Trip Report: Mauritius
Visited in August 2024
It was already dusk when Kati and I set off in our rental car from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport in Mauritius. We were originally supposed to arrive at noon, but Turkish Airlines had something against it and landed four hours late. Not the ideal start to a new country, but in the end we were both just happy to enter a new country.
The drive to Flic en Flac on the west coast of Mauritius was about an hour and took us through countless roundabouts (if you’ve ever been to Mauritius, you know what I’m talking about). We arrived at the Sofitel around 7pm, where we would spend the next four nights.
For me, Mauritius was the 173rd country and the last of the five small island nations on the African continent. Mauritius is one of those countries with the title “dream destination” or “paradise on earth” and is therefore often chosen as a honeymoon destination. It is therefore not surprising that Mauritius is considered a luxury destination.
Since this characteristic also applies to the Seychelles and both countries are located in the same region of the Indian Ocean, albeit at a distance of almost 1800 kilometers, a comparison of these two countries is inevitable. As a reminder, we had been to the Seychelles almost exactly eleven months earlier and were relatively disappointed due to the lousy weather (more rain than sun in the dry season), even though it was a very beautiful country.
New country, new chance, that was the motto for Mauritius. Four days this time. The first three before Madagascar, country no. 174, and one day after. In contrast to the Seychelles, I had the feeling that four days should be enough for Mauritius, since it is only one island. Actually, there are more, including another big one, Rodrigues Island. But most people probably refer to Mauritius as the island with the capital Port Louis.
What was on the itinerary? The idea was as follows: one day at the resort, one day in the southwest for the Le Morne Brabant hike and Chamarel, one day for the Île aux Cerfs and one day for Port Louis and the north of the island. But things turned out quite differently…
The day at the resort actually started well. The sun was shining and the Sofitel turned out to be a beautiful resort with a large pool and a nice stretch of beach.
Funnily enough, Mauritius is not the beach destination many people think it is. There are a lot of dead coral reefs off the coast, which makes swimming in the sea on some stretches of beach only possible with shoes. At the same time, many beaches also have small pieces of the dead corals in the beach, which can make walking painful.
When I was choosing a hotel, I read in many reviews that people complained about the beaches of the resorts exactly because of that. But I didn’t read any complaints about Sofitel’s beach, which was one of the reasons I chose this hotel. The other reason was its location on the west coast, where it is generally relatively touristy and you can find a good selection of restaurants outside the hotel.
All in all, the Sofitel turned out to be a good choice. However, we could not benefit from it on that day as it started to rain after an hour or two. According to the hotel staff, the weather would improve over the next two days, so we decided to skip the day at the resort and do something else.
By the wy, there is no THE perfect place for a hotel in Mauritius. You can find good accommodationall around the island. The most important thing is to have a car to explore the island. Mauritius is the third smallest country in Africa and no matter where you are on the island, it never takes more than 1.5 hours to get to your destination. With a population of 1.3 million and 626 inhabitants per m², Mauritius is also the most densely populated country in Africa.
We took the rental car to the north where we visited some of the famous beaches. We also visited the botanical garden in Pamplemousses, which I read somewhere is the most beautiful in the world. It was okay, but in my opinion it’s not a must if you are in Mauritius.
Mauritius is generally a pleasant country to drive in. The roads are in good condition and the locals drive relatively considerately. Sometimes even too considerate or slow. We experienced several times that some drivers were driving at 50 km/h, although you are allowed to drive 110 km/h, and there was no possibility to overtake. For this reason I would always add a little time to the Google time to get a realistic driving time.
The next day the weather was better and we drove to Le Morne Brabant early in the morning to hike to the top. This hike is certainly not for everyone as you have to climb unprotected in some parts. However, I think it can be done with a moderate level of fitness.
For me, it was the highlight of our trip to Mauritius, because the view is just incredible. I highly recommend starting early for this hike. We left around 8:30 am. When we came down at 12 noon, there were already a lot of people on the trail. I don’t want to imagine the last part, where you have to climb, with those crowds…
After a short detour to Le Morne Beach, which was also very beautiful, we visited the Chamarel Waterfall and the Chamarel Seven Colored Earth, which is one of the main sights of Mauritius. At the same place you can also see giant tortoises.
