigenous native forest, the likes of which covered the entire island just 250 years ago. When finished the forest will cover 45 hectares; around a third has been completed. There are 7km of hiking routes, two raised walkways that climb into the mid-canopy, safari jeeps, and an interpretation centre with a small shop. Mauritius Wildlife Foundation has begun introducing two of Mauritius' most endangered signature species: the pink pigeon and echo parakeet. Other bird species to watch out for along the Ebony Forest's trails are the Mauritius paradise flycatcher, grey white-eye, Mauritius black bulbul, white-tailed tropicbird, Mascarene swiftlet and Mascarene swallow. Ask about the special packages, which include birdwatching, guided hikes, and even a package for honeymooners called the 'Love Tree'. To get here, you need to enter through the gate for Terres de 7 Couleurs.
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Château Labourdonnais
One of the loveliest examples of colonial architecture on the island, restored Château Labourdonnais was completed in 1859. Built in teak and sporting an Italian neoclassical style, the perfectly proportioned chateau is filled with sober Victorian furnishings interspersed with some exceptionally lovely design flourishes. Compulsory guided tours last 45 minutes. The Labourdonnais Express (adult Rs 250, child Rs 175) is a train that does a 45-minute tour of the gardens and orchards at 10.30am and 2pm. To get here, follow the signs off the M2 motorway, around 3km north of Pamplemousses.
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Rhumerie de Chamarel
Set among the vast hillside plantations of Chamarel, the rhumerie is a working distillery that doubles as a museum showcasing the rum-making process. The pet project of the Beachcomber hotel tycoon, the factory opened in 2008 and uses a special ecofriendly production method ensuring that all materials are recycled. The rum is quite well regarded by experts, and makes for a pleasant coda to a guided tour of the plant. Time your visit to enjoy lunch at the museum's restaurant, L'Alchimiste.
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