Pamplemouses Botanical Garden

Famous all over the world, the Pamplemouses botanical garden is a true eldorado for botanists and a green paradise for the uninitiated. Created by the French Governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais and improved by Pierre Poivre, the garden hosts many rare plants like the Talipot Palm tree which flowers once every century. Apart from a garden of spices, giant water lilies can also be found in large ponds. Two other gardens which add to the pride of the island are the Balfour garden in Beau Bassin and the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam botanical garden in Curepipe. These gardens are famous for their giant tortoises and their superb flora respectively.

Le Val 
Le Val nature park is the ideal place for nature lovers. Situated at the centre of the island, it is a peace haven for birds, monkeys, fish and other animals which live happily in the lush vegetation.

Mauritius Glass Gallery
Next to the Phoenix breweries is a glass works where glass-blowers bring life to glass, producing slender vases, stained glass windows and tiny ornaments, meant for decoration or collection. All these are made from recycled glass. The gallery is open from 8 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 1 pm on Saturdays.

Vanilla Crocodile Park
The crocodiles, imported from Madagascar, are bred in a nature reserve at Rivière des Anguilles, in the south. The park is not only interesting for its reptiles but also for its wide variety of species of the Mascarene fauna, including, monkeys, wild boars, deers and tortoises. The flora, a tropical forest, is also of major interest.

The Black River Gorges
It is a sanctuary for birds saved from extinction like the Mauritian Kestrel and the Pink Pigeon. Indigenous trees like the Tambalacoque, the Ebony and the Bois de Natte can also be found there. Visitors have the choice to either camp in the forest or practise trekking. The site is a protected reserve.

Trou aux Cerfs
Situated almost at the centre of the island, this inactive crater offers a unique circular panoramic view over the major part of the island. It is 85 metres deep and 200 metres in diameter, 

Grand Bassin
Grand Bassin, which is a sacred place for Hindus, is a natural lake over an inactive crater. Around the lake there are many temples where pilgrims congregate during the Maha Shivaratree festival. The lake, found in the south west, is a place where tranquility prevails. The spot is also inhabited by monkeys and exotic birds.

Bois Chéri et le Saint Aubin
Seize the opportunity to discover traditional Mauritius by visiting the tea plantation, the tea factory and museum at Bois Chéri. You will then be invited to sample local tea in a magnificent chalet with a magnificent panoramic view of the surroundings. Also, visit the greenhouses of anthuriums and vanilla trees, as well as the splendid colonial house at Saint Aubin where it is difficult to resist a delicious table d'hôte for a typical Mauritian lunch. 

Chamarel Coloured Earths
Found in the district of Black River, easily accessed from Case Noyale by a winding road, Chamarel Coloured Earth are coloured soils formed by volcanic ashes that are naturally displayed in multicoloured rows. There is also a beautiful waterfall nearby.

Domaine les Pailles
Discover the traditional way of life of Mauritius and the Creole, Chinese, Indian, French and Italian cuisines. Excursions are organised across the site on horseback, in a horse-driven carriage and by train. Moreover, discover the olden ways of making sugar and of rhum by distillation from sugar cane syrup.

Ile aux Cerfs
At 20 minutes by boat from the east coast, at Pointe Maurice, Trou d'Eau Douce, L'ile aux Cerfs is a little paradise for sea lovers. It offers sun, sea and sand along with restaurant facilities. Nautical sports can also be practised there. From Ile aux Cerfs, one can go to a very beautiful waterfall at the estuary of Grand River South East.

Rochester Falls
The Rochester Falls, near Souillac, is one of the most beautiful waterfalls of Mauritius. There, you can swim at leisure.

Casela park
At the Casela bird park in the district of Black River, one can admire more than 1500 birds of 150 different varieties in 100 aviaries. The park also hosts some animals like monkeys, deers, tigers, giant tortoises, wallabies and crown cranes. The Casela, with an area of 25 acres, is a relaxing spot with trees, small cascades and streams which contribute to the peaceful atmosphere in a natural background.

Museums
The Natural History Museum of Port Louis, next to the Jardin de la Compagnie, is no doubt the most popular museum of the island. It shelters the skeleton of the extinct Dodo, along with stuffed animals and fish representing the fauna of Mauritius. The most important museum is the History Museum of Mahebourg which used to be a French colonial house. A small craft village can be found in the yard of the museum. This is a must for anyone wishing to know the Dutch, French and English chapters of Mauritian History.

Eureka
A superb colonial house lying at the foot of the Moka mountain range, Eureka is now a museum opened to the public. With its superb verandah, fourteen bedrooms, one hundred and nine doors, magnificent furniture and colonial antiques, Eureka is one of the largest and most beautiful colonial houses of the island.

Souillac and Gris Gris
An exquisite sandy bay sheltering impressive cliffs, sculptured by wind and sea. Take a deep breath of revitalising fresh sea air, that has crossed the seas all the way from Antartica without previously meeting any land mass. Nearby is the house of Robert Edward Hart which has now become a museum. This poet has written a lot on the island of Mauritius, particularly on Gris-Gris where his coral house was swept and washed by the waves.

The Old Grand Port ruins
These ruins which are found in the south-east have witnessed many battles in this bay, mainly the battle of 1810 when the French navy defeated the British navy. This was the one and only victory of the French navy under Napoleon. 

Frederick Hendrick Museum
To mark and celebrate the arrival of the Dutch 400 years ago, in 1598 the Frederick Hendrick Museum has been setup to recapture that chapter of Mauritian History. Set in a magnificient garden, the museum contains artefacts and items recently found by Dutch archeologists.

Ambre island
One and a half hours by pirogue, the Mauritian small fishing boat, from Grand Bay is Ambre island which is still wild and untouched by civilisation. The temperature here is always around 28º C. It is the ideal place to enjoy a barbecue with a good Mauritian punch.