Mauritius: 10 must-see places

If you finally came to discover about this article, then we probably don’t need to flaunt about the exotic wonders of the little piece of gem found in the middle of the Indian ocean. 

White sandy beaches, lush vegetation, azure lagoons portraits the Mauritian reality of tropical paradise.

Apart from amazing beaches and world class luxury hotels, Mauritius has a lot to offer. Today, travelers bring to you a list of the ten must-see places of the once called isle de france.

Mauritius: Top Ten places to Visit

1. Le Morne Cultural Heritage Site

Le morne is a site full of culture and history. In the 18th and late 19th century, Le Morne the refuge of Maroon slaves fleeing the inhumane conditions of slavery. They hid in the caves on the slope of the Morne Brabant.

The majority of slaves brought were from Mozambique and Tanzania. A few only were from Madagascar. They used to work in the sugar cane fields and factories mainly.

Many historians have the view that many of the maroon slaves jumped off the cliffs of Le Morne Brabant to escape slavery, while little evidence has been found to support this claim.

Mauritius: Le Morne Cultural Heritage site

Le morne is found in the sourthern tip of the island, on a peninsula mostly surrounded by the sea. As you climb to the top, the view is amazingly pictutesque. The lagoon gives the illusion of an underwater waterfall. A unique site in the whole world.

The Morne is unique in the fact that it lacks of cultural evidence, which is the eventual proof of maroon life. They had to be as unseen as possible. This argument made possible for Le Morne to be classified by the UNESCO as a world heritage site.

Only a few relics of this mysterious past still remains. A few trails and six rock shelter on the summit of Le Morne.

Hiking to the top is possible only through as guide as the site is protected and runs through a privately owned property.

Le Morne village is a quiet place, where fishing for your meal is still the shared pastime as it used to be during the slavery era. There is nothing great to see in the village itself.

The Beach is nevertheless amazing and azure blue.

2. Black River Gorges National Park.

Mauritius Island was once totally covered with lush vegetation, dodos running everywhere, Giant turtles and ebony trees. Colonization led to a massive afforestation to leave place for development and sugarcane culture.

The Black River Gorges National park is one of the few remaining places that account for the once lush vegetation of Mauritius. The park stretches over a total area of about 6574 acres which is about four percent of the total surface area of Mauritius.

Black River Gorges National Park Mauritius

The park contains a wide range of ecosystems, endemic fauna and flora. It is also refuge for many endangered endemic birds like the Kestrel, Cato Vert, and Pink Pigeon which was once threatened with extinction.

There are also some ebony trees, also endangered. The wood of the tree is extremely dense and dark. The site offers exciting and long trails for hikers and nature lovers. You will surely encounter numerous gorges, vistas, peaks and waterfalls along the trail.

There are some streams and ponds where the water is amazingly fresh and clear. You can even take a dip.

3. Chamarel.

One of the wonders of Mauritius. Chamarel is a little village found south, in the district of Savanne. As it name suggests, the vegetation and landscape is like the African savanna.

Chamarel boasts two famous sites. The highest waterfall of the island, the Chamarel falls, and a site unique in the world. The seven

Chamarel seven coloured earth in Mauritius

earth.

The Chamarel falls, drop from an impressive height of 100 m. You can hike the top of the cliff and admire the waterfall as it falls a hundred meters below in the pool.

The seven colored earth are made up of sand dunes of distinct colors which ranges from reds, purples and browns.

4. La Vanille Crocodile Park.

Situated in Riviere des Anguilles Village, the croc park is home to thousands of crocodiles belonging to different species. There are even alligators and other animals. Giant reptiles, like Aldabra turtles, monkey and bats.

La Vanille Crocodile Park Mauritius

The site also houses a huge insectarium, the world largest privately owned collection of butterflies, insects and arachnids.

Since there is an overpopulation of crocodile in the park, its restaurant, “Le Crocodile Affamé”(literally the hungry Crocodile), offers visitors to taste its meat. A taste close to that of chicken, amateurs say.

Le Crocodile Affamé Restaurant in La Vanille Crocodile Park, Rivière des Anguilles, Mauritius

5. Pamplemousses Botanical Garden.

The Pamplemousses Botanical Garden or the SSR Garden contains the Samadhi(Funerary Monument) of the late father of the nation, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.

The Garden covers a total area of sixty acres and is situated in the north of the islands in the village of Pamplemousses which bears the same name as its district.

Water lilies in Pamplemousses Botanical Garden Mauritius

The green space features a large collection of palm trees, giant lilies, deers, and bats. There are also some endemic trees.

It is to be noted that there are some trees which have been planted by famous figures which include late Nelson Mandela and Indira Ganhi.

There are a few lakes filled with tilapias.  

6. Château de Labourdonnais.

Castle in Nature. Château de Labourdonnais is a brightly restored 19th century architecture building. The infrastructure regained all of its original grandeur. The Castle will make you rediscover the lifestyle of the people of the 19^th century which provides an exclusive sensation.

Chateau Labourdonnais Mauritius

The garden is beautiful and tidily entertained. There is a distillery, Rhumerie des Mascareignes, in which you can taste the finely produced local rhum.

Château de Labourdonnais also houses a restaurant where you can taste haute gastronomy.

7. Ile Aux Cerfs.

A large outer isle of Mauritius, Iles Aux Cerfs is located off its East Coast, with spectacular white sandy beaches, palm trees and waters of all shades of blue. It remains one of the main attractions of the island. There, the picture-postcard blue lagoon will make you feel as if you just arrived on a Treasure Island. Iles aux Cerfs is the perfect place to relax, enjoy a BBQ and have a go at parasailing to have a majestic aerial view of this pristine isle. The island’s main beach provides basic services including restaurants serving tasty food. It also houses the Bernard Langer golf course.

Mauritius: île aux Cerfs

8. La roche qui pleure /Le Souffleur.

The most wonderful sites of Mauritius as located in the south of the island. So is the “Roche qui Pleure”, situated in Souillac. The place is the site where Sir Robert Edward Hart used to meditate. If you look closer, you can find that the huge crushing wave sculpted his face in the cliffs, and the to and fro of the waves gives the illusion that it is crying.

Le Souffleur in Souillac, Mauritius

There is a museum, La Nef, situated at a hundred meters of the site. It has been built in memorial of Sir Hart. The museum newly restored is a unique piece of architecture due to the fact that it was built using corals only.

“La Roche qui pleure” is situated in front of the migration path of whales. In particular seasons, you can admire these wonderful creatures jump out of the water.

9. Grand Bassin.

The “Grand Bassin” or “Ganga Talao” is a sacred place for Hinduism. The lake is an extinct volcano. Situated 1800 meters above sea level, this is where the people of the Hindu creed, gather to pray during the Mahashivaratree festival.

Grand Bassin Mauritius

The pilgrims on this occasion carry huge carts and sing tantrums in honor of their god.

There is a huge 108 foot Shiva idol statue at the entrance.

10. Champ de Mars in Port Louis.

The Champ de Mars is the oldest horse racing track of the southern hemisphere, and second oldest one in the world. Every Saturday, people gather over there to admire the sublime creatures racing.

Champ de Mars Port-Louis Mauritius

You can also bet at the numerous book makers.