{"id":101057,"date":"2024-03-04T18:19:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T17:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.lemandalamoris.com\/what-to-do-in-mauritius-our-must-haves\/"},"modified":"2024-03-04T18:19:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T17:19:07","slug":"what-to-do-in-mauritius-our-must-haves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/what-to-do-in-mauritius-our-must-haves\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do in Mauritius Our must-haves"},"content":{"rendered":"

The majestic island of Mauritius, star of tropical reveries, unfurls a panoply of wonderful clich\u00e9s, with its idyllic beaches at the forefront. However, its enchanting picture is much broader, including surprising vistas and fascinating history, all inviting a rediscovery of this paradise.<\/p>\n

Mauritius can be likened to a kaleidoscope of curiosities: while the hotel industry dominates the tourism sector, the craze for outdoor activities is exploding, bringing with it a steady stream of seasoned hikers and canyoning enthusiasts. Luxury stores<\/strong> pop up like mushrooms from the Caudan Waterfront to Grand-Baie, while freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, fragrant spices and juicy pineapple overflow from the stalls of local vendors in the main thoroughfares of each town.<\/p>\n

At the foot of the imposing skyscrapers of Port-Louis, the capital, we observe the eclectic parade of women in elegant stilettos and others in authentic saris. In front of the five-star hotels<\/strong>, local fishermen cast their lines carefree, while couples with faces aglow with joy swing in hammocks suspended from sturdy filaos<\/em>. The streets are a living tableau, where colonial mansions and modest tin dwellings mingle with upmarket condominiums, 4\u00d74s are embellished with a thousand colors as they merrily cross a festive Holi street…<\/p>\n

And what can we say about the exquisite and delightful Mauritian cuisine, whose vindaye<\/em>, achard, biryanis<\/em>, daubes and chop sueys<\/em> have no other purpose than to tell the story of this richly mixed culture? For beyond its irresistible seaside attractions and idyllic climate, it’s the singular fusion of Creole, French, Chinese and Indian traditions that endows this 2,000 km\u00b2 island with its unique, spicy charm.<\/p>\n

Port-Louis to Bambous Virieux, a heritage journey<\/h2>\n

\"Port-Louis<\/p>\n

Indispensable for a real grasp of this extraordinary historical heritage, callons in Port-Louis<\/strong>, together with the notable educators of My Moris. This structure, designed in 2015 by Belgian anthropologist, Maya and Mauritian historian and sociologist, Shakti, offers our first step in exploring the city’s rich tapestry. We marvel at the intrigue that goes on behind the scenes of this port in perpetual transition, originally built in 1736 by Mah\u00e9 de la Bourdonnais. The docks of this same port were the landing point for the hundreds of thousands of Indians who were called upon to replace slaves on the sugar cane farms.<\/p>\n

Tinsmiths, barbers and printers will be happy to tell you the hidden story of their island, a story that remains elusive if you glide straight from the airport to those pristine beaches where you plan to enjoy some long-awaited relaxation. Once you’ve become familiar with the majestic turquoise lagoon and the delicate murmur of the coconut palms, I urge you to make other discoveries, including Goodlands<\/strong>the most Indian town in Mauritius (where magnificent model ships are also built at Historic Marine) or the picturesque road along the unspoilt south-east coast.<\/p>\n

In the land of Bambous Virieux<\/strong>, the precepts of sustainable development have already found their way into tourism: I highly recommend spending at least one night in one of the comfortable tents of Otentic Mountain Experience, accessible only by jeep, for an authentic experience of disconnection in the heart of nature.<\/p>\n

Mauritian icons are certainly not to be overlooked. Offering a natural refuge thanks to its volcanic barriers, the island’s west coast<\/strong> – encircled by the mythical rocky peak of Le Morne<\/strong>, a UNESCO World Heritage site – provides a superb shoreline prized by surfers, divers, kitesurfers and other sport fishing aficionados. With water temperatures approaching 25\u00b0C, you can spend hours exploring the richness of the marine world through snorkeling.<\/p>\n

On the mountain side, I suggest the emblematic Plaine Champagne route<\/strong> for a glimpse of the rich botanical diversity of Mauritian forests. With its 6,574 hectares and 311 plant species, the Black River Gorges<\/strong> National Park is a true celebration of biodiversity. Ebony trees, camphor trees, macaques and Java deer, rivers and waterfalls… offer an even more captivating experience when explored on foot!<\/p>\n

Encircling the north coast, the busy northern coastal<\/strong> road offers splendid panoramic views of the surrounding islets: Coin de Mire<\/strong>, \u00eele Plate<\/strong>,\u00eelot Gabriel<\/strong>… while preserving the serenity emanating from the eastern coast, sparkling in the manner of Belle Mare. The Ch\u00e2teau Labourdonnais<\/strong> and Maison Eur\u00eaka<\/strong>, large colonial homes that tell the story of the old Mauricie, give their “confessions” to former hunting estates such as the Vall\u00e9e de Ferney<\/strong>, or the well-known Pamplemousses Botanical Garden<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

From Trou d’Eau Douce<\/strong> to Trou aux Biches<\/strong>, from Flic en Flac<\/strong> to Poste de Flacq<\/strong>, poetry is everywhere. And the often striking surprise of this irresistible concentration of small human, natural and gastronomic joys, which cannot be reduced to a simple postcard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The majestic island of Mauritius, star of tropical reveries, unfurls a panoply of wonderful clich\u00e9s, with its idyllic beaches at the forefront. However, its enchanting picture is much broader, including surprising vistas and fascinating history, all inviting a rediscovery of this paradise. Mauritius can be likened to a kaleidoscope of curiosities: while the hotel industry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":101062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-practical-info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemandalamoris.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}