First day in Mauritius Our Turkish Airlines flight landed in Port Louis, Mauritius, at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, a little less than ten hours after our departure from Istanbul. After getting to our hotel, which was near Blue...
First day in Mauritius
A public beach in Mauritius.
Our Turkish Airlines flight landed in Port Louis, Mauritius, at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, a little less than ten hours after our departure from Istanbul.
After getting to our hotel, which was near Blue Bay, in the southeast part of the island, we immediately headed to the quiet beach along the bay and immersed ourselves in the cool waters. Blue Bay beach is mostly preferred by locals and there were few tourists there.
Our first day was relaxing but we were ready to explore on the second day – meanwhile, even on the drive from the airport I could see how beautifully green the island is! It’s in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with clean white beaches and turquoise waters.
Second day in Mauritius
On the second day, we opted for the Catamaran tour, which took us around the bays and waterfalls, some of the most wonderful places to visit in Mauritius. During the tour, the boat crew kept us energized with unlimited drinks and later we enjoyed a barbecue.
Our first stop was to an area where we could snorkel and see tropical fish in all shapes, patterns and colors! Then we headed towards an area called Black River, where there’s a waterfall. We were able to get off the boat and, via speedboat, get a closer look at the waterfall, which splashed us as it hit the surface of the water. Our third stop was at a small island, also reachable via speedboat. On the island, visitors can parasail for 13 dollars and visit the souvenir market.
At the end of the tour, we had dinner at one of the seafood restaurants at the Bagatelle Mall in the capital, Port Louis. We also took the opportunity to buy vanilla tea and garlic cheese at the shopping center. Interestingly, although Mauritius is a popular vacation and honeymoon destination, there’s almost no nightlife – most shops and restaurants close around 8:30 pm.
Third day in Mauritius
Grand Bassin bölgesi, Mauritius.
We decided to spend our third day on land, taking a cultural tour and visiting some of the historical sites on Mauritius. We organized a trip that took us to La Vanille Nature Park, in the south of the island, to the Chamarel 7 Colored Earth Geopark, and to the Grand Bassin, a beautiful crater lake. Grand Bassin is considered a pilgrimage site for Hindus – a Hindu priest brought water from the sacred Ganges River in India and placed it in the lake. About half of the population of Mauritius are Hindu and about a fifth are Muslim. Catholicism, Buddhism and non-Catholic Christianity are also practiced here.
Next on the tour was Chamarel. At almost nine hectares, the park is pretty spectacular. We got out of our vehicle and walked part of the way – there were monkeys all around us! We came to the incredible Chamarel Waterfall, a beautiful waterfall that will inspire painters flows gently through the mountains. And then we got back in our vehicle to visit a rainbow on land.
Winding our way to the 7 Colored Earth site, which is under UNESCO protection, we saw vendors selling pineapple, mango and other tropical fruits. And then we came across this section of multicolored dunes! The colors of the dunes – which range from reds and browns to blues and violets – are from deposits of iron and aluminum oxides. The colors don’t mix because the iron and aluminum particles in the sand repel each other, giving the dunes a striped appearance. Even if you grab a handful of different-colored sands, they’ll eventually separate when you drop them.
We had an amazing time in the Chamarel Geopark and our final stop was to La Vanille Nature Park, a habitat for crocodiles as well as century-old turtles, bats, butterflies and all types of insects. It’s one of the top places to visit in Mauritius and our tour guide gave us great information about all these creatures. Even more important – for me, at least, because I was getting hungry – the park has a restaurant called ‘The Hungry Crocodile’, which serves all kinds of local food, including some specialty crocodile dishes!
Other places to see in Mauritius
Last but definitely not least, another oasis in Mauritius is the Sir Seewoosagur Botanical Garden, named after the country’s first prime minister. The park was opened in 1867 and houses an incredible variety of tropical plants, huge lotus flowers and sugar cane. For palm tree lovers, there are also eighty-five different types of palms!
The Mauritius Dodo!
A statue of the Dodo, the symbolic bird of Mauritius.
Now extinct, the Dodo was a large, flightless bird that existed only on Mauritius. According to various dictionaries of etymology, the word ‘dodo’ comes from the Portuguese word for ‘fool, stupid’. Unfortunately, when the human population of the island began to grow, so did their need for food. The plump (and allegedly tasty) Dodo bird couldn’t fly and thus was easy prey.
I’m so glad that I was able to get to Mauritius, even for a short time! It’s an ideal choice for a pleasant and peaceful island vacation, rich in natural beauty and, also, affordable.
To discovering many more beauties!