Travel Mystic Mauritius Places To Visit:
 Pamplemousses:
a botanical garden much visited for its single-largest (literally) attraction – giant water lilies, as much as a metre wide (the giant Victorial Regia water lilies), and the talipot palm, said to flower once every sixty years and then die!Aside from these, the gardens boast of a variety of exotic plants and well-informed guides will give you a lovely tour replete with the salient features of each tree, liberally peppered with risqué anecdotes of what some of the locals do with some of the plants. Coloured Earth Of Chamarel:
Among the oddest sites of the island are the seven-coloured dunes at Chamarel, believed to result from the weathering of volcanic rocks. These undulating and vividly contrasted layers of earth are a short drive away from the beautiful Chamarel waterfalls. The Bird Garden Of Casela:
Set in a magnificient site between Bambous and Tamarin in the Riviere Noire district, the Casela Bird Park hosts some 140 varieties of birds from around the world. The main attraction remains the Mauritian Pink Pigeon, one of the rarest birds in the world, still fighting to avoid the fate of the dodo. One of the giant tortoises is 150 years old. The park is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm and the entrance fee is Rs 125/150 on weekdays/weekends. Lle Aux Cerfs:
Mauritius is water and water sports rule the day. The Mecca of the water-sporty types is the Island of Lle Aux Cerfs, on the south coast. Be sure to take an entire day off for this experience as the island is a self-contained amusement centre with two restaurants, a boat house and every imaginable activity that you may want to do in, out or above the water available here. You can dive, hire a speedboat, snorkel, para-sail, ride in a glass-bottomed boat, water ski or hire a motorised paddleboat or a water scooter – the activities are as wide-ranging as your imagination. Domaine Les Pailles:
Ten minutes south of Port-Louis lies the nature park of Domaine Les Pailles, stretching over 3,000 acres at the foot of the Moka mountain range. You can choose between touring the park in a Land-Rover, riding in a horse-drawn carriage or in a train. The gardens also feature a replica of an ancient sugarmill, an "alambic" - an apparatus formerly used in distilling rum, a spice garden and a natural spring. Aquarium:
Situated between Pointe-aux-Piments and Trou-aux-Biches, hosts some 200 species of indigenous fish, invertebrates, corals and sponges, providing the visitor with a unique opportunity of admiring the fauna and flora of the Indian Ocean.  Le Val Nature Park & Vanilla Crocodile And Tortoise Park:
Situated in the south-east of the island at Cluny, Le Val offers a view of the natural aquatic life of shrimps, eels and freshwater fish. The park also hosts anthurium green-houses, watercress ponds, deer parks, as well as monkeys and various bird species
Enter the glittering forest of Vanilla Crocodile and Tortoise park and discover a haven of luscious tropical flora: find a variety of endemic and exotic plants. In these lush green surroundings where banana and palm trees as well as giant bambous grow, more than a thousand Nile crocodiles are bred. On a guided tour, you will meet these animals in their breeding ponds, in perfect safety. Trou Aux Cerfs:
Trou Aux Cerfs, an extinct volcanic crater, 85 m deep and over 200 m in width. This is almost the single highest vantage point in the island centre, from which one can soak in glorious views of Mauritius. Geological evidence confirms that Mauritius was created as a result of an eruption of this volcano, eons ago – may many more such volcanoes spout all over the world, was my reaction. Grand Bassein:
One of the islands’ two lakes, Grand Bassin, resting in the crater of another extinct volcano borders a massive Hindu temple – actually called Mauritiuseswar Nath, complete with Shivalings, a garishly painted Hanuman and numerous other Hindu deities. It is an annual Hindu pilgrimage spot, especially at the time of Mahashivratri. Tamarin Falls :
These falls are awkward to reach, but it's worth the effort for a beautiful, deep, cool bathe at the bottom of the series of seven falls. You can see them from the Vacoas side, if you follow the sign from Henrietta. From Curepipe or Quatre Bornes, take a bus to Henrietta, then walk to Tamarind Falls. If you're coming from Tamarin, turn right about 3Km north of Tamarin, at the round about to Magenta and Yemen. A tarred, bumpy road through cane fields leads to the Magenta and Tamarind Falls turn-off. Continue through all the 'Private Estate', 'Permit Needed' and 'Prohibited Entry' signs, down towards the power station. Leave your car or bike and walk along the river up to the falls. The path is quite heavily overgrown and you must cross to the other side and boulder-hop the last 300m along the river bed to reach the top, but you will richly rewarded! ********************************************* | |
