Mauritius: The Best African Destination
As the sun rises on an idyllic tropical island some 2,000 odd miles off the southeast coast of Africa, we see Mauritius, arguably Africa’s wealthiest destination, a paradise with tons to do.
Starting with the modern capital of this 38-mile by 29-mile island, Port Louis, which hosts a bustling port, a revitalised waterfront with a busy market.
There’s always a friendly welcome for you to this beautiful island. You can relax on stunning beaches, hike through national parks, stand on top of mountains overlooking sparkling lagoons and feel the freedom to explore.
When your island is surrounded by perfect white sand beaches, themselves surrounded by stunning blue Indian Ocean, and the center of the island contains mountains and breathtaking scenery, plus almost year-round sunshine, it’s difficult to be miserable.
Yet any holiday on Mauritius needn’t be just a laze on the sand.
For instances, Port Louis contains one of the oldest horseracing tracks in the world at Champs de Mars, along with one of the world’s best botanical gardens at Pamplemousses,
Include a visit to the Blue Penny Museum (home to one of the world’s rest stamps), and never leave without going to the Black River Gorges National Park or even the Casela Wildlife Park, where you can walk with lion cubs.
Covered in great golf courses, offering myriad water sports, such as mountain trekking, hunting and birdwatching. Within Mauritius’ luxurious resorts, they’ll offer a good nightlife with beautiful beach bars plus great sightseeing.
But if you are feeling energetic, here’s a few things to tire you out.
Land sports: resort hotel will have its own people to provide you with almost any land sport you want. Otherwise, companies such as Yemaya (yemayaadventures.com) provide mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and cycling.
Mauritius Horse Trails (mauritiushorsetrails.com) can take you on some wonderful horseback tours of the island.
Golf: There are seven great golf courses on the island, the best being Golf du Chateau and the Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita, plus several nine-hole courses.
Deep sea fishing: Mauritius has some of the best deep sea fishing in the world and the Marlin World Cup (marlinworldcup.com) is held there every February/March.
Best expert charters on the island are run by JP Henry Charters Ltd (blackriver-mauritius.com).
Mountain trekking: There are well more than 20 great mountains to trek up. The best people to guide you here are YANATURE (trekkingilemaurice.com).
Watersports: Most resort hotel will have its own people to provide you with any watersport you can think of.
Villages on the coast will likewise have several companies to do the same. Just ask and any Mauritian will tell you where to go.
Shopping: Local arts and crafts stores can be found in most villages, as well as designer factory outlets that sell Ralph Lauren and other brands at a fraction of European prices.
And then there’s the magnificent shopping mall at Caudan Waterfront (caudan.com) in Port Louis.
(Activities Info: Tony Smart, CNN}
So as the sun sets on a fabulous holiday of either A; lazy beach days or B; fun filled activities. We can finