MAURITIUS

Cest un plaisir

Introduction
Mauritius is a sparkling crystal in the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Vibrant country with contrast of colors, cultures and tastes making the island charming for an unforgettable holiday. Is one of the richest and most developed country in Africa. It is a paradise for water sports. Has rich wildlife and nature parks.

Location
Located 2000 Km to the south eastern coast of Africa 900km east of Madagascar on 20degree5, 57.5 E. Area:- 1865 sq km 45 Km in width and 65 Km in length Coastline:- 330 Km

History
Discovered by Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas. Known to the Arabs as early as 10th century. Named after the Prince of Netherlands Maurice de Nassau. Occupied successively by the Dutch (1598-1712) French (1715-1810) Ceded to Great Britain in 1814 through the Treaty of Paris.

Independence:- 12th March, 1968

Republic Day:- 12th March, 1992

Piton de la Petite Rivire Noire is the tallest

Geography

mountain on the island of Mauritius,828 m (2717 ft) & it forms part of the Black River mountain range. Moka-Port Louis and Grand Port-Savanne. The Moka-Port Louis range includes Pieter Both (820 m) and Le Pouce (811 m) mountains, the second and third highest summits respectively. Mauritius has some 10 lakes, most of them small and artificially designed in order to ensure the drinking water supply. The largest lake is the Mare aux Vacoas. Most of the rivers have their source in the uplands of Mauritius, where the rain falls on the mountain slopes. The longest river is the Grand Rivire Sud Est.

Fast Facts

Official Name: Republic of Mauritius.

Capital: Port Louis(Largest City) Meaning of country's name: Named after the Prince of Netherlands Maurice de Nassau. Provinces: 9 Province & 3 Dependencies

GMT: +4 hours
IST: +1.30 hours Best time to visit: May to October

National Flag

National Emblem

National Bird Dodo

National Flower Trochetia Boutoniana

Climate

Mauritius climate is tropical in nature. The temperature varies between 22 degrees to 34 degree Celsius. Heavy rainfall likely between January and March.

Demography

Currency: Mauritian Rupee (1MUR= 1.6 INR)

Literacy Rate: 82.9%

Economy: Textile, Tourism, Sugar & Service

Population: 1.2 Million.

International Country Code: MRU Area-Comparative: 11 times the size of Washington DC.

Languages Spoken: Mauritian Creole, English & French. Religions Practiced: Hinduism(52%),Roman Catholic(28%),Islam(16.6%), Buddhism(2.5%), Protestantism(2%), Sikhism(0.3%) Top Exports: Sugar, Clothing & Textile, Cut flowers, Molasses & fish. Random Facts: Mauritius is the most densely populated country in Africa.

Festivals
Religious
Thaipoosam Cavadee Abolition of Slavery Day Maha Shivaratri Chinese New Year Ougadi National Day Labor Day Ganesh Chathurthi Eid al-Fitr All Saints' Day First Laborers' Day Diwali Christmas Day

International
Creole International Music Festival

Embassies
Mauritius High Comission , India EP 41, Jesus & Mary Marg Chanakyapuri Postal Code: 110021 New Delhi Mauritius Consulate , India Mittal Tower C, Office No 115, 11th Floor, Nariman Point Postal Code: 400021 Mumbai India

Cuisine
Mauritian cuisine is a mixture of Creole, Chinese, European, African & Indian.
Daube de Poisson Langouste a la Creole Curry de Cerf Rougaille Poisson Sale Dholl puri & roti

Indian Restaurants
Mystic Masala, Port Louis Namaste, Port Louis Le Tandoor, Grand Baie Tandoori Express, Port Louis Indian Fusion Restaurant, Pereybere

5 star hotels in Mauritius

The Grand Mauritian resort & spa The Oberoi hotel Royal palm hotel Hilton Mauritius resort & spa Four seasons

Visa
Visa not required for indian nationals upto 60 days. Must hold return confirm ticket, hotel bookings and 50 USD per day stay. No visa fees. 2-3 working days.

