Mauritius – Heavenly beautiful

Despite the fact that the island is one of the most populated in the world (1.2 million inhabitants live on it) and that there are many cultures mixing on it, you can feel relaxation, tolerance and acceptance of others on it. On one step, we are accompanied by Hindu temples, on another by Chinatown, and on another, simple fishing villages invite us into their embrace, the rhythms of sega echo from shantytowns...

do not miss
If we want to see, experience, see and explore most Mauritius, we will have to devote at least a few weeks to the trip. The island is surrounded by a coral reef that is broken in only a few places. Inside the coral reef, beautiful white sandy beaches await us, which are sometimes embellished with black rocks. If we are looking for the most beautiful secluded beaches, the route will take us to the northeast of the island. Med Grand Baie and Mahebourg dreamy beaches stretch out, the Belle Mare beach and the beach at the transition between the small island - Ile aux Cerfs - are especially well-known. Hundreds of tourists flock to the latter every day, at the starting point we board a boat that takes us to the sights, and if we wish, they can also organize a picnic for us. If we continue with the natural beauties, we cannot miss the waterfalls that cover the island. The most famous and worth seeing are the Chamarel, Tamarin and Rochester waterfalls. Despite the fact that the island is completely covered with greenery, it is worth visiting one of the natural parks or the botanical garden. In the north of the island, the royal botanical garden of Pamplemousses invites us. There is no entrance fee to the park, but it is welcome to hire a guide who will reveal all the secrets of the local flora. The specialty of the garden is the huge water lilies, which are so big that even a baby could lie on them. Lovers of nature parks must visit the Black River Gorges National Park and Chamarel, where we find the famous earth of seven colors. In the interior of the island, next to a large lake, there is a Hindu temple, to which we are warmly invited. There are walking paths around the lake where, if we are lucky, we will be surprised by the monkey families that live there. Among the parks, Casela Park is worth mentioning, where, in addition to birds and many other animals, we also see lions. They offer us an unforgettable experience, as we can join them in the enclosure and even pet them or go for a walk with them and watch them play, walk or even hunt. In addition to the textile industry, the island's economy is based on the tea and sugar cane industries. The fields of the latter stretch across the entire island, in addition to cane sugar, rum is also obtained, the most famous and popular being the Goodwill brand rum. If we are eager for new knowledge, we can go to the museum L'aventure du Sucre, where we will learn everything about sugar cane, its cultivation and processing options. We are offered a similar experience on the "tea road", where we are invited to the tea museum, where we can see the production and finally taste different teas and buy them as souvenirs.

For sports enthusiasts
Mauritius easily satisfies various desires for sporting activities. The island is interspersed with luxury resorts, with wide golf courses spread out next to them. An independent 18-hole course is found on Ile aux Cerfs. The legend golf course is located on Belle mare beach within the hotel, other courses are also The links on the east coast, the course next to the Shandrani hotel in the southeast, Paradis Golf Club and Tamarina golf estate on the west coast. To visit most of the playgrounds, a stay in one of the selected hotels is required. Mauritius is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for newer sports such as windsurfing and kiteboarding. The most popular location for the latter is the southwest by the famous Le Morne mountain, where the windsurfing and kite center Club Mistral is also located. Because of the coral reef that surrounds the island, there are frequent waves. These delight many surfers who are waiting for their dream wave in more or less secret places. We can also exercise our sporting spirit in the form of more classic sports, such as diving, snorkeling, cycling or hiking. An abandoned railway runs across the island, which has now turned into a popular hiking trail. There are also more and more adrenaline parks of one kind or another embedded in nature, which offer us experiences of a few hours or a whole day, with lunch if desired.

For under the teeth
The mixture of cultures on the island also means diversity in the culinary offer. We have both Chinese restaurants and fast food places available - KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is especially popular with locals. There are relatively few restaurants with Indian food on the island, modern restaurants with haute cuisine lead the way - from sushi restaurants onwards. In more touristic places, the culinary offer is poorer - pizzerias and restaurants with Italian cuisine are available. If we want to try the local cuisine, it will be best if we stop at one of the small roadside shops, which also have a small kitchen inside. They offer us many different fried dishes, but certainly the most famous across the island are chilli balls and samosas. In some places, they also offer Creole cuisine, which is known for preparing fish, meat or vegetables in a vegetable-tomato sauce. Picnics are often prepared on organized trips, and the most common dish on the island is certainly fish and other seafood, which you can buy from local fishermen and prepare yourself. Island specialty: smoked swordfish. Pineapples (they eat it with salt and chili) and lychees rule the markets in the winter months, and fresh ice cream is offered on all public beaches from yellow vans, which can also be recognized by the tinkling music.

For spendthrifts
The textile industry is very developed on the island. Some well-known clothing brands, such as Billabong and Lacoste, have moved their factories here, and recently the factories of Hugo Boss and Armani were also located here. Next to the mentioned factories and all over the island there are factory shops where you can buy clothes at very low prices. Lovers of sportswear will be delighted with the local brands Habit and Son of beach. In addition to teas, rum and sugar of one kind or another, models of sailboats are considered a traditional souvenir from Mauritius, which in some places can reach a very high price. If we want a useful reminder, we should visit the Glass Gallery in Phoenix. The specialty of the glass factory is the use of recycled glass from which they create glass souvenirs. The most recognizable are certainly "slanted" wine glasses, but we can also make a glass brick in which our palm or foot are imprinted. Local delicacies can be bought at the local market, the largest of which can be found in the town of Quatre Bornes.

Stay
As in other areas, Mauritius also offers a wide variety of accommodation options. You can decide to stay in one of the resorts or rent a house and a car and indulge in life on the island like a local. The most "populated" places on the island, where we will not have any problems finding accommodation, are: Trou aux Biches, Flic en Flac, Tamarin, Le Morne and La Gaulette in the west, Grand Baie and Pereybere in the north, Poste de Flacq, Belle Mare, Grande Riviere and Mahebourg in the east and Souilac and Bel Ombre in the south. The largest city on the island is the capital Port Louis, but it is extremely densely populated and usually only interesting for a day or two for tourists.