Mauritius is a small, multi-cultural island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, northeast of Reunion and southeast of the Seychelles. Mauritius also controls Rodrigues Island and the remote, sparsely populated Agalega and Cargados Garayos (Saint Brandon) islands.
History. The island of Mauritius was first discovered by Arab sailors, at some time in the 9th century when it was uninhabited and covered in a dense forest. The first to colonise the island were the Dutch in 1598 in Grand Port. Mauritius was named after the Prince of Holland Mauritz de Nassau.
In 1710, the Dutch abandoned the island, leaving behind macaques, the java deer, sugar cane, fugitive slaves and, also, an irreversible damage to the endemic and indigenous flora and fauna of the island – the Dodo was, by then, extinct due to extensive hunting, the bird being very easy to capture, while the once abundant black ebony tree population was almost completely depleted due to over-exploitation for its timber.
The French settled on the island in 1713, also landing at the bay in the south-east. They renamed the bay Port Bourbon and renamed the island Ile de France. They settled on the north-western side of the island and established their main harbour there, Port Louis, the present-day capital of Mauritius. During the French settlement there was a lot of development in the country. Mahé de Labourdonnais , whose statue can be seen across from the harbour in Port Louis, is known as the founder of the capital city and the island prospered under his governance (1735-1746).
In 1810, the British defeated the French, renamed Mauritius and remained under British rule until it attained independence. In 1835, slavery was officially abolished and, as most of the African slaves chose to abandon the agricultural fields and move to small coastal villages, indentured labourers (coolies) were brought in from India (chiefly from Tamil Nadu & Bihar) to work in the growing sugarcane industry.
In 1968, Mauritius became an independent nation within the Commonwealth.
A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, Mauritius has attracted considerable foreign investment and has one of Africa’s highest per capita incomes.
Climate. Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May). Tropical cyclones (November to April
GET IN
Visas. Most do not need to apply for a visa beforehand and, depending on nationality, are either entitled to a 90-day visa-free stay or a visa on arrival valid for either 60 or 14 days.
By plane. The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at Plaisance in the southeast of the island. Air Mauritius is the home carrier and operates a network of routes to the local islands and to international destinations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia.
Regional airlines: Air Austral, Air Madgascar, and Air Seychelles connect Mauritius with the surrounding islands.
International airlines such as Air France, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Condor, South African Airways, Meridiana and Corsairfly all serve Mauritius from their home bases.
Visitors are required to provide accommodation details to the immigration service on arrival.
By sea. Vessels that arrive at the port are mainly cargo ships. The Mauritius Pride and the Trochetia are the Mauritian vessels that usually sail to and from Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island and Madagascar. Costa Cruises ships have recently started an Indian Ocean cruise including a visit to Mauritius.
GET AROUND
Bus and taxi services are best used in urban areas. Bicycles and motorbikes are also available for hire.
By plane. Air Mauritius operates daily flights connecting Plaisance Airport and Rodrigues (flight time – 1 hour 15 minutes).
By car. One major highway runs north to south, otherwise a good network of paved, if sometimes narrow, roads cover the island. Traffic drives on the left.
The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Port Louis to other major cities/towns/resorts in Mauritius. Curepipe 0:20, Grand Baie, North 0:30, Mahebourg, Southeast 0:45, Flic-en-Flac, West 0:30
By bus. The bus is the most economical way of travelling.
By metered taxi. Taxis are the best way to visit the island. Various tours are available from MUR2500
By tram. A single light rail line known as the Metro Express links Port Louis with Rose Hill, with an extension to Curepipe.
By boat. Coraline sureka.toolooa@coraline.intnet.muz sails once a week to Rodrigues Island and Reunion island from Port Louis. Mauritius Pride and Mauritius Trochetia are the two ships operating on the Reunion route, and also have Madagascar as a destination. Both vessels are used as passenger and container ships.
Talk. Mauritius does not have an official language, but the main language of government
French is used in formal settings, and the mass media. The most commonly spoken language is Mauritian Creole.
Eat. Culinary traditions from France, India, China and Africa. Chapattis or roti with curries, Dal many and varied, vegetables, beans, and pickles. Dholl puri and roti.
Biryani from Mughal origins is Muslim community, meat mixed with spiced rice and potatoes.
Snacks on the streets of Mauritius: famous gateaux piments (chilli cakes), vegetable or meat samosas (puffs), octopus curry in bread.
Rougaille (pronounced rooh-guy) – tomato and onion based, a variation of the French ragoût – meat or seafood (corned beef and salted snoek fish rougaille are very popular with the locals) – all Mauritians eat this dish often if not daily.
Check out the queues where the street sellers are selling their type of snacks and the longest queue will probably have the tastiest food on sale and is very cheap.
Stay safe. The cyclone season in Mauritius lasts from December until March. There is no malaria in Mauritius and that crime rates are very low
NOMAD MANIA Mauritius
M@P: Agalega and St. Brandon
World Heritage Sites
Aapravasi Ghat
Le Morne Cultural Landscape
Tentative WHS: Black River Georges National Park (17/05/2006)
Islands: Mauritius
Borders: Mauritius (sea border/port)
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Agalega islands
Ile Aux Bentitiers
St. Brandon (Cargados Carajos Shoals)
Museums
Bois Cheri: Bois Cheri Tea Factory and Tea Museum
Mahebourg: Mahebourg Museum
Mapou: Chateau de Labourdonnais
House Museums/Plantations
Eureka Mansion
St. Aubin Plantation
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Mapou: Château de Labourdonnais
Religious Temples
Bon Accueil: Hare Krishna Iskcon Temple
Britannia: Tookay Temple
Cap Malheureux: Notre Dame de l’Auxilliatrice
La Laura-Malenga: Shri Prasanna Venkateswara Temple
Pamplemousses: Saint Francis of Assisi Church
Quatre Bornes: Sri Siva Subramanya Temple
Savanne: Ganga Talao Temple
Triolet: Maheswarnath Temple
Vacoas-Phoenix: Shiv Shakti Mandir
World of Nature
Black River Gorges NP
Bras d’Eau NP
Domaine des 7 Vallées
Islets NP
Kestrel Valley Nature Reserve
Vallée de Ferney
Lakes: Mare aux Vacoas
Rivers: Grand River South East
Festivals: Festival Labourdonnais
Botanical Gardens: Pamplemousses: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden
Lighthouses: Pointe aux Caves (Albion) Lighthouse
Beaches
Belle Mare
Flic en Flac Beach
Grand Baie
Île aux Aigrettes
Île aux Cerfs
Waterfalls
Chamarel Waterfall
Rochester Falls
Tamarind Falls
Religious Monuments: Ganga Talao Lake: Mangal Mahadev
Monuments: Mahebourg: Abolition of Slavery Monument
Bizzarium: Charamel: Curious Corner of Chamarel
African Cities
BEAU BASSIN – ROSE HILL
QUATRE BORNES
CUREPIPE
Botanical Gardens: Curepipe Botanic Gardens
Monuments: Millennium Monument
PORT LOUIS World Capital World City
Tentative WHS: Port Louis
Airports: Port Louis (MRU)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Metro Express
Museums
Blue Penny Museum
Natural History Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Citadel Fort Adelaide
Religious Temples
Jummah Masjid
Kwan Tee Pagoda
Sagar Shiv Mandir
St. Louis Cathedral
Markets: Port Louis Market
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NOMAD MANIA Mauritius – Rodrigues Island
Islands: Rodrigues
Borders: Mauritius (sea border/port)
Airports: Rodrigues (RRG)
Caves: Caverne Patate