What To Do In Mauritius
I was blessed to have visited this beautiful country twice in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, was an extra special as I celebrated my 39th birthday in Mauritius. I’ll share this famous Red Roof Church. And a few more later on. Those haven’t been here do put Mauritius in your bucket list of places to visit. Of course once this outbreak has been addressed and cured.
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Here’s an interesting fact about the Red Roof Church or better known as Notre Dame de l’Auxiliatrice
Located in Cap Malheureux, Notre Dame de l’Auxiliatrice is a beautiful church with red-roof and is surrounded by colourful trees during the summer. Cap Malheureux is a fishing village that takes its name back from 1810 when the British landed here to defeat the French in a sudden inland attack. To admire the picturesque church overseeing turquoise waters, many visitors pay a visit to Notre Dame de l’Auxiliaire every day. The mass on Sunday morning is attended by locals, who and the mass is given in Mauritian Creole. The cheerful chorus is accompanied too
Here I share must visit spots in Mauritius. All of the below can be covered within a day. My advice is to rent a full day tour. There are reputable agencies you book through your hotel. Alternatively, you can try booking these gentlemen I’ve used them on both occasions.
Raj Tours – https://rajadventures.com/ (its a husband and wife team, you will be in touch with Ms. Shoba. Just make the necessary arrangements. If you need airport transfers, they can organise that for you. Pricing is reasonable but please do negotiate.
Chamarel Falls is a village in Mauritius located in Rivière Noire District, the eastern part of the village also lies in the Savanne District. The Chamarel Waterfalls is believed to be one of the largest waterfalls around in Mauritius. The best part about this waterfall is the perimeter and the surroundings which further add to the beauty of the place. It is surrounded by the rich vegetation of the Black River Gorges which accentuate the impending flow of the waterfalls. It is located in close vicinity of the Black River National Park so you can witness it too. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Mauritius.
The seven coloured Earths are a geological formation and prominent tourist attraction found in the Chamarel plain of the Rivière Noire District in south-western Mauritius. It is a relatively small area of sand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow). The main feature of the place is that since these differently coloured sands spontaneously settle in different layers, dunes acquire a surrealistic, striped colouring. Since the earth was first exposed, rains have carved beautiful patterns into the hillside, creating an effect of earthen meringue.
If you enjoy Rum, then you MUST try visiting the Rhumerie de Chamarel Distillery. Established in 2008, Chamarel Rum distillery makes use of red and yellow sugar cane. To ensure the best quality they cultivate their own sugar cane. The cane is harvested by hand.
Be sure to book a tour early. The tour is done in either English or French at the duration of the tour is of about 30 to 40 minutes. At the end of the tour, unique rum tastings is offered where one can try the selection of the agricultural Rums produced by the distillery. As opposed to the traditional rum produced by the distillation of molasses, the agricultural rum is obtained by distilling pure cane juice, a process which gives it its specifics aromas and flavors.
As part of the rum tasting you will be invited to sample selection of rums such as the: White Rum, Coeur de Chauffe, Chamarel Liquors, Exotic- Flavoured Rums and the Old Rum. My favourite was the Old Rum. You can buy Rum bottles of different flavours too at a slightly cheaper price than duty free at the airport.
Here’s the website of https://www.rhumeriedechamarel.com/the-distillery/
Grand Bassin is close to a lot of natural attractions and interesting places to visit, including the wildest place on the island, Black River Gorges National Park, which is a must for animal lovers, birders, hikers and adventure travellers and the newly established Ebony Forest, a wonderful place to see indigenous trees and birds.
Magnificent statue of Durga Maa (Hindu goddess) is the biggest of its kind in the world. The construction for this statue started in 2011 and it took 6 years for specialists to craft this gorgeous work of art, which was celebrated in 2017 with a special Durga Puja which took place after many consultations with Indian gurus who are very familiar with the sacred Hindu texts and the stars. The goddess Durga Maa is said to be an incredible warrior, and so the statue includes a lion, which symbolises courage and strength. The statue was built thanks to donations and is made up of some 400 tons of iron and 2000m3 of concrete.
Tip: Be conscious that Grand Bassin is a holy site for Hindus: always be respectful in the temples by wearing modest clothing and removing your shoes before going inside.
The following are the best beaches in my opinion. If you noticed an area that i missed out, please do share.
Flic En Flac Beach – Longest Beach and is one of the best Mauritius beaches for swimming or snorkeling or just sit by the peaceful shore. By the way, if you like staying in the branded hotels such as Hilton, Accor this is the best place to be. Don’t worry if you’re on a budget there are mid-range $$ hotels as well. But be sure to find out if those hotels have sea front in the hotel. I remember seeing some hotels, you’ve got to walk up to the beach. I know that Hilton and Sofitel both have their own private beach and it’s very clean. Be sure to go for snorkeling as Flic en Flac is famous for beautiful coral reef with immense palette of colors. Flic en Flac is in the west coast of Mauritius. And is considered to be the best owing to beautiful sunsets and beaches.
Assuming you’re not so keen to stay here. You can opt to pay a visit. But since most beaches is within the hotel vicinity. It might a little tough to swim. How to reach: Flic En Flac Beach is best accesses by buses or by taxis from Port Louis.
Grand Baie or Grand Bay – is where all the happenings takes place. The locals call its a party place. Grand Bay attracts a lot of tourists, it was once called Bay without end and therefore, it is considered to be one of the popular holiday destination for many. The turquoise blue waters well complemented with the liveliness of the beach is what makes it more beautiful. If you’re into water sports then you should try sailing, safe swimming, surfing and even several other boat excursions too.
Another item I’d like to point out about Grand Baie is that it’s also offer a large choice of fashion and craft shops, hotels and restaurants. You can find in Grand Bay traditional local shops, some operating for almost 50 years, alongside modern shopping centers and worldwide brand shops. Considering the variety of shops and shopping complexes, Grand Bay is definitely a top shopping destination for clothes, jewelry, textiles and for souvenirs. On my 1st trip to Mauritius, we stayed here. And it was bustling! So, if you’re not very much a beach bum then I recommend to check out Grand Baie as an option.
Tamarin Beach was also known as Santosha Bay. Apparently, it was once a surfing paradise. This beach used to get many high waves perfect for surfing, thus attracting loads of tourists from all over the world. Tamarin Beach has similar charm it used to have before but due to crowd and pollution the waves are not so high making surfing not possible. However, people still visit this beautiful beach to indulge in other water based activities like snorkelling and scuba diving.
What I noticed at this area was the gorgeous palm trees and surrounded by deep blue sea. It is a perfect spot to indulge in recreational activities like diving and snorkeling.
Best time to visit: Is toward the end of the year, from October through to December, when temperatures are hottest. However, Mauritius has an enviable subtropical climate that normally brings sun, warmth, and blue skies, so expect perfect beach weather for most of the year.
The best flying route to Mauritius. Since I am based in Malaysia in Asia. I chose to fly via Air Mauritius. After much researching, our best and the cheapest route was with Air Mauritius. Luckily for us, Air Mauritius flies to Changi, Singapore. Total flight time for us was around 9 hours which was very decent compared to Emirates. If you’re in Europe, you’re best bet would be via Emirates Airlines thanks to it’s frequency. Air Mauritius flies to Singapore on alternate days and returns alternate days as well. This is due to making sure there is a passenger load. So if you ask me how many days is an ideal trip for you, i would recommend at least 1 1/2 weeks because of the flying time. The pricing is also fairly competitive.
I hope this help you plan your trip better. Do share if you managed to find other solutions of flying options from where you’re origin at.