There are several places of tourist attractions in Mauritius. Move around
the tropical paradise and revel in the scenic surroundings.
Port Louis
Port
Louis is the capital and main port of Mauritius, it was founded by the
French governor, Mahe 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 we have the Government house and
the Municipal Theatre, which were built during the 18th century. There are
also two eye catching Cathedrals, Anglican and Catholic and also a mosque.
The Supreme Court and natural history museum are also based in Port Louis.
Moreover there is the Worldwide Masks museum, which is a private Museum at
the heart of the unique and historic site of the 'Parcours Culturel',
situated at the Old Council Road, Port Louis. It displays a wonderful
collection of various tribal masks from Africa, America, Asia and Oceania.
Chamarel
A twisting road leads from Case Noyal village to the coloured earth at
Chamarel. It is one of the oldest sites on the island and is also known as
the Seven Coloured Earth.
This is a mound of undulating land stretching in contrasting layers of
colour, and the patches of blue, green, red, purple and yellow earth are
believed to be the result from the weathering of volcanic rocks. The nearby
Chamarel waterfalls emerges from the moors and primeval vegetation and is
startlingly beautiful
Grand Bassin
Grand Bassin rests in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is a place of
pilgrimage for large number of Mauritius of Hindu faith, especially on the
occasion of Maha Shivratree, which is celebrated in the month of February.
Pamplemonsses
Garden
Pierre Poivre created Pamplemonsses garden in 1767 in the Estate of the
French Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais. His Chateau known as 'Mon Plaisir',
which was built in 1735, can still be admired there. The garden has a
collection of indigenous and exotic plants, including the giant Victoria
Amazonica water lilies, many species of palm trees especially the unique
talipot palm, said to flower once every sixty years and then die.
Ile Anx Cerfs
Ile aux Cerfs attracts large numbers of holiday - makers on the east coast.
Tourists enjoy the beach and lagoon for water sports or sunbathing,
restaurants and several souvenir stalls. Moreover, on the island, there is a
boathouse where one can hire water skis, sailboards, Laser dinghies, canoes
and surfcats. You can also walk around the sea half of the island.
Black River George
This 6,574 hectare park, proclaimed in 1994, protects much of the remaining
native forests of Mauritius and provides opportunities for the visitor to
enjoy spectacular natural scenery and some of the unique endemic plants and
bird life. The National Park is easily reached from Vacoas or Curepipe, via
La Marie and Mare aux Vacoas. At le Petrin a visitor information center has
been set up with picnic facilities. A boardwalk provides access to the
typical dwarf forest of the region and a fenced conservation management area
(from which invasive non - native plants have been removed) protects a
sample of the remaining healthland. There is also a number of longer walking
trails, including one to the island's highest point, Black River Peak (828
m).
