Ok, so I lied! It’s actually Sunday, but somehow “Throwback Sunday” just didn’t have the same ring to it. In any case, I’ve got a few trips I did in years past that I really enjoyed, and want to share in a series of Throwback posts.

These will be a bit different than my usual posts, as I won’t be going into as much detail as I usually do. Instead, I’ll be focusing more on the highlights of the trips, and what I enjoyed the most.

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Mauritius

Almost 15 years go, I went on my first real vacation. I had been to the U.S. a few times with family and friends, but mostly when I was much younger, and usually just for a quick beach stop-over or short trip to NYC or Las Vegas. But this time, I was heading outside of North America for a few weeks, to a country I’d only become aware of more recently - Mauritius.

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend my time in Mauritius with locals, and therefore experience it from a local’s perspective. I was there with my girlfriend at the time, who was born and raised there, and so we stayed with her family while we were there.

I was quite a bit younger (and fatter!) back then, and also had a lot less life experience. It was my first time outside of North America, and I really had no idea what to expect, nor how some parts of the world lived. It was a real eye opener for me, and I’m really glad I got the chance to experience it.

Ultimately, this trip would end up opening my eyes to different food, cultures, a different way of life, and the amazing world of travel. It’s a trip I’ll never forget, and one that I’ll always be grateful for.

Quick Nav

• Mauritius Info
• Brief History of Mauritius
• Things to Be Aware Of
  • Driving
  • Safety
• Must Try Foods
  • Street Food
  • Sweets
• Trip Highlights
  • Pereybere Beach
  • Ile-aux-Cerfs
  • Gris Gris Beach
  • Grand Bassin
  • Rochester Falls
  • Salt Pans
  • Pont Naturel
  • Chinese New Year
    • Lighting Firecrackers
    • Lion Dance
    • Dance & Acrobatics Show
  • Indian Resort
  • Port Louis
    • Central Market
    • Harbour & Caudan Waterfront
• Final Thoughts

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Mauritius Info

• Official government tourism sites:
  • tourism.govmu.org
  • tourismauthority.mu
• Geographical location: Island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
• Climate: Tropical
• Current weather:
  Current Weather in Quatre Bornes
• Official Language(s): English, French
• Common Language: Mauritian Creole
• Currency: Mauritian Rupee (MUR)
• Main Religion(s): Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
• Best time to visit: May to December
• Main economy: tourism, textiles, sugar, and financial services
• Visa info: passport.govmu.org

  Note: Mauritian visas and extensions of stay are issued free of charge

Brief History of Mauritius

It is believed that Arab sailors were the first to discover the island in the year 975, and they named it Dina Arobi.

Later, in 1507, the Portuguese discovered the still uninhabited island and named it Cirne. The Dutch then visited in 1598, and named it Mauritius after Prince Maurice van Nassau. They tried to colonize the island, bringing sugar cane plant cuttings over from Java along with Malagasy slaves, but abandoned their efforts in 1710.

In 1715, the French then took control of the island and renamed it Isle de France. The British then seized control in 1810, and it was then named Mauritius again. Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968, and became a republic in 1992.

Things to Be Aware Of

Driving

Traffic in Mauritius can be quite bad, especially in the capital city of Port Louis. There are a lot of cars on the road, and the roads themselves are quite narrow, so it can take a while to get around. The roads are also not all marked very well, which makes it difficult if you’re not familiar with the areas. So if you’re planning on driving, make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to get to where you’re going.

Safety

While Mauritius is mostly safe for tourists, it is a poor country, and so you should be mindful of your surroundings when out and about, and avoid walking around alone at night. Houses are generally gated due to the high theft rate, and also often have guards dogs, so you should be careful when walking around residential areas.

Must Try Foods

Street Food

• Dholl Puri: A flatbread made from ground split peas, and served with curry, pickles, and chutney. Can be eaten vegetarian or with meat.
• Roti: A flatbread made from flour, and served with curry, pickles, and chutney. Can be eaten vegetarian or with meat.
• Gateaux Piment: A deep fried chilli cake made from yellow split peas, chillies, and spices

Sweets

• Gateaux Coco: A coconut cake made from coconut, flour, sugar, and butter
• Gateaux Manioc: A cassava cake made from cassava, flour, sugar, and butter
• Vona Corona: A unique handmade ice cream with jam, available only in Mauritius. Was only available as street food back in 2008, but looks like they now also have a shop in Port Louis.

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Trip Highlights

Pereybere Beach

Mauritius has a number of beaches, all with gorgeous clear blue/turquoise water. The sand itself is soft, but depending on which beach you go to, the sand might be a bit rocky or have dead coral in places, making it a bit uncomfortable to walk along the beach or enter the water.