You might need an hour to see this place, no more. And to be honest, just like the Botanical Garden, it’s not an attraction that particularly wowed me. But if you’re ever in the area, you should stop by, especially if you’ve never seen tortoises like this before. In my case, I had seen them in the Galapagos Islands and Seychelles.
Since the staff at our hotel told us that no boats were allowed to go to the île aux Cerfs because of the rough seas, the third day became our day at the resort. Well, it wasn’t what we expected. It didn’t rain, but the sun was mostly behind the clouds and it wasn’t very warm. At least we didn’t feel like spending any time in the water except for half an hour in the pool.
Perhaps August was also the wrong month to go swimming in Mauritius. After all, it is the “coldest” month with maximum temperatures around 25°C. Another important point about Mauritius is the same as for the Seychelles: it rains all year round. The dry season simply means that it rains on 10 days instead of 20. It is important to know this if you are planning to travel to the region.
On our last day in Mauritius after returning from Madagascar, we spent another day in Port Louis. There are not many tourist attractions in the capital, so we spent most of our time on the nice waterfront.
We also visited a Hindu temple. Mauritius is the only Hindu country in Africa, as the majority of the locals have Indian roots. This is a result of the colonial era, when the British brought Indian contract workers into the country to work on the sugar cane plantations.
By the way, before the British, the French ruled Mauritius for almost 100 years. Funnily enough, even after the British conquest of Mauritius, French remained the main language of the country. The British left many of the existing French structures in place and introduced English as the official language. French remained widely spoken in everyday life and today most locals speak both languages, which also makes it easier for tourists.
After four days in Mauritius, I felt like I had seen everything I wanted to see. Of course, I could have spent another day or two at the resort, but I don’t feel like I missed much either. Mauritius would be a country that would bore me after a week at the latest.
So, what is the conclusion? Mauritius is undoubtedly a beautiful country. Is it a paradise on earth? Well, I’ve seen better. It is certainly a beautiful country, but the beauty is mainly on the coast. If you drive through the interior of the island, you see highways, sugar cane fields and the occasional mountain. Nothing really spectacular.
I liked the beaches, although I would rate the beaches in the Seychelles as slightly better in a direct comparison. What I liked more about Mauritius than the Seychelles was that the atmosphere was a little more “down to earth”. Mauritius was also a lot cheaper. For example, we paid only €25 per day for our rental car. This included all insurance.
In addition, we usually ate well and comparatively cheap outside the resort. We often paid €20-30 for two people for a dinner consisting of appetizer, main course and soft drink. This may not be Laos standard, but it is cheaper than in some Western European countries. Of course, the resorts are and will remain expensive, but that is the case in any country.
Culturally, I found Mauritius, with its Hindu religion and French-speaking Indians, more interesting than the Seychelles. In Seychelles we didn’t really have anything to do with the locals. Except for a few warnings to watch out for car thefts by the many drug addicts.
When it comes to attractions other than beaches or hiking, Mauritius offers about as little as the Seychelles. Mauritius has the botanical gardens and the seven colored earth, but honestly… these are filler attractions and quite nice places, but nothing that will blow you away.
Overall, I would give Mauritius the edge over Seychelles, but not by much. However, for those for whom beaches are the top priority, I would recommend Seychelles. In addition, Seychelles are probably the more exciting and varied country for a two-week or longer trip. In Mauritius, you will have seen everything relatively quickly. But that doesn’t mean Mauritius is bad. I had a good time, and in the end, Mauritius is pretty, well organized and easy destination to travel to.
Will I ever return to Mauritius? Probably not so soon. Like I said, I saw what I wanted to see, and I do not think that Rodrigues Island will be a reason to go back soon. However, as La Réunion is only a stone’s throw away, I will still be back in the region at some point. But probably once I’ve finished visiting every country.
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Wow, it looks amazing!