Port Louis
Port Louis situated on the north-western coast and is surrounded
by a semi circle of mountains. It is the Capital city and
also the harbour of Mauritius. The city covers only 45 sq
km. It is the hub of all business activities in Mauritius.
When in Port Louis one would notice the past elegance through
the Government House off the Place d’ Armes, the Supreme
Court, the Museum and also the colonial houses lodged between
modern buildings.
Domine Less Pailles
Domaine Les Pailles is situated quite close to Port Louis,
it has a nature park spreading over 3,000 acres at the foot
on a mountain range where visitors will be able to discover
some old ways of living in an enchanting environment. On
can also experience the traditional way of making sugar
from freshly crushed sugarcane and see rum being distilled
from sugarcane syrup.
Curepipe
Curepipe, at 20 km from Port-Louis, is a residential city
of 75 000 inhabitants. It took its rise at the end of XIXth
century, when the inhabitants of Port-Louis took refuge
there, fleeing the epidemic of malaria. Curepipe is the
island's main urban centre, a pleasant town which lacks
the atmosphere of Port Louis but has good shops and restaurants.
Quatre Bornes & Rose Hill
Quatre Bornes & Rose Hill are other urban centres with
numerous shopping centres and eating out areas. Rose Hill
town owes its name by the pinkish colours which takes, at
dawn and at the twilight, the mountain of the Corps de Garde.
It is a centre of theatrical and cultural activities.
Mahebourg
Mahebourg is a small peaceful colonial town. It is in this
bay that during three days, from the 22 to August 25, 1810,
the French squadrons commanded by Duperré, and English
commanded by Willoughby, fought a duel to death. It was
the only great naval victory of Napoleon.
Pamplemouses Gardens
The Pamplemouses Gardens gardens are world famous for their
large collection of indigenous and exotic plants, including
the giant Victoria regia water lilies and many species of
palm trees. Of particular interest is the talipot palm,
which is said to flower once every sixty years and thereafter
die.
Grand Baie
Grand Baie lies 20 km north of Port Louis with its beautiful
beaches and its deep and sheltered bay, often as calm as
a lake. The town of Grand-Baie is a charming village with
white sand beaches, bordered with shops, restaurants and
coconuts. It is the main tourist attraction and has been
aptly named the ‘ Mauritian Cote D’ Azur ’.
Riviere Noire
The area of Rivière Noire is located at the south-west
of the island. The wooded and wild hills go down slowly
towards the coast opposite the île in Bénitiers.
Cap Malheureux
In the coral reef of Cap Malheureux live the octopuses,
the morays, the red mullets and shellfishes. The Mauritian
lagoon was impoverished in shells, and it is today forbidden
to collect an alive shell.
The Bird Garden of Casela
This is a magnificent site, between Bambous and Tamarin
in the Riviere Noire district, the Casela Bird Park hosts
some 140 varieties of birds from around the world. The main
attraction remains the Mauritian Pink Pigeon, one of the
rarest birds in the world, still fighting to avoid the fate
of the dodo. One of the giant tortoises is 150 years old.
The park is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm.
Domaine du Chasseur
Situated in the south-east of the island, near Mahebourg,
in the heart of abundant greenery, Le Domaine du Chasseur
covers about 1,950 acres. It is also an exciting natural
hunting ground with its herds of some 1,000 deer and hundreds
of wild boar.
Tamarind Falls
The Tamarind Falls are a little difficult to reach, but
it's worth the effort for a beautiful, deep, cool bathe
at the bottom of the series of seven falls. You can see
them from the Vacoas side, if you follow the sign from Henrietta.
From Curepipe or Quatre Bornes, take a bus to Henrietta,
then walk to Tamarind Falls.
