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A network of hiking trails crisscross the wild and empty Black River Gorges National Park. Unfortunately, they're not always well marked, so check the route and trail conditions at the information centres before setting off. Look for the rare tambalacoque (dodo tree), the black ebony trees and the wild guavas. Bird-watchers should keep an eye out for the Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, echo parakeet and Mauritius cuckoo-shrike.
Mauritius' sole national park is a spectacularly wild expanse of thick forest covering 3.5% of the island's surface and home to over 300 species of flowering plants and nine species of bird unique to Mauritius, including the famous pink pigeon which is staging a very gradual comeback from the brink of extinction.
tel info 507 0128
taxi from Grande Rivière Noire or Curepipe
| free |
Tamarin is awkward to reach, but it's worth the effort for a beautiful, deep, cool bathe at the bottom of a series of seven spectacular waterfalls. They are only accessible via a challenging trail that begins near the Tamarin Falls reservoir, but you will have to explore to find it. It's best to take a local guide from Henrietta.
bus from Curepipe to Henrietta, then a 2km (1.2mi) walk
| free |
This excellent museum in the former Beau Plan sugar factory not only tells the story of sugar in fascinating detail, but along the way covers the history of Mauritius, slavery, the rum trade and more. The factory was founded in 1797 and only ceased working in 1999. Most of the machinery is still in place and former workers are on hand to answer questions about the factory's history and the complicated process of turning sugar cane into crystals.
There are also videos and interactive displays as well as quizzes for kids. At the end of the visit, you can taste four of the 15 varieties of unrefined sugar, two of which were invented in Mauritius. Allow at least a couple of hours to explore, then end your visit with something even sweeter - a sugar-tasting session and a sticky delight in the stylish café-restaurant.
www.aventuredusucre.com tel info 243 0660
bus from Port Louis
| full | Mauritius Rupee 300.00 |
| child | Mauritius Rupee 150.00 |
These attractive gardens are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius, but the shady avenues seem to swallow the crowds. One key attraction is the park's giant Victoria regia water lilies, native to the Amazon. There's also an astonishing collection of palms of all shapes and sizes.
The gardens were started in 1735 by Governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais as a vegetable garden for his Mon Plaisir Château. The grounds were gussied up by French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre in 1768 in a bid to introduce spices, but afterwards lay neglected until 1849, when a British horticulturalist, James Duncan, took over. His legacy is seen today in the garden's array of palms. Among them you'll find stubby bottle palms, graceful royal palms and talipot palms, which flower only once after about 40 years and then die.
The centrepiece of the garden is the pond of giant water lilies. Young leaves emerge as wrinkled balls and unfold into the classic tea-tray shape up to 2m (6.5ft) across in a matter of hours. Come in January to see them at their biggest and best.
bus from Port Louis
| free |
Backed by mountains at the northwestern end of the island, the burgeoning capital of Port Louis is a relatively large city (in proportion to the size of Mauritius), though it contains a relatively small percentage of the country's total population.
During the day, it bustles with snarling traffic. By night, in contrast, all is quiet - except for the swish Le Caudan Waterfront, where you'll find a casino, cinemas, shops, bars and restaurants. There's a distinct Muslim area around Muammar El Khadafi Square and a Chinatown around Royal St.
The city centre is easily covered on foot. A good place to get a feel for city life is the Port Louis Market, near the water in the heart of downtown. While in the neighbourhood, most visitors drop by the Natural History Museum to see a stuffed replica of that 'abnormal member of a group of pigeons', the dodo.
If you're interested in Islamic architecture, stop by Port Louis' oddly located Jummah Mosque, built in the 1850s in the middle of Chinatown, and Fort Adelaide, which so closely resembles a Moorish fortress that locals call it the Citadel. The Lourdes of the Indian Ocean, Père Laval's Shrine is just northeast of the town centre at Ste-Croix.
The town of Curepipe owes its size and prominence to the malaria epidemic of 1867, during which thousands of people fled mosquito infested Port Louis for healthier, higher ground. The bulk of Franco-Mauritians live in outlying communities and come into Curepipe mainly to shop.
With the flavour of an English market town, Curepipe is the centre of the island's tea and model-ship building industries and the best place to scatter your money. The town itself is worth a quick visit at most as the surrounding countryside has a more universal appeal.
Curepipe's main street of historical interest is Elizabeth Ave. There, the recently renovated colonial-style Hôtel de Ville (1902) functions as the town hall. West of the town centre, Curepipe's botanical gardens are not as spectacular as those of Pamplemousses, but they are well kept and informal, with nature trails branching off of the main paths. Just north of the gardens, Trou aux Cerfs crater is the town's biggest natural attraction.
A few kilometres southwest of town, Tamarind Falls are awkward to reach without your own transportation and good hiking boots, but the rewards are worth the hassle.
