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Mauritius Vacation Guide
By Andrew Muigai, Thu Dec 8th
Mauritius has successfully managed to position itself as anexotic beach destination. With beach destinations so plentiful,this has been sustained not by mere hype, but by the substancethere is to this claim. Visitors are drawn to Mauritius by thereputation of its 140 km of white sand beaches, and the superbopportunities for water sports. Swimming, beach combing,sailing, surfing, kayaking, diving and deep-sea fishing - thereis a sport for almost everyone. Arab traders discovered the then uninhabited island in the 10thcentury. But they were not charmed sufficiently to considerpermanent settlement. The Portuguese early in the sixteenthcentury landed, but they too passed over the chance to lay claimfor their king. But in 1598 the Dutch finally seized theopportunity. The island was grabbed for and named after Maurice,Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau -then ruler of theNetherlands. In the century that followed, the Dutch established settlementsand devised means to live off the land. They introduced sugarand tobacco, which they farmed using African slave labour. Sugaris today still an important part of the economy. The Dutch wereinsensitive to the extremely fragile ecosystem that makes up anisolated island such as Mauritius. On their watch, most of theislands' indigenous forests were felled, and lost. The birdknown as dodo was also shot to extinction. Thus did thetrigger-happy Dutch give life to the expression "as dead as adodo".
The Dutch courage that had made them pioneers was however not tolast. They were subjected to many trials by the forces of nature- cyclones, droughts and floods. And also by the forces of man,for pirates were a constant headache. In 1710, they fled to themore hospitable Cape of Good Hope, at Africa's southern tip. Ashort five years after the Dutch left, the French claimed theisland, and renamed it Isle de France. The French were much more successful than the Dutch inharnessing the potential of the island. They maintained law andorder and laid the foundations for administration of society.Under the celebrated French Governor, Mahé de Labourdonnais,real nation building began. The French brought in more Africanslaves and expanded further sugar farming. They also laid outsome social and economic infrastructure to support the settlers.Port Louis, named after King Louis XV, and today the capital ofMauritius, dates back to this period. Though the French had introduced systems of law and order, PortLouis turned out to be a favourite of corsairs. Corsairs weremercenary marine who specialised in the plunder of ships onbehalf of a client country. The British, a great sea power atthe time, had a vested interest in terminating the power ofthese mercenaries. And that is how Mauritius, so far away fromEurope, got involved in the Napoleonic wars. In 1810, theBritish backed by superior force of arms, persuaded the Frenchto leave the island. In the 1814 Treaty of Paris, the British - magnanimous victorsindeed, allowed the French settlers to remain in Mauritius. Theytoo were allowed to retain their property, language, religionand legal system. The British reverted to the name the Dutch hadgiven the island, but Port Louis retained its name. But in thecentury and a half that the British ruled, they were neverreally as grounded as the French had been. Franco-Mauritians prospered on an agrarian economy based onslave labour. But in 1835, they felt the capricious hand of agreat power when slavery was abolished. This is perhaps thesingle most important measure carried out under British rule,and the consequences had a far-reaching effect on the evolvingdemographics of the nation. India, a British colony greatlyabundant in human resources was the answer to the labour problemthat arose. In the years that followed, the descendants of theIndian labourers who came to work the sugar fields greatlymultiplied. The Chinese also came -as labourers and traders. Today, Indo-Mauritians constitute close to 70% of thepopulation. As in other colonies in that historic period, andupto the 1930's in Mauritius, non-whites had very limited say inthe running of the country. And that is why Gandhi - that greatliberator of men's minds, came to Mauritius in 1901, inparticular to give heart to Indo-Mauritians. After years ofprotracted concessions to democratic rule, the British finallybowed out in 1968, when finally granted independence. The events we talk about above are however very recent. Abouteight million years ago, the island emerged from the depths ofthe sea as result of volcanic activity. Occupying 1860 sq km, itis situated just above the Tropic of Capricorn, 890 km to theeast of Madagascar. Rising from the sea, the central plateauformation is about 400 m above sea level. There are mountainsscattered in the island, and a few peaks, the highest of whichreaches 820 m. As a country, Mauritius includes the islands of Rodrigues andAgalega, the Cargados Carajos Shoals and a few smaller
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mostlyuninhabited islands. Mauritius is almost wholly ringed by acoral reef that is reputed to be the worlds third largest. Boththe Dutch and the French were extremely reckless in allowing theuncontrolled invasion of indigenous forests. Today, less than 2%of these forests remain. Many of the nearly 700 species ofindigenous plants are threatened with extinction. Starting fromthe late 1970's, a belated but systematic effort has beenunderway to conserve the unique flora of the island. The wildlife faces similar dangers. In the first place, animalmigration to this isolated island was by air or sea only,greatly limiting the diversity of species. The animals the Dutchfound included out-of-size reptiles and flightless birds. Butexcept for bats, there were no mammals and no amphibians at all.The animals brought aboard ships by man include monkeys and rats- thanks to the Portuguese, while the Dutch take credit for deerand wild boar. Some of these animals threaten to choke the lifeout of indigenous species - they eat their eggs, and even theiryoung. Mauritius is not all bad