Pereybere Beach is one of the more popular beaches, and is located in the north of the island. It’s a public beach, and not super big, so it can get quite busy, but it’s still a great place to relax and enjoy the sun and water. The sand here is very good, without many rocks or coral to pierce your feet on, so I’d definitely recommend Pereybere Beach if you’re looking for a nice beach to relax on.

Ile-aux-Cerfs

Another popular beach is Ile-aux-Cerfs, which is a small island off the east coast of Mauritius. It’s a private island, and is only accessible by boat.

The island has it’s own website, which gives info on the various activities you can do on the island - golf, water sports, restaurants, etc. The island even has a hotel, so you can stay overnight if you want.

There are a number of different boat tours that will take you to the island, but you can also simply take the shuttle boat from Pointe Maurice, which is probably the simplest and quickest way to the island. The shuttle comes every 30 minutes from 9:30am to 6pm.

As I was in Mauritius many many years ago, I can’t recall exactly how long it took to get to Ile-aux-Cerfs from Pointe Maurice, but I believe it was in the 20 minutes or so range.

While Pereybere is probably the best beach on the main island, Ile-aux-Cerfs is definitely the best beach in Mauritius. The sand is soft, the water is crystal clear, and there are no rocks or coral to worry about. It really is an absolutely gorgeous beach.

While there aren’t any corals to worry about, there are a number of sea urchins in the water, so be careful when walking in the water, as you definitely don’t want to step on one of those!

We did see a bunch while we were walking around in the water, but thankfully didn’t step on any.

If you’re looking for a nice beach to relax on, and/or enjoy things like parasailing, water skiing, and other water sports, Ile-aux-Cerfs is definitely the place to go. There’s even a golf course on the island, so it’s a fantastic place to spend the day.

Gris Gris Beach

Gris Gris is another beautiful beach on the main island. The beach is quite rocky though, and the waves are quite strong, so it’s not really a great place to swim.

That said, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous, as are the natural rock formations that I think (but don’t quote me!) are the result of volcanic eruptions.

And if you didn’t have time for a shower in the morning, don’t worry… you can just come over to the end of the cliff and let the waves wash you right up! 🤪

Grand Bassin

Grand Bassin, also known as Ganga Talao, is a crater lake located in the Savanne district of Mauritius. It’s a sacred lake for Hindus, and is considered to be the most sacred Hindu place in Mauritius.

On the drive there you’ll pass Mangal Mahadev, a 108 foot statue of Shiva, which is the tallest statue in Mauritius.

Once you arrive at Grand Bassin, there are several statues of Hindu gods and goddesses that Hindu pilgrims come to pray to.

As is tradition, they also bathe in the lake, and fill up bottles of water from the lake to take home with them.

I wouldn’t personally bathe in the water here, as it’s quite dirty, but it’s a beautiful place, and definitely worth a visit.

Rochester Falls

Rochester falls is another nice little place to visit. It’s a waterfall located in the Savanne district of Mauritius, and is about 10 meters high.

On the way to the falls, you’ll pass through some sugar cane fields, which are quite common throughout Mauritius, as they used to be the main export and source of income for the island.

The falls themselves are quite nice, and there’s a small pool at the bottom of the falls that you can swim in. The water is quite cold though, so you might not want to stay in for too long!

Other than the falls and sugar cane fields though, there’s not much else to see in the area, but it’s a nice place to stop by for a quick visit.

Salt Pans

The salt pans are another interesting place to visit. They’re located in the south of Mauritius, and are a series of small pools that are used to evaporate sea water, leaving behind salt.

We didn’t actually stop off to look at them, and so I only snapped a few pics from the car, but it was really interesting to see how they collect salt in Mauritius!

Gris Gris Beach, Grand Bassin, Rochester Falls, and the Salt Pans are all located in the south of Mauritius, and so you can easily visit them all in one day, which is exactly what we did.

Pont Naturel

Pont Naturel is a natural rock formation resembling a bridge, located in the south east of Mauritius. The bridge was formed by the erosion of the cliffs by waves over thousands of years.

When we first arrived, I couldn’t tell from where we were, but you can actually walk across the bridge. From a distance, it almost looked like the bridge was too narrow to cross, but it’s actually quite wide, and you can easily walk across it.

The waves around the bridge are quite strong, and really give you a sense of the power of mother nature! If you get close to the edge of the cliffs, you can see how the water is foamy and white from the constant crashing of the waves against the rocks.

A really cool thing about the way the volcanic rock here has eroded, is that when the water passes through all of the holes in the rock, it creates a blowing/whistling sound. It’s really quite cool!

Locations and natural structures like this, carved and formed over thousands or even millions of years, are always so fascinating to me. It’s amazing to think about how long it took for them to form, and how they’ll continue to change and evolve over time.

