Mauritius

Mauritius·Africa

Currency

MUR

Language

French, Creole, English

Timezone

Mauritius

Continent

Africa

Our guide

Discover Mauritius

Mauritius is sixty-five kilometres long, and what surprises on arrival is that the interior matches the coast. Le Morne Brabant, a mountain peninsula on the UNESCO list, owes its listing to its history: escaped slaves took refuge there, and the cliff carries their memory. Trou-aux-Cerfs is an extinct crater above Curepipe from which the whole island is visible on a clear day. The Seven Coloured Earth at Chamarel spreads dunes of ochre and violet laterite, a geological oddity that resembles nothing else. The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden at Pamplemousses is among the oldest in the southern hemisphere, and its giant water lilies account for half its reputation. At Caudan in Port Louis, the Blue Penny Museum holds the two 1847 stamps that are among the most valuable in the world.

When to go

May to June and September to December are the best windows: twenty-six degrees, less humidity, the sea at twenty-five. The austral summer, January to March, is hot, humid and the cyclone season — warnings are frequent and flights shift. July and August are the coolest and windiest months, which suits kitesurfing more than the beach. The west, in the lee, is drier than the east all year.

Getting around

A hire car is the normal way to move; driving is on the left. A light rail line has linked Port Louis to Curepipe since 2019 and serves the upland towns. Buses are very cheap but slow and stop early in the evening. Distances are short — an hour and a half north to south — but winding inland roads stretch everything. The airport is in the south-east, forty-five minutes from Port Louis.

Where to eat

Mauritian cooking is the product of four inheritances: Indian, Creole, Chinese and French. Fish curry, tomato rougaille, Chinese mine frite and dholl puri — split-pea flatbreads sold in the street — are eaten on the same day without anyone finding it odd. Alouda, a milk drink with basil seeds, is drunk at the Port Louis market. The local agricultural rum is worth a tasting. Three halal addresses are listed.

Good to know

The Mauritian rupee is the currency; cards work everywhere except in small shops. No site is recorded as free in our data — the gardens, the museums and Île aux Aigrettes all charge. The lagoon is protected by a coral reef, so swimming is calm almost everywhere, but the passes through it are dangerous. And sun protection matters: this is twenty degrees south.

Smart Planning