A week on Mauritius

Within one hour after picking up my hire car I got lost. I was searching for Le Souffleur however the ever-present 3m high sugar cane fields made navigation difficult. Somehow I managed to find my way out again and eventually ended up at the steep rocks of Le Souffleur. Strong winds and high waves clashed against the black rocks some 30m below me and created a spectacular atmosphere.

My next stop was at the La Vanilla Crocodile Park and Nature Reserve. The park is home to some 1,000 crocodiles as well as a large number of giant tortoises.

Back on the coastal road, my next stop was at Gris Gris, a small but truly beautiful beach. The nearby Rochester Falls, located in the forest 3km north of Souillac offered a good opportunity for a quick swim.

I stopped for the night at the luxurious Voile d’Or hotel near Bel Ombre. It had only just opened and was quite empty hence I could negotiate a very good rate for two nights. The next morning, I did some snorkelling before I did a round trip in the southern part of the island. I drove to the Black River Gorges National

Le Souffleur
Le Souffleur or blowhole. This fascinating natural activity caused by waves pressing water into narrow tubes which extend above sea level, was for a long time offering a fascinating show. Due to erosi... [more]

Park where I stopped at the waterfall at Chamarel and the Terres des Couleurs. I had a very good lunch on the terrace of the Varangue sur Morne restaurant whilst enjoying a stunning view. I walked off my lunch at the Black River Falls where I climbed down the first cascade.

I checked out the next morning and drove on the bended road past Baie du Cap to the Morne Brabant, one of Mauritius' landmarks before I continued to Flic en Flac. Finding a place to stay was easy, I choose the small but nice and tidy bungalow hotel Klondike at the northern end of the village. I spent the afternoon in the small swimming pool directly above the beach.

The next day I visited Mauritius' capital, Port Louis and the botanical garden at Pamplemousses with its famous big water lilies. A couple of hours were easily spent wandering around in this big park, enjoying the huge variety of different tropical plants.

The following day, I drove to the northern end of the island and stopped for a few hours in Trou aux Biches where I spent some time on the famous beach. On my way to Bella Mare on the east coast I stopped on the northern tip of the island at Cap Malheureux for some snorkelling off the island of Coin de Mire.

In Bella Mare it was again easy to find some accomodation to stay for two nights. On the next day I enjoyed a boat trip to the famous Ile aux Cerfs where I had a barbecue and did a bit of snorkelling. That night I had an expensive sundowner on the beautiful beach of the world-famous Le Saint Géran hotel (just pretended to be looking for a room to get inside).

On my last day on Mauritius I went to the Domaine du Chasseur (also known as Domaine des Grand Bois). This is a private nature reserve located on a mountain slope and covered with rain forest. A lot of deer, venison etc. can be spotted (or shot). I spent my last night in another cheap hotel in Blue Bay just south of Mahébourg before I caught the morning flight back home.

Looking back, I would have expected to find more of these beautiful beaches on Mauritius - there are a very few. On the other side, the living costs were significantly lower than I had expected. It is surprisingly cheap to eat in one of the small local restaurants or to shop on the local market or in the small supermarkets. As for accomodation, I usually paid between EUR 25 to 40 for the night including half board.

Mauritius welcomes you - The official site for Mauritius

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