Mauritius. Vacation for a million experiences

One of the natural wonders of Mauritius is the Seven-Color Lands of Chamarel in the southwest, near the Le Morne Peninsula. Near the latter, in turn, water runs down into the ocean. At least it seems so. So, vacation in Mauritius is not limited to the beach.

The island of Mauritius is a real pearl of the Indian Ocean. Summer reigns here all year round. Even when it is winter in Mauritius, i.e. from June to September, the air warms up to 25 degrees, and the ocean is a comfortable 23ºC. When frost comes to Kyiv, the thermometer reaches 30 and 28 degrees, respectively. With moderate humidity, the heat is not felt on the island. There is no rainy season here either.

In Mauritius, you can have adventures in complete safety. The coral reef along the entire coast protects the lagoons from sharks, so you are not in danger while snorkeling. There are also no poisonous snakes or insects, so traveling by land will be free of unpleasant surprises.

If you like an active, informative, full of impressions vacation, then you should choose Mauritius from the islands of the Indian Ocean. It is full of natural and entertainment parks, historical sites, and colonial architecture. It has unique culture, traditions, cuisine and top-notch hotels.

Resort centers

The main tourist centers include:

• Grand Baie in the north of the island, 25 km from the capital. It offers a wide range of water sports, restaurants, branded boutiques and trendy nightclubs. 
• Trou aux Biches in the northwest, near Pamplemousses, is a popular place for a quiet family vacation and snorkeling. 
• Flick-en-Flac on the west coast, south of Port Louis. Protected from the winds, this beach offers excellent conditions for swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and diving. There are also magical sunsets here.
• Belle Mar in the east of the island beckons with picturesque beaches and luxury hotels. There is a water park with many attractions. The east coast is less built up than the west, so you can enjoy an exclusive vacation. 
• Belle Ombre in the south of the island offers a quiet vacation away from the main tourist centers. People come here for nature (there are wonderful nature reserves, including the eponymous Belle Hombre Nature Reserve) and beautiful beaches. 
• The Le Morne Peninsula in the southwest is the world capital of wind and kitesurfing.

What to see

To the north of the capital is the largest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere - Pamplemousse. It is almost 300 years old. The park has more than 500 species of plants: baobabs, dragon and ebony trees, palm trees of 85 species from Asian to American, giant water lilies, and a large spice garden. There are trees planted by Indira Gandhi, Princess Margaret, and François Mitterrand. The park is home to deer, turtles, and birds. There is a 19th-century mansion and a sugar mill.

Not far from the botanical garden and the resort town of Trou aux Biches is the Sugar Museum, known as the "Adventures of Sugar," where you can learn about the history of the sugar industry in Mauritius.

On your way to the botanical garden, stop by the Chateau Labourdonnais. This colonial-era estate, like a time machine, takes you back to the 19th century. Its gardens and groves are home to endemic and centuries-old mango trees of more than 50 species, exotic fruit trees and spices. It also has its own agricultural plots, a distillery where classic and exotic types of rum are produced, and collectible copies of this drink are kept. A restaurant has been opened. Tastings and celebrations are organized.

In the northern part of the island is the colonial house-museum Eureka, which for several generations belonged to the Le Clézio family. The estate is featured in the novel The Gold Digger by their descendant, the French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, who won the Nobel Prize in 2008.

The Kazela Nature Park in the west of the island offers to plunge into the world of safari adventures, see big cats, feed camels and giraffes, as well as have breakfast with giraffes, ride camels, walk across suspension bridges and race on "fun slides.

"The southern part of the island is rich in natural parks. The main one is, of course, the Black River Gorges National Park, the largest protected forest in Mauritius. The park was created for long hikes, mountain climbing, admiring waterfalls, rivers and canyons.

La Vallée Des Couleurs is known for its unique landscape: the ground here is 23 colors and shades. You will find waterfalls and a rock garden where you can mentally travel to Japan, a park with endemic trees, as well as deer, turtles, goats, and peacocks. The park has a zipline over 3 km long, as well as a zipline that can be overcome by bicycle, a suspension bridge, an observation deck, buggies, off-road vehicles, and hiking trails - all to appreciate the majesty of Mauritian nature.

Next to the "Colorful Valley" you will see the Mar-au-Vacoa reservoir, and behind it is the Takamaka Winery, which produces a unique wine from lychee.

Mauritius' business card is the Seven-Color Lands of Chamarel, located in the south near the Le Morne Peninsula. This geopark was formed over 600 million years. Nearby is the Chamarelle Waterfall, which flows into the crater of an extinct volcano from a height of 95 meters, and here they offer such extreme entertainment as abseiling (rope descents). The area is also home to giant tortoises, and is home to Arabica coffee beans and coffee production.

The famous underwater waterfall near the Le Morne Peninsula can be seen not only during a helicopter or seaplane tour, but also by climbing Mount Le Morne, which requires some physical fitness, but is well worth the effort.

The whole family will enjoy La Vanille Nature Park, located half an hour from Belle Hombre. You will feed giant aldabra turtles, play with lemurs and monkeys, and visit Nile crocodiles for breakfast. The local farm is home to Javanese deer, which are the smallest cloven-hoofed mammals in the world, goats, donkeys, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds.

In Belle Hombre itself, there is a Museum of Shells, which has a collection of more than eight thousand exhibits.

Cape Gris Gris, a few kilometers from Belle Hombre, is a spectacular place. This part of the coast is not protected by reefs, so here you can feel the energy of the ocean and see how powerful waves meet the rocks.

Another nature reserve and recreation park is located in the eastern part of the island. This is the Domaine de L'Etoile, which offers activities such as zip lining, horseback riding, ATV and buggy tours.

An incredible amount of entertainment

It is hard to list all the adventures that are available to you in Mauritius. You can explore the underwater world in a special helmet or through the window of a bathyscaphe, swim with an underwater scooter, skydive, fly over the island in a helicopter, spend a romantic weekend on a private island, visit tea plantations, spend the night in a bubble lodge with transparent walls or on a catamaran in the middle of the ocean, swim with dolphins and watch whales, play golf or go in search of treasures in La Bouza, watch horse racing at the first racetrack in the Southern Hemisphere.

Moreover, why not choose a combined tour and visit the island of Reunion with incredible mountainous landscapes or the island of Rodrigues, which is decorated with the François Legois Nature Reserve with a green canyon, caves and turtles of two species: giant aldabras and rare radiating turtles.

Mauritius intertwines history, nature, adventure and beaches. You can't ask for anything better.