This beautiful island of Africa brings some very famous travel attractions. You can now spend holidays in Port Louis and Botanical Gardens and savor the beauty of many more exotic places of Mauritius. Holidays in Mauritius is an ecstatic journey to the paradise of romance. Surprise your soul mate with the most romantic and idealistic holidays in Mauritius. Discover love, fantasy, excitement and enchantment on the island of beauty - Mauritius.
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Mauritius lies within the south tropical belt and enjoys a maritime type of climate characterised by mild temperatures with relatively small seasonal and diurnal variations. Because of the topography of the island there are significant regional variations so that it is possible, by going from the North to the South of the island, to enjoy a variety of climates.
Rainfall varies considerably from region to region and throughout the year. The annual rainfall which is about 1200 millimetres on the North coast increases to around 3,600 mms in wettest part of the Central Plateau. The distribution during the year is qnite uneven with a marked wet period during the summer months and relatively dry period from June to November. This is also reflected in the number of days of rainfall which for the North varies from 07 for the wettest month to 01 in October and November.
During southern hemisphere summer months i.e from October to April, tropical cyclones originate in the lower latitudes of the south-west Indian Ocean. The average frequency for the region is around 10 per season. Statistically, cyclones are more frequent in January and February. Very few occur at the beginning and end of the season. These storms sometimes affect the Mauritius area with cyclonic winds and abundant rain.
A unique Submarine in the Indian Ocean, can make your dreams of a nice trip under the sea come true. The Safari will last one hour.
The submarine can accommodate 5 passengers and the pilot. The submarine is air-conditioned with fully transparent-glassed cabin at atmospheric pressure. You will thus enjoy exceptionally clear panoramic views of the extraordinary underwater world. At 25 or 30 meters undersea, you may notice some rare species, just like on any other traditional safari.
Around a coral massif, at the foot of a ridge, or even at a wreck spot, you will discover a vivid fresque made up of fish and coral. The amazing maneuverability of the submarine and the pilot's dexterity, will allow you to move around or follow a fish or even watch, remaining standstill, a morray eel, coming in and out of its hole.
Diving in the night is also possible. Under powerful spotlight beams, you can well witness the most fascinating show on earth, a silent symphony, fish performing a memorable ballet, a colourful choreography.
This is the main holiday centre for Mauritians and tourists alike. Grand Baie used to be a tiny fishing village. The northern coastline beyond Tombeau Bay has many delightful beaches. The coastline curves into Grand Baie itself, the main centre for yachting, water skiing, windsurfing, and many other water sports.
Mahebourg named after the famous French Governor Mahe La Bourdonnais but pronounced May Burg, was once a busy port. Now it is a run down commercial centre with a small fishing fleet. Mahebourg is a lot friedlier, has home character and is more relaxed than the tourist spiels would have you believe.
It is also a nearest centre to the airport and visitors may find themselves spending the first or last few days there. The bay is a picturesque backdrop for the town, with the sea changing from one intense colour to another at greet speed.
The capital and main port of Mauritius, Port Louis, was founded by the French Governor Mahé de Labourdonnais in 1735.
The Harbour lies sheltered in a semi-circle of mountains. The town has plenty of character, and shows in certain quarters signs of its past elegance. Off the main square, palm-lined Place D'Armes, there are some particularly fine French colonial buildings, especially the Government House and the Municipal Theatre, both built in the 18th Century. The city has two Cathedrals, Anglican and Catholic, a Mosque, a Chinese Casino, the Caudan Waterfront, a fine Supreme Court, some 18th Century Barracks and a Natural History Museum.
The lively covered market offers an insight into the fascinating cross-section of Mauritian life. Champ de Mars, originally laid out by the French for military parades is now a racecourse. The best views of the racecourse, town and harbour, are from Fort Adélaïde, a citadel fortified in the time of William IV, and the monument of Marie Reine de La Paix at the foot of Montagne des Signaux. Daytime Port Louis is crowded with people and traffic. Busy hawkers sell their wares at the sides of the road in Chinatown and in doorways near the covered Port Louis Market. A wide range of restaurants cater for all tastes.
The port is active, with many cargo and fishing vessels stopping over or based there.
From the centre of a huge pond, the Lily flower opens white one day and closes red the next. Other attractions include Golden Bamboo, Chewing Gum Trees, Fish Poison Trees, a 200-year-old Buddha Tree and for Christians - a Cross Tree with leaves shaped like crucifixes. There's also an art gallery and a cemetery, whichever way your tastes run. Pamplemousses is 11km (7m) north-east of Port Louis, and there are regular buses plying between the two.
Ile Aux Cerfs is a large island found on the East Coast of Mauritius close to the coastal village of Trou D'Eau Douce in the district of Flacq. It is nearly 100 hectares in area. There are a number of sandy beaches. For years the hotel group Sun Resort Ltd has operated two restaurants, a bar, and a boathouse and provided other beach amenities on the island. The hotel also operates a paying ferry service from the mainland to the island that is used by tourists and the public alike. The island is part of the public domain and is made available to Sun Resort on lease from Government. It is a very popular recreational spot for both Mauritians and tourists alike for there are close to 800 visitors to the island per day.
This little Museum, next door to the main post office, houses a collection of Mauritian stamps and assorted philately. Items on display include a range of old stamps, telegraph machines, printing plates and other interesting postal paraphernalia.
The Museum (tel; 208 2851) is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm and also on Saturday from 9 to 11.30 am. Admission is free. There is a collection of stamps and souvenirs for sale.
In the North of Mauritius are the Pristine White Beaches that make the Island famous. This area is also a water sports lover's paradise.
Wide arrays of resorts are available among them the Maritim Hotel, which has 180 rooms, free water sports and the best sunsets. It's also possible to see traditional Sega dancing, the national dance that originated in the days of slavery.
West of the town centre, Couepipe's Botanical Gardens are not as spectacular as those of Pamplemousses but they are well kept and informal, with nature trails branching off of the main paths. Just north of the gardens, "Trou aux Cerfs" Volcano crater is the town's biggest natural attraction. It's been extinct for ages, and the crater floor is now heavily wooded, but a tarred road leads up to and around the rim with rest-stops with beautiful views.
The road into Le Val is at Union Park Village, about halfway on the Mahebourg Curepipe road, Cluny village, the gateway to Le Val Nature Park in the valley of the Riviere des Creole, is about 7km down the road.
Many of the amazing anthurium flowers are grown at Le Val in shade houses. There are also water fields full watercress, which, complements many Creole meals, and attemps at prawn farming. Other facilities include a small aquarium and a deer park. Le Val is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.There is a bus service from Curepipe to Rose Belle, via Cluny.
Away from the coast and almost directly south of Grand Baie is the Pamplemousses Gardens, also known as the Royal Botanical Gardens. Pamplemousses stretches for four hectares and features plants from all over the world - wild bananas, camphor trees, clover and nutmeg trees from Manila and huge water lilies, known locally as 'flan tins' as well as a number of palms. There is also an art gallery and a cemetery.