news for nature lovers' -there areplenty of birds and marine life is abundant. However, some ofthe endemic bird species, such as Mauritius kestrel, echoparakeet and pink pigeon number not more than a few hundred.Such are now under some form of captive breeding program, withthe hope of raising their numbers. The island's maritime zone boasts more than 1,000 species ofmarine life- fishes, shells and mollusks, in numbers beyondcount. The spectacular way to explore the spectacular underwaterworld is onboard a submarine. The sub also allows you to seesome ship wrecks dating back to the Dutch period. You can swim at various places at beaches, lagoons and inlets.Swimming beaches are best to the north, though there are othergood sites to the southwest and to the west near Flic en Flac.The west coast offers good sites for surfing at Tamarin, anddiving at Flic en Flac. At Grand Bay beach, you get goodshopping, nightclubs, bars, and restaurants and the chance tointeract with locals. In addition, the swimming, surfing,sailing and angling is good. From here, you can also make a boatexcursion of the islands to the north. In the islands' interior, there are good opportunities forhiking and trekking. Black River Gorges National Park hasexcellent walks, and at the same time you can see some endemicplants and birds. The Réserve Forrestière Macchabée and RivièreNoire National Park are also good for hiking. In addition,captive breeding to raise the numbers of Mauritius endangeredendemic birds is underway here. For trekkers, you will do wellat the plateau at Curepipe and at the island of Rodrigues. The Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses are very popularwith visitors. The gardens date back to 1735, during the Frenchperiod. Here you will see a large collection of exotic andindigenous plants in excellent surroundings. Among the mostpeculiar specimens are the giant Victoria regia water lilies,whose origins are in the Amazon, and the talipot palm- known tobloom once every 60 years before dying. At the Casela Bird Park,you can see some of its 140 bird species, including the rareMauritian pink pigeon. Some of these excursions are included inthe Mauritius tour packages offered bythe various vendors. Mauritius offers some excellent golf courses, and visitors areincreasingly aware of it. There are at least three hotels with18-hole courses and another five with 9-hole courses. The Ileaux Cerfs course, which sits on its own tiny island is the mostspectacular. For honeymooners, the island is very welcoming.Almost all hotels offer a special honeymoon package. As anon-resident, you can easily tie the knot here. But a fewformalities must be completed with officialdom; make sure youcomply before arrival. Mauritius is at the cultural cross roads of Europe, Africa andAsia. The Dutch, French, Africans, Indians, Chinese and Britishcame under one guise or another and have today influenced thecharacter and cultural life of the island. Though the island isclosest to Africa geographically, culturally it is much closerto Asia. The biggest racial groups are Indo-Mauritians who constituteabout two thirds of the nations 1.2 million peoples, followed byCreoles - Afro- Mauritians who are just over a quarter of thepopulation. Franco- Mauritians and peoples of Chinese origincombined make up about 5% of the population. While English isthe official language, French, Creole, Bhojpuri and Urdu arewidely spoken. Religion is the other factor defining the peopleof the island, with Hinduism (51%), Christianity (30%) and Islam(17%) leading. The cuisine of the island reflects the diversity of its people.French, Creole, Chinese and Indian foods - with local variationsare all found here. Wherever you stay, you will most likely beable to watch or even dance the Sega. This energetic and eroticCreole dance has origins in the sugar fields, in the days whenAfrican labour was captive. You may also be fortunate toencounter any of the various festivals celebrated in thismulticultural country. Only the most widely traveled however,will be prepared for the Cavadi. On this Tamil festival,penitents pierce their bodies, tongues, and cheeks while somemarch on shoes of nails. Tourism is one of the main pillars of the economy of Mauritius.The bulk of visitors come from South Africa, Germany, France,Australia and UK. Hotels in Mauritius are plenty, andthey range from 5-star luxury to those with just basicamenities. Budget stay comes in the form of bungalows,guesthouses and self-catering apartments. The period June toSeptember and around Christmas is the busy season and if youplan to travel then, you are advised to book your accommodationin advance. Mauritius is still relatively affordable, thoughthere has been talk of turning it into an up market beachdestination. Mauritius is a year-round destination. The best times to visithowever, are the periods April-June and September- November.These are the months when it rains least and the temperaturesare moderate. January to April is hottest, and daytimetemperatures can reach 35°C. Temperatures tend to be lowerinland, away from the coast. The main rains come betweenDecember and April, though there are light rains year round.November to February is when cyclones are most likely to occur.But do not be deterred; chances of meeting cyclones are not veryhigh, and it is estimated that they hit the island about onceevery 15 years. If you are keen on water sports, beware that diving is bestDecember to March, and surfing between June and August. For biggame fishing, come between October and April. You should becomfortable with light clothing suitable for the tropicalclimate. But you need warmer clothing for evenings and thesouthern winter months between July and September. Whatever timeof year you travel, do carry some rainwear. In the summer monthsbetween November and April, you are advised to bring alongsunglasses, sun hats and sunscreen. Copyright © Africa Point About the author:Andrew Muigai is editor of AfricaPoint Insider onlinenewsletter. It is part of AfricaPoint.com- the Africa travelwebsite that has helped thousands of travelers discover Africa.You can view more info on Tanzania safari and tours at thewebsite. |