MAURITIUS

Before understanding Mauritius, we have to delve a little into the outline of its history. This small English- and French-speaking island in the Indian Ocean, which has been independent since 1968, has a diverse cultural background, which includes Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English influences. This historical mix has shaped its identity and unique cultural richness.

Discover the enchanted wilderness and tranquillity of the south of the island, its coves, deserted beaches, and marine cemeteries, while skilled fingers strike the ravane, a large flat drum and the main instrument of Sega, the traditional music inherited from African slaves. A little further west, the majestic Morne Mountain watches over chic hotels that nestle along the peninsula. The decor seems straight out of a painting by the famous Mauritian painter Malcom de Chazal: a deep blue sea, dazzling white beaches, and dark-green coconuts.

Taking the road north, we suggest a colourful and lively stopover in Mahébourg, where street vendors set up their wares on Mondays. Sugarcane fields and tea plantations stretch in all directions, and the sublime scents of frangipani, hibiscus, and anthuriums are all around the many Indian temples. Discover more of the island’s plants and flowers at Pamplemousses, in the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, where you will find a collection of trees from nearly every country, including flame trees, guava trees and Chinese camphor trees. To recover from these heady adventures, take a moment to relax at the Grand Bay and its peaceful harbour. From there it is on to Port-Louis, the capital, with its waterfront shops and lively market, which offers myriad exotic fragrances, enlivening all the senses.

Don’t fight it, you can’t win: you are already falling in love with Mauritius.