The Ultimate Guide To Mauritius- What to See, Eat and Do!

Ok so do I need to convince anyone to go to this tiny gorgeous island with white powdery beaches, palm trees, pineapples, turquoise blue waters, marooned in the middle of the Indian Ocean?

Certainly not! And I know you’ve already started thinking to pack your bags for this dreamy island getaway! Isn’t it? So what are you waiting for? Look no further and read this ultimate guide to this stunning paradise called Mauritius before you book a plane ticket and lie on a hammock sipping coconut water under the palm trees!

1. Best time to visit Mauritius

You may go to this tropical island anytime of the year. The sea temperature is delightfully pleasant all round the year, in fact every month is welcoming. However select depending upon your choice of activities you intend to do there.

January to April– This marks the beginning of summers. Also there are intermittent showers so do carry an umbrella. The crowd reduces to some extent being off season thereby increasing the chances to grab great deals on hotel stay. The temperature varies from 25 degrees celsius to 33 degrees celsius.

May to December– This time is the onset of winters in Mauritius and considered to be the best time to explore beaches, waterfalls and wildlife. The temperature varies from 18 degrees to 24 degrees. We went in the month of May and absolutely loved the weather!

2. How to get to Mauritius

There’re lot many flights from all the major cities of the world to Mauritius. We flew with Air Mauritius which is the official airline of the country and had a great experience. We boarded from Delhi and reached in 7h 30 minutes. In India, Air Mauritius has code sharing with Air India. Boarding from Mumbai is comparatively cheaper and is of 6h 00 minutes. And even if you fly with any other airline with a layover it’s totally worth it.

3. You don’t need a visa!

You can’t imagine how much easier it gets when there isn’t any visa requirement. Well for 90% countries Mauritius offers visa on arrival for 60 days and India is one of them. But ya you need to have confirmed hotel, return flight booking and sufficient funds to meet the cost during your stay.

4. Mauritian currency

1 Mauritiun Rupee = 2 Indian Rupee

1 USD= 35 MUR

(approximately)

The official currency ? is MUR and it’s advisable to get the currency changed at the airport as the conversion rates are pretty good as compared to the hotels.

5. Understanding the Island

It’s a small little island in the middle of deep blue Indian Ocean far far away from everything! That’s what makes it so damn exotic. It’s just 2,000 km from the east coast of Africa. The island is around 70 km long and 45 km wide and can be covered from north to south in just 1.5 to 2 hours! It’s that tiny guys!

6. Where to stay!

We stayed at a super cool beach hotel( I’d do the Hotel Review in the next post) located in Point aux piments area on the northwest coast which was nearby to the happening places yet secluded reverberating tranquility and had those perfect beach vibes I was looking for!

Still I’d give you an idea of all the areas so that you can take your call.

East- It boasts of beautiful luxurious resorts and is peaceful to the core. There isn’t anything to do outside the resorts. If you want total isolation and serenity then it’s the place for you.

West- It’s developed and has some cool hotels. Flic en Flac area is the choice of many. It offers solitude with luxury in style.

North- It’s the most developed area of Mauritius, the capital Port Louis, Grand Baie, Perybere, Trou aux biches all lie on this coast and has economical hotels. The nightlife is in this area only. Although in terms of nightlife Mauritius doesn’t have much but whatever little it has is in the North.

South- It’s utterly beautiful and very peaceful. You may stay near Blue Bay or near Le morne. But do keep in mind that if keen to party then you can’t come all the way to north so choose only if you just plan to relax in your resort.

7. Places to visit in Mauritius

The entire island is strikingly gorgeous so I feel not even an inch is which you shouldn’t see! I’ll tell you in brief about the places and post a detailed article soon. Do keep a tab and follow my blog for everything related to Mauritius in the offing.

• Explore the beaches( As if I needed to say)

The sparkling beaches offer abundance of water activities and tranquility to chill in the lap of nature.

Ile aux cerfs, Grand Baie, Bell ombré, Tamarin Beach, Flic en Flac, La cuvette, Le Morne, Mont Choisy, St Felix beach also called Chemin Grenier beach,Gris Gris and lot many other as there’s no dearth of beaches on this island.

• Cap Malheureaux

It’s a beautiful picturesque fishing village. A Bollywood flick “China Town” was also shot here. It’s a perfect spot for photography, so all you instagrammers get ready for the photo spree!!

• Pamplemousses

It’s a national botanical garden of the island that stretches over endless acres of land. Although I’m not into botanical kinda stuff but the giant Lilly pads and more than 85 varieties of palm trees definitely interested me. A stroll here is sure to soothe your senses.

• Eureka Mansion

It’s a palatial colonial house set in lush green gardens housing the old furniture from the 19th century.

• Black River Gorges

It’s a dense jungle with deep gorges and rolling hills. The drive is beautiful and is a great spot for picnics and hiking.

• L’Aventure du Sucre

It’s quite educative, informative and inspiring museum which narrates the history of the island and of course the sugarcane industry. At the end of the tour you get to taste various kinds of Rums, sugars and jams.

• Chamarel seven coloured earth and waterfall

The seven coloured earth is a rare site and geological formation. The distinction of colours depends on the brightness of the sun. It’s one of the most visited tourist attractions.

The waterfall is in the Chamarel complex which is more than 100 metres high and looks outstanding against the scenic forests and hills.

• Port Louis

The capital city of Mauritius is a place where you can shop your heart out provided you’ve some great bargaining skills.

• Maconde Point

Want to witness stunning coastal view from up above? Maconde view point is the place and it’s so beautiful that I could stay there for ever admiring the vastness of the ocean.

8. Shopping

• Grand Baie- Sunset street shopping complex.

•Goodlands Shopping

• Port Louis( Le Caudron waterfront, central market, China Town)

• Bagatelle Mall, Phoenix Mall, Trianon shopping centre

9. Local language and Food

People of various ethnicities and cultures have settled here. They speak English, French and Creole which is mix of English, French and words from African and Indian language.

Dholl puri is the popular dish which is flat bread(roti/chapati) and dal. Also don’t forget to try haleem. The food is delicious and perfect for the Indian palette. Also don’t forget to try their spicy and tangy mix fruit salad with tamarind sauce.

10. Hire a car

I think there couldn’t be a better way to explore a place than in one’s own car and own pace. You’re going to have time of your life in Mauritius. And there aren’t any wrong turns, only infinitely interesting routes waiting to be explored.

So people don your sunnies and lather up high SPF to wander across the changing terrains, sweeping crystalline lagoons and spectacular coastline.

That’s all for now, there’re so many detailed posts lined up for you guys. I’d love to know if you’ve been to this gorgeous beauty or are planning to go in your next vacay.

Until then

Travel in style and keep that beautiful smile on

-Glam Adventuress