A SIGHT TO SEA
CHRIS GRANET found an island of idyllic ocean views and vibrant culture on a dream break in Mauritius
CYAN skies and turquoise waters? Check. Sweeping white sand beaches fringed by coconut palms? Check. Oh-so friendly locals greeting you with an easy smile wherever you go? Check.
Mauritius does a fantastic job of ticking off your idyllic tropical island cliché checklist.
You also get jagged jungle-clad peaks, lush lowlands and endless swathes of sugar cane that produce the rum for candy-coloured cocktails sipped at sunset. (Like rocket fuel they were, good enough reason to go in themselves.)
But what I found most interesting was its fascinating and unique cultural mix. Indian and African. French and British. A sprinkling of Chinese.
The official language is English, but the de facto tongue is a Patois French called Creole. The food and religion is mostly of Indian origin, but the music and dancing is African. Everything else seems to be a mix of them all.
Here’s what I found in this small island nation – at 790 sq mi it’s the same size as Tenerife – adrift in the Indian Ocean.
A kaleidoscope of folk
The people of Mauritius reflect the nation’s colonial past. The island was uninhabited until the Dutch tried to settle there in 1638. But their attempts were allegedly scuppered by rampaging monkeys brought over by Portuguese sailors (be warned, the descendants of these mischievous macaques are alive and stealing snacks today).
The French then had a go from 1715, bringing over slaves from Africa and Madagascar to work on the sugar plantations. But Mauritius was seized by the British in 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars and, after slavery was abolished, hundreds of thousands of indentured labourers were brought over from India.
Nowadays, people of Indian origin make up around 67% of the population. Those of African and mixed origin account for 28%, with the rest being French and Chinese. The main religion is Hinduism.
Being half-French myself, it was interesting to see French written everywhere. But even after a week I could only understand the occasional word of the thick Creole used by locals.
It’s a shore thing
Think of Mauritius, and you think of beaches, but being a volcanic island, there’s an array of sand and stone on offer. Plus river mouths can turn the crystalline waters muddy, so check before choosing where to stay.
Surrounding most of the island is a giant reef that holds back the ocean, creating shallow coralladen lagoons between it and land. This was a tad tricky for a bad swimmer like me who prefers to walk through water, but great for snorkelling and diving.
The east coast is obviously the to catch sunrises, but the fourhour jet lag meant I was still too busy snoring. I did catch a couple of hypnotic west coast sunsets, though, one evening rolling into the tiny town of Tamarin just as the orange orb sank into the sea.
Tamarin also has the most stunning backdrop of all the beaches on the island – the dramatic Rempart mountain and its diamond peak twisting skywards like a mini Matterhorn. The north is mostly flat, more developed and with better weather. The south is wilder, mountainous and without a reef, meaning the waves directly pound the shore.
Creole cuisine
Local food is also a fusion of the various cultures, especially Indian and Chinese. And being surrounded by the vast ocean, seafood is always on the menu. Think colourful curries, dainty dumplings, and fancy French pastries. Yum.
Most hotels will further fuse foods, but for robust local flavours, try the street-food shacks that line the roads. They may not look that inviting, but the box of mine frite (fried noodles) I ate during sunset on Grand Baie beach was one of the best meals during my stay.
As for drinks, with sugar cane being the island’s main industry, there’s a major side hustle of rum, with many top-notch brands to work your way through.
Lavish lodgings
Like the Caribbean, accommodation on the island caters mostly for upmarket travel, with high-end resorts lining the glittering coasts.
Grand Baie and the fabulously named Flic-en-Flac are the nearest thing to tourist towns, but they’re small and quiet compared to typical Mediterranean resorts.
I stayed at The Residence in Quatre Cocos, nestled between lush landscaping and a crystalplace
clear lagoon on the quieter eastern coast, perfect for relaxing.
Made in elegant colonial-era style, it had wonderfully attentive and friendly staff. Its serene spa treatments were offset by water sports and boat tours. I passed on the more strenuous windsurfing, waterskiing, diving and the like, and opted for a tranquil trip to the edge of the reef in a glass-bottomed boat, enabling me to gawp at the alien-like coral without causing it, or myself, harm.
The sites to see
There’s a lot, with most situated down in the south.
The Black River Gorges National Park allows you to see how the isle would have looked to the first visitors, with viewpoints affording dramatic vistas of rolling ridges of ancient jungle. The volcanoes are dormant, with their craters coated in woodland and water, but worth a stop-off .
Alexandra and Chamarel waterfalls are two of many that cascade photogenically into canyons. The latter is also the site for the Seven Coloured Earth, surreal rainbowhued dunes that were 3.5 million years in the making. Most hotels offer guided tours, but the best way to see it is to rent a car. British legacy means they drive on the left, and the only hazards seemed to dogs sleeping far too casually in the road.
Take a hike
Even better than by car, is exploring by foot. Mauritius has a plethora of peaks to trek – some of the most stunning I’ve seen, rising sharply to
Surrounding most of the island is a giant reef that holds back the ocean, creating shallow coral-laden lagoons between it and the land...
snag passing clouds. Most need some level of climbing experience, but one of the most spectacular, Le Morne Brabant, doesn’t and therefore is the most popular.
Sitting at the southern tip of the island, the 1,824ft mountain is the poster boy for Mauritius. It can take under a couple of hours to reach the metal cross at the near-summit, from which you get fabulous panoramic views, and see the mottled greens of the coral lagoons within the reef.
The first part of the climb was easy, just a hearty hike up a woodland path. Then it got a little tricky, having to scramble up scree and wrestle with rock. Enough to scare off most of the hikers.
Still, I had to queue to take my selfie with the cross. It was worth it, though, if only to cross off another item on the tropical island checklist.
Locations for smug show-off photos for social media? Mauritius most definitely ticks that box... and so much more.