Mauritius
This popular ecotourism destination is a 26-hectare nature reserve on an island roughly 800m off the coast. It preserves very rare remnants of the coastal…
Must-see attractions in Mauritius
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens
The North
After London's Kew Gardens, the SSR Gardens is one of the world's best botanical gardens. It's among the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius and…
Mauritius
Protecting a 400-year-old forest, this reserve is an important habitat for the Mauritius kestrel, one of the world's most endangered raptors, and a visit…
Port Louis
Although dedicated to the world-famous Mauritian one-penny and two-pence stamps of 1847, the Blue Penny Museum is far more wide-ranging than its name…
Mauritius
If you're only going to visit one attraction related to Mauritius' rich colonial history, choose Eureka. This perfectly preserved Creole mansion was built…
Port Louis
The shrine of French Catholic priest and missionary Père Jacques-Désiré Laval is something of a Lourdes of the Indian Ocean, with many miracles attributed…
Mauritius
Locals like to wax nostalgic about Tamarin Beach and its surfing heyday, and in many ways this sandy cove still feels like a throwback to earlier times,…
Mauritius
Don't miss the central foire de Mahébourg, near the waterfront. The initial focus was silks and other textiles, but these days you'll find a busy produce…
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Mauritius
This terrific museum is one of Mauritius' best. It contains fascinating early maps of the island and Indian Ocean region, paintings from colonial times,…
Port Louis
Port Louis' rightly famous Central Market, the centre of the local economy since Victorian times, is a good place to get a feel for local life, watch the…
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Rodrigues
In 1691 François Leguat wrote that there were so many tortoises on Rodrigues that 'one can take more than a hundred steps on their shell without touching…
Black River Gorges National Park
On a clear day, the views from here across the gorge and down towards the west coast rank among the best on the island.
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Chamarel
One of the most exciting conservation initiatives in Mauritius in the last few years, the Ebony Forest seeks to recreate a small pocket of indigenous…
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Mauritius
St Aubin is an elegant plantation house that dates back to 1819; it originally sat alongside the factory but was moved in the 1970s so that its owner…
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Mauritius
In an effort to protect the area's rich underwater forest of rare corals from encroaching development, the government has given Blue Bay 'marine park'…
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The North
One of the loveliest examples of colonial architecture on the island, restored Château Labourdonnais was completed in 1859. Built in teak and sporting an…
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Chamarel
Set among the vast hillside plantations of Chamarel, the rhumerie is a working distillery that doubles as a museum showcasing the rum-making process. The…
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Chamarel
This eclectic place is utterly unlike anywhere else on the island. Essentially an interactive gallery of illusions and art, it has an upside-down room, a…
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Mauritius
Worth a look, Victoria 1840 is an old sugar mill that has been lovingly refurbished to house some of the works of Yvette Maniglier, a bewitching French…
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Rodrigues
The Saturday market is as busy as Rodrigues gets and it's the best place on the island to shop for fresh produce and souvenirs. It's open the rest of the…
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Rodrigues
One of the loveliest cove beaches anywhere in the Indian Ocean, this isolated spot, enclosed by low cliffs, is accessible only on foot on the coastal…
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Mauritius
Small, perfectly formed and lapped by waters a near-perfect shade of turquoise on a sunny day, this is the pick of the public beaches on Mauritius' east…
Mauritius
About 1km west of central Curepipe, the Trou aux Cerfs is a dormant volcanic crater some 100m deep and 1km in circumference. The bowl is heavily wooded…
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Mauritius
This busy zoo and reserve makes for a fantastic field trip with kids. The park has the greatest number of giant tortoises in captivity in the world (over…
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Grande Montagne Nature Reserve
Rodrigues
One of the last remaining stands of forest on Rodrigues, this nature reserve crowns the island's summit. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has planted…
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Mauritius
Île des Deux Cocos sits at the edge of the azure lagoon and was once used by flamboyant British governor Sir Hesketh Bell to entertain guests. Today the…
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Mauritius
The resort hotels of Le Morne may have grabbed long stretches of ocean frontage here, but this public beach, between Dinarobin and Lux Le Morne is just as…
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Black River Gorges National Park
The stunning Macchabée Viewpoint is in the heart of the Black River Gorges National Park, where some of the best trails meet.
Flic en Flac
When you arrive at this 14-hectare nature park, you're greeted with a bewildering range of options – in addition to being a zoo (with big cats, rhinos,…
Mauritius
This half-formed grotto on the side of a cliff spouts a geyser-like fountain (up to 20m high!) when seas are rough. You'll need a bit of gumption (and a…
Mauritius
This 250-hectare tea factory and museum is located about 12km north of Rivière des Anguilles amid a vast expanse of cane. Hour-long tours of the tea…
Black River Gorges National Park
Mauritius
A network of hiking trails crisscrosses the wild and empty Black River Gorges National Park. Unfortunately, they're not always well marked, so check the…
Chamarel
About halfway (1.5km) between the entrance gate to Terres de 7 Couleurs and the colourful sands is a scenic viewpoint over the waterfall, which plunges…
Natural History Museum & Mauritius Institute
Port Louis
The major attraction at this small museum – which was closed for much-needed renovations when we visited – used to be the famous reconstruction of a dodo…
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Mauritius
In 1870 the Rault family started producing manioc biscuits at its little biscuit factory on the northern outskirts of Mahébourg, and the factory has…
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The North
The former Beau Plan sugar factory houses one of the best museums in Mauritius. It not only tells the story of sugar in great detail but also covers the…
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Chamarel
Chamarel Coloured Earths have become one of the sights on the island's usual tourist circuit. Some travellers (and we're among them) find them quite…
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Port Louis
Aapravasi Ghat, a small complex of buildings located on the seafront, served as the island's main immigration depot for indentured labourers from India…
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Rodrigues
Caverne Patate, in the island's southwestern corner, is an impressive cave system with a few stalagmite and stalactite formations. Visit is by guided tour…
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Mauritius
The manor house of the Domaine des Aubineaux was built in 1872 in a classic colonial style; in 1889 it was the first residence on the island to be…
