ISLANDS SPECIAL
Ral reefs. Stark volcanic outcrops and lush primordial uch as lemurs ... So where are you going first?
This scattering of islands that travel writer Lawrence Green once called “a little fragment of 18th-century France far out in the Indian Ocean” is probably the most-visited of all the Indian Ocean archipelagos — at least as far as South Africans go — and for good reason. It’s closer than the Seychelles and Maldives and there are well-priced direct flights on South African Airways (flysaa.com) from Johannesburg and on Air Mauritius (airmauritius.com) from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Its tourism infrastructure is also vibrant, with resorts and hotels for all tastes and budgets. I spent a week in Mauritius at the end of 2016, staying at Beachcomber’s Victoria and Paradis resorts (beachcomber.co.za). With its long passageways open to the tropical air and stands of casuarina trees dug into the sand, Victoria
FPfeels like like a lovely resort hotel in Mozambique in
1970. Paradis, meanwhile, sprawls among rustling palms, emerald-green golf links and a fine strip of beach on the island’s southwestern tip.
Each hotel offered a different perspective on this exotic island chain. Victoria — a laid-back resort popular with families — is close enough to the tourist centre of Grande Baie and Port Louis for day trips inbetween chilling by the pool.
Paradis, on the other hand, looks and feels like an adventure. The lofty bulk of Le Morne Brabant — whose forests once sheltered runaway slaves — and the little bays carved into this part of the coast — offer more of the tropical island ideal. It is a magnificent place to play golf and there are other diversions in the area such as an excellent tour on e-bikes of the nearby towns such as Souillac which offer glimpses to a side of Mauritius most visitors miss (electrobikemauritius.com).
mauritius.net ublic service announcement: I have been to The Maldives — 1 192 islands dotted about 26 natural coral atolls southwest of India — just once and then only for a couple of days. But that brief and lovely stay at The Residence (cenizaro.com/theresidence/maldives-fm) on Falhumaafushi island at the southern end of the Maldivian archipelago reawakened me to the four necessities of a decent island holiday: eating well, sleeping long and peacefully, snorkelling in clear water along a reef — the first creature I saw was a turtle finning along in the blue — and chilling in abundance.
I suspect that The Maldivian experience is mostly a slight variation on the same theme. You land in Malé, the capital, and then hop on a smaller aircraft to your island, in this case a 55-minute flight to Kooddoo Island in the Gaafu Alifu atoll. From there it was a seven-minute speedboat ride to The Residence (and this may have been the best boat ride of my life).
The days are full of simple wonder. You can have a private beach picnic. There is yoga at sunset or a cocktail-mixing course with the barman and a cooking course with the executive chef.
Many of the resorts have villas built on stilts over a turquoise sea and The Residence is no exception — only my villa also had an infinity pool built in which allowed me the unique experience of going for a goof while listening to the sea lap below me.
The Maldives is a dollar-denominated destination and prices at most resorts vary widely according to demand. It’s not cheap — and you also have a long-haul flight to get there (see emirates.com for flights to Malé). As always, it pays to hunt for special offers on expedia.com, booking.com and hotel.com.
maldives.com and visitmaldives.com. or the truest type of castaway feeling, in lush, untouched lands teeming with curious creatures and plant life, Madagascar must be the one.
At 587 041km², it is the fourthlargest island in the world. That sheer size, along with its proximity to mainland Africa, takes the credit for its being home today to some of the world’s most unique flora and fauna, including lemurs, chameleons, carnivorous plants, orchids, and towering baobab trees. Close to 90% of all plant and animal species found in Madagascar are endemic, and that means an incredible range of creatures and plants that you simply won’t see anywhere else in the world.
The mainland’s 2 000km length also means an incredible scenic diversity, from volcanic lakes to lush rainforests, wetland areas to high escarpments, baobab avenues to tropical beaches, along with a fascinating population whose culture is a blend of African, Arabic and Indian influences.
Its crown-jewel tourist area is the 320km² Nosy Be island, off the northwest coast, which has a national park and a string of nearby, smaller islands. Its relative lack of development means it’s not (yet) overpopulated with strings of sanitised resorts, though there are accommodations as luxurious or as rustic as you like. If you’re flying from South Africa, it’s also the least amount of flying time compared to its Indian Ocean competitors — Airlink flies once-weekly directly to Nosy Be — and that’s a win too.
The only caveat is some questionable wildlife practices — jeepers, creepers, where’d you get those lemurs?— so try to go with reputable operators and don’t pay a stranger on a beach to show you some turtles.
To live the ultimate dream, rent a catamaran (with crew) and meander from deserted island to desert island by day, swim, snorkel or dive with giant turtles, then dine at night on fresh-caught seafood and drift off to sleep, rocking gently under the stars, ready to wake up — still dreaming — tomorrow.
madagascat.co.za.