Airlines
Direct flight: Air Mauritius. 1 stop flight: Jet India, Air India, Air France, British airways, Emirates, Kingfisher, South African Airlines.

Getting In
Gateway Cities: Grand Port (SSR International Airport) Flying time: 6 hours 10 minutes Ports: Port of Port Louis.

Getting Around
There are 2,000 km of classified roads in Mauritius, 98 percent of which are paved. Bus: Bus travel is cheap and fun. Long-distance buses run from around 6am to 6.30pm, though there is a late service between Port Louis and Curepipe until 11pm. There are buses every fifteen minutes or so on the major routes. Taxi: These are regulated and metered and linked to provinces. Taxis are the best way to visit the island. Various tours are available as from 2,500 rupees. Helicopter tour: Air Mauritius also offers helicopter tours and charters from SSR International Airport and a number of major hotels. A full one-hour island tour costs Rs 26,000 for up to four passengers; a quick 15minute jaunt will set you back Rs 10,000.

Attractions
Port Louis
Port Louis is the largest city and the capital of Mauritius.

Champs de Mars
Mauritian Turf Club was founded in the year 1812. The champ de Mars is one of the oldest race course in the southern hemisphere and the Turf Club is the second oldest racing club in the world.

Horse racing is held from the month of May and November.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden

Also known as Pamplemousses garden.

One of the oldest botanical garden in southern hemisphere.

Covers an area of 33 hectares.

Famous for giant water lilies.

Also has spices, ebonies, sugarcane, and 85 verities of palms

Blue Penny Museum

The Blue Penny Museum opened in Port Louis, Mauritius, in 2001, purpose-built for the permanent public display of 'Post Office' stamps which had been purchased in 1993 by a private consortium of Mauritian companies. Houses the historical collection of art and documents belongings to the Mauritius commercial bank.

Central Market
It is colorful, bustling market. The market variously sells curios, pareos, handbags, cushion covers, fabrics, shirts, (many of these items are imported from India) vegetables, "fast" foods - and there is a meat market across the road which is part of the whole.

Aapravasi Ghat
UNESCO World Heritage Site. In English known as immigration depot.

Between 1834 and 1920, almost half a million indentured labourers arrived from India at Aapravasi Ghat to work in the sugar plantations of Mauritius.

Natural History Museum

Oldest museum in Mauritius. The Natural History Museum collection dates from early 1800 and contains unique and rare specimens of the fauna of Mauritius . Also on displayed are birds, mammals, reptiles, fishes, shells, tortoises, butterflies, corals representing the local and regional fauna.

Le Caudan Waterfront
It is a centre for shopping, entertainment and business activities. Waterfront is also a melting pot for local artists and the favourite, tourists and locals looking for leisure and entertainment.

China Town
Inhabited by the Chinese community.
The heat, dust and the strong smell spread by the ingredients and spices, proper to Chinese cuisine, will give you a real impression of China. Tiny shops second hand spare parts, plastic toys, Chinese paintings, clothes, books and medicines.

Domaine Les Pailles

Natural park spreading over 3000 acres. Takes through old ways of living. There are also possibilities of driving in LandRovers in the mountains where deer, monkeys and rare birds live harmoniously, riding in horse-drawn carriages or in a train. In the garden is found a replica of an oxdrawn sugar mill, an aleambic to distill the domain's own rum, a riding club, a spice garden and a natural spring.

VACOASPHOENIX
Lies 16 km south of Port Louis . Vacoas-Phoenix is one of the five main towns in Mauritius and the largest town of the country. Vacoas-Phoenix is composed of two main towns, Vacoas and Phoenix. It is also the largest town in geographic terms.

Curepipe
Curepipe is a town situated in central Mauritius. Curepipe is also referred to as "La Ville Lumire" (in English "The Town of Light") since it was the first town in the island to run on electricity.