These are also places that I think are must see’s, as they’re so unique and beautiful. So if you’re in Mauritius, definitely make sure to check out Pont Naturel!

Chinese New Year

Can I really call Chinese New Year a highlight of my trip? I mean, it definitely was for me! But to experience it, you’d of course need to be here during Chinese New Year, which is usually in January or February. I’d never celebrated Chinese New Year before, at least that I recall, and so this was a really unique experience for me.

Lighting Firecrackers

On the day of, at 4am, my girlfriend’s father and I got up to set off strings of firecrackers we had strung on the front gate the day before.

Later that morning, my girlfriend’s parents went out to pass some snack bags we had assembled the day before, containing several things including a traditional Mauritian cake, known as “Gateaux la Cire”, to all of their neighbours.

Lion Dance

A bit later in the day, we went to a friend’s house in Port Louis. They had a Chinese Lion dance crew over at their place for the purpose of bringing good luck for the new year.

I absolutely love Chinese Lion dance performances, so this was a real treat for me! I’d never seen one in person before, and so it was really cool to see one up close.

Dance & Acrobatics Show

That evening, after eating a nice feast at a restaurant, we went to see a Chinese New Year show. I don’t recall the name of the performance group unfortunately, but the show was really good.

There were a bunch of different performances, including traditional Chinese dances, acrobatics, hula hooping, and more.

The music was also pretty awesome, which definitely helps get you into the mood, and makes the performances more exciting and lively.

It was a really enjoyable performance, and a great way to end the day.

Indian Resort

The following day, while Chinese New Year was still going on, we headed out to a resort in the north of the island, where we spent a few days relaxing by the pool and enjoying the beach.

Our room was really cozy, and had a nice view of the pool and beach. The colour scheme was maybe a bit dated, but at the same time kind of island-y I guess? So I think it worked, and we really like the room.

The pool at the hotel is amazing. It wraps around the back of the hotel, and has a few different sections. It also looks out to the beach, so you can enjoy the view while you’re relaxing in the pool. You can also view the pool and beach from the restaurant.

While we didn’t actually get the chance to go to the beach, man, what a view! The water is so clear, and the sand is so soft. It’s really a beautiful beach and the palm trees really make you feel like you’re in paradise.

And so that was pretty much all we did for the next few days - relax by the pool, enjoy the views, and eat food! 😎

I didn’t check out any of the other hotels or resorts, and so can’t compare, but I really enjoyed my time at this resort, and would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a nice place to stay in Mauritius.

Port Louis

Port Louis is the capital city of Mauritius, and is located in the north west of the island. It’s a small city, and so you can easily walk around and see most of the main attractions in a day.

It’s also got some history to it, starting with the Dutch using it as a port in 1606, and then the French using it as a base in 1735. The British then took control of the island in 1810, and made Port Louis the capital of Mauritius in 1835.

Central Market

The central market was probably the first time I’d ever seen a market like this. It’s a huge market, with a ton of different stalls selling all sorts of things - fruits, vegetables, spices, clothes, souvenirs, and more.

There are a number of stalls selling various things along the outside of the main building, and then inside the main building is packed with more stalls selling all kinds of things.

Like a lot of markets in Asia and other parts of the world, remember that you’ll need to haggle to get a good price! The vendors will usually start with a price that’s much higher than what they’re willing to sell for, and so you’ll need to negotiate with them to get a good price.

We found some nice souvenirs to bring back home to Montreal, and thankfully my girlfriend, being used to it as she was born there, was able to negotiate some good prices for us!

The Harbour & Le Caudan Waterfront

The Port-Louis harbour, besides all its history, is also a really nice place to visit. There are a number of restaurants and shops along the waterfront, and it’s a really nice place to walk around and enjoy the views.

The waves at the harbour can also be quite strong, so if you get close to the edge, you’re likely to feel the spray of the water on your face!

There are a number of shops and restaurants along the waterfront, so you can do some shopping and grab a bite if you get hungry.

There’s also of course the famous Caudan Mall, which is a large shopping mall located right on the waterfront.

It’s got a ton of shops, restaurants, and even a movie theatre. Le Caudan was actually the first shopping mall in Mauritius, and is still one of the most popular malls in the country.

We visited it originally during the day, but then came back another day at night, and man is it ever beautiful at night!

The lights reflecting off the water, the boats, the palm trees, and the buildings, really make for a beautiful scene.

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Final Thoughts

Mauritius is a truly beautiful and unique island. It’s got gorgeous beaches, beautiful scenery, and a rich history. It’s also got unique food and culture, with a mix of Indian, African, Chinese, and European influences.

I always hoped I’d be back one day, and hopefully I will when time and money permits. If you ever get the chance to visit, I’m positive you’ll absolutely love it as much as I did.

Finally, I’ll just conclude this post with a few more random images from around this incredible island…

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