MAURITIUS

Mauritius  , officially the Republic of Mauritius  , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the southeast coast of the African continent.   The area of the country is 2040 km2. Its capital is Port Louis.

The first Portuguese explorers found no indigenous people living on the island in 1507. The Dutch settled on the island in 1638 and abandoned it in 1710. Five years later, the island became a French colony and was renamed Isle de France. The British took control of Mauritius in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. The country remained under British rule until it became an independent Commonwealth realm on 12 March 1968 and a republic within the Commonwealth on 12 March 1992.

The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural; most Mauritians are multilingual, and English, French, Creole and Asian languages are used.  The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system. Mauritius is highly ranked for democracy and for economic and political freedom.

The island of Mauritius was the only home of the Dodo bird. The bird became extinct fewer than eighty years after its discovery.

Mauritius is one of the world's top luxury tourism destinations.  It possesses a wide range of natural and man-made attractions, enjoys a tropical climate with clear warm sea waters, attractive beaches, tropical fauna and flora complemented by a multi-ethnic and cultural population that is friendly and welcoming. These tourism assets are its main strength, especially since they are backed up by well-designed and run hotels, and reliable and operational services and infrastructures.  Mauritius received the World Leading island Destination award for the third time and World's Best Beach at the World Travel Awards in January 2012.

Mauritius Botanical Garden, also known as Pamplemonsses MauritiusGarden and SSR Botanical Garden, is one of the most popular tourist attraction in Mauritius, and is located near Port Louis. It is the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere. The spectacular garden was built by Pierre Poivre in 1767, and covers an area of around 37 hectares. The botanical garden is most famous for its giant water lilies, spice garden and unique collection of 85 varieties of palms from Central America, Asia, Africa and the islands around the Indian Ocean.

Black River Gorges National Park is a national park stretching on an area of 6,574 hectares in the hilly south-western part of Mauritius. It was construction in Mauritiusorder to save the natural vegetation of the island and make it one of the most important Mauritius sightseeing. One can walk along the greenery and reach the highest point of the island, which is the Black River Peak. Facilities for visitors include two information centres, picnic areas and 60 kilometers of trails. The Black River Gorges National park protects most of the island's remaining rainforest, and is home to many species of wild animals and birds. Many endemic plants and animals can be found in the park including the Mauritian flying fox, Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, Mauritius parakeet, Mauritius cuckoo-shrike, Mauritius bulbul, Mauritius olive white-eye, Mauritius grey white-eye and Mauritius fody.

Île aux Cerfs Island, known in English as the deer island is an Mauritius island near the east coast of Mauritius in the Flacq district. Ile Aux Cerfs is famous for its sandy beaches, beautiful lagoon and big selection of activities and facilities. In Ile Aux Cerfs you are sure to have a day of relaxation and fun on one of the picture-postcard beaches, and to enjoy a swim and snorkeling in the lagoon. This paradise island of Mauritius constitutes of around 100 hectares of land. Nowadays there are no more deers on the island, but you will find there some of the worlds beautiful beaches and as such it is one of the must place to visit and see in Mauritius.

Port Louis is the capital city and main port of Mauritius, Port Louis was constructed in the year 1735 by the noted French governor, Mahe de Labourdonnais. Today Port Louis is the largest city in Mauritius. Port Louis is surrounded by a mountain range, called the Port Louis Moka Range which makes it worth watching. Mauritius Port Louis has conserved many historic and colonial buildings through the years. One of them is a fortification named Fort Adelaide or La Citadelle, built by the British in 1835. The latter dominates the city. The main tourist attractions in Port Louis include the Caudan Waterfront, Port Louis Bazaar, Police Barracks, the Mauritian Chinatown and the old Port Louis theatre. The capital has also three museums which are: the Blue Penny Museum, the Mauritius Natural History Museum and the Mauritius Stamp Museum. Also, the biggest and oldest post office in Mauritius is found in Port Louis near the Caudan Waterfront. At the city center there are number of French styled buildings, which enhances the charm of Port Louis. Port Louis is definitely a must place to see and visit during your visit to Mauritius.

Grand Bassin, known also as Ganga Talao is a lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius.Mauritius It is about 600 meters above sea level. The Grand Bassin is a holy lake for Mauritian of Hindu faith. It is said that the water inside the lake communicates with the waters of the holy Ganges of India. The Hindus of Mauritius declared the Grand Bassin as a Holy lake. The Hindu community performs there a pilgrimage every year on the Maha Sivaratri/“Siva’s Great Night”, on this day they honor the Lord Siva. Beside the lake there a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and other Gods including Hanuman and Lakshmi. Also, overlooking the lake is the statue of Mangal Mahadev (Shiva statue) which is of 33 meters, making it the highest statue in Mauritius.

Chamarel park - 7 colored earth & Chamarel falls - The “seven-coloured earth” of Chamarel is a geological curiosity and a major tourist attraction of Mauritius. The landscape at ChaMauritiusmarel is truly unique, it is the only place in world where you can find a clay earth of 7 colors at one place. The colors of these unique dunes are red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow, purple and red are predominant. Also when visiting the park you get to see a great view of the neighboring falls and of the lush vegetation all around.The Chamrel park offers another attraction to be relished first, the Waterfall of Chamarel. It is a truly beautiful waterfall, some consider it as the best in Mauritius. Three distinct stream plunging down a free fall of nearly a 100 meters down into the gorge.

Trou aux Cerfs is a 605 m high extinct volcano located in Curepipe, MauritiusMauritius. The crater has been alternately described as 300 meters in diameter, and is 85 meters deep. Trou aux Cerfs is considered the main attractions of Curepipe. In the center of the crater there is a small lake. From the view point on the crater you will have a spectacular view of major part of Mauritius Island. The volcano is considered as a dormant volcano, which has been formed millions of years ago and was active until 600,000 to 700,000 years ago.

Ile aux Aigrettes - Ile aux Aigrettes is a tiny coral island (25 hectares) just off the coast of the town of Mahebourg. MauritiusThe island has been declared a nature conservation site and today is being preserved by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Owing to the remarkable work accomplished by the Mauritius Wildlife Fund, the island has become an international standard for the protection of natural resources and endangered species. A few of the world’s rarest birds, including the kestrel, can be seen there. You can also discover the extremely rare Pink Pigeon, the Green Gecko Phelsuma and the Aldabra giant tortoise. Some of the plants found in Ile aux Aigrettes grow nowhere else in the world and they form the last remnant of a coastal forest that once surrounded much of Mauritius. Eighteen Mauritian plant species which grow on the island are classified as endangered or very rare.

Gabriel Island, known also as Îlot Gabriel, is located near the Round IslandMauritius and the Flat island, at the extreme north of Mauritius, about 10 kilometers north of Cap Malheureux. The distance between Gabriel Island and Flat Island is only 750 meters. The size of the island is 42 hectares and the highest point is of 28 meters. Gabriel Island is a protected natural reserve and is most famous for if its beautiful unspoiled beaches, with crystal clear water surrounding the entire island. It is a very popular site for snorkeling, it offers great dive sites, and is the ideal destination for a day of relaxation on the beach.

Euroka Creole House - Eureka House is a unique Creole houseMauritius built in 1830 in a magnificent garden surrounded by waterfalls of Moka River and the Moka Range. Eureka House is reputed to be one of the largest houses on the island, with 109 doors and windows. The Eureka house was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1986. The museum has areas dedicated to music, art, antique maps, Chinese and Indian house wares and quirky contraptions like a colonial-era shower.