MAURITIUS
Republic of Mauritius (République de Maurice)
Capital – Port Louis
Official languages – None (de facto), English/French (de jure)
Religion – Hinduism (48.5%), Catholicism (26.2%), Islam (17.3%)
Government – Unitary parliamentary republic
Area – 2 040 km2 (790 sq mi)
Population – 1 265 475
Inter. Tel. prefix – +230
Currency – Mauritian Rupee
Time Zone – UTC +4 (MUT)
“Small but smart” is about Mauritius. For many years now, this tiny country has been steadily (and, presumably, very profitable) working in the niche of a rather expensive, but at the same time quite popular direction. However, no wonder: the island has excellent beaches with fine sand and rare beauty underwater world, which attracts divers from all over the world. All this abundance is complemented by excellent opportunities for exciting sea fishing. In addition, newlyweds like to have a rest here, as well as spouses “with experience”, celebrating a round or not very wedding anniversary in Mauritius.
MOST VISITED AREAS
Cape Maloré is the northernmost point of the island. Here is the tiny church of Notre Dame Oxillatris, famous for its roofing, quaint carved wood interiors and a font shaped like a giant sea shell.
Triolet is a pretty village, famous for the fact that it is here that the largest Hindu temple in Mauritius, Maheswarnath Shivala, is located. Deer Island (Ile aux Cerfs) is a beautiful place with excellent beaches and a transparent lagoon, where sailing, scuba diving and water skiing are practiced.
In the city of Curepipe, located almost in the center of the island, there are King’s College, a town hall, many colonial buildings, a botanical garden. The nearby Trou aux Cerfs, an extinct volcano with a crater 85 m deep and 200 m wide, is worth a visit. Black River Gorge National Park with many plants and rare birds is located 6 km from Curepipe.
In the Bay of Turtles, you can see the ruins of the ancient settlement of Balaclava.
One of the main wonders of the island is the multicolored land of Chamarel. This unique place consists of sand dunes of seven colors, and if you mix them, then after just a few hours the boundaries between the sands will be restored again.
Maeburg is a town with a rich past, built in the Grand Port, attracting tourists with its Chateau-Robillard castle with the Museum of National History.
Souillac is a small village along the rocky shores of Sawan County. The nature is very beautiful there: the Telfair garden, the Gri-Gris cliffs, decorated with bizarre “stucco molding” due to years of erosion, and, of course, the Rochester Falls.
The Victoria 1840 Museum is an old sugar factory whose building has been meticulously restored and is now part of the island’s cultural heritage.
Moka is located 12 km from Port Louis – the second most important place on the island after the capital. Local “must-s”: the former governor’s mansion “Le Redut”, the Eurek House-Museum, the cultural center “Domain-le-Payle”, the Gandhi Institute, where the Folklore Museum of Indian Immigrants is located.
Even in Mauritius, you can visit the Pamplemousses botanical garden, the Le Domaine des Pailles estate, where the atmosphere of a former colonial estate is recreated and the whole process of making rum is demonstrated – from processing sugar cane to the most exciting procedure, tasting.
CLIMATE
The climate is tropical maritime, hot, with abundant moisture brought by the trade winds from the ocean. Summer (November to April) is hot and humid: + 25 ° C at night, + 30 ° C and higher during the day, humidity reaches 80%. Winter (from May to October) is cooler and drier: + 17 ° C at night, + 23 ° C during the day. Water temperature all year round +22 … + 26 ° C.