Trou aux Cerfs

Trou aux Cerfs is a dormant volcano with a well-defined cone and crater. It is 605 m (1,985 ft) high. The crater is 350 meters in diameter and is 80 meters deep.

The volcano can be active at any time within the next thousand years.

Tamarin Falls
Most beautiful & calmest place in Mauritius. Best place for nature and animal lovers.

Has exotic plants and birds.

Quatre Bornes
14 kms away from Port Louis. Quatre Bornes means four boundary stones in French.

Known for its nightlife, discotheques.

Triolet
Lies 11 kms north of Port Louis. It serves the district capital of Pamplemousses. The village is a patch of civilization amid green sugarcane fields .

Grand Baie
It is a seaside village and large tourist beach. It offers facilities for safe swimming, sailing, windsurfing, and water skiing.

Ocean Spirit Dive Centre

Located in pereybere for about 10 years. Offer services in various diving activities. Includes reef diving, deep diving, night diving, shark diving or on cleaning stations and more.

Pereybere Beach
Public beach famous for gathering & swimming spot for both young and old people.

The water is blue in colour and shallow.

The crystal clear water makes this beach ideal for snorkeling.

Ile aux Cerfs

le aux Cerfs Island, known in English as the deer island is an island near the east coast of Mauritius in the Flacq district. This paradise island of Mauritius constitutes of around 100 hectares of land. Ile aux Cerfs is a paradise for water sports and has the most beautiful beach in Mauritius.

Has sandy beaches, beautiful lagoon and big selection of activities and facilities.

Waterpark Leisure Village

The park is spread out on an area of 25 acres . The Water Park is located on the East coast of Mauritius and is the only water park currently operating in Mauritius. The waterpark also features a number of crazy slides and water chutes for people who would like to have a change from the usual water sports.

Belle Mare Beach

Belle Mare Beach is located on the eastern side of Mauritius island, stretching for almost six kilometers. Sandy white beach with Filao and coconut trees. A water park sprawls nearby where water activities can be enjoyed, like wind surfing & kayaking. Beach is protected from wave breaks by a natural reef which is a great location for snorkeling.

Casela Nature & Leisure Park

Lies in the Black River Gorges area of Mauritius.

A 14-hectare park, & is a major bio diversity hotspot and is rich in varied flora and fauna.
offers a habitat to 1,500 birds, lions, zebras, tortoises, monkeys, a tiger and many other animals. Enjoy in Quad, Buggy, Segway and go on an adventure hanging from zip lines, including the longest zip line in the Indian Ocean, with suspension bridges and, walk with lions.

Chamarel
Located in the Black River District . It is a 7 coloured earth created by volcanic rocks that cooled at different temperatures. The earth is formed in layers and is in form beautiful patterns of colors. There is also a waterfall nearby.

BLACK RIVER GORGES NATIONAL PARK

6 574 hectares, in size & the park comprises 3.5% of the island. Home to more than 150 species of plants and nine species of birds which are found only in Mauritius. White, tailed Tropic Birds and the brown Mauritius Fruit Bats which lazily fly over the treetops in the Gorges. Pink pigeon and Mauritian kestrel.

Le Morne Barbant

UNESCO World Heritage Site. Was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. Le Morne Brabant is a peninsula at the extreme south-western tip of Mauritius. The summit covers an area of more than 12 hectares. There are many overhanging caves on the steep slopes. It is surrounded by a lagoon and is a famous tourist attraction. It is also one of the last three refuges of one of the rarest plants in the world, the Mandrinette.

La Vanille Reserve

Its unique park through its animals, its lush vegetation, the insectarium & 3,5 hectares. Has 1500 Nile crocodiles. 1000 tortoises, 2000 crocodiles, 23 000 butterfly and insects species in our insectarium, monkeys, iguanas, deers. Has 275 kgs Domino eldest tortoise of 95 years old. Can shop for hand bags, wallets and other articles made from farmed crocodile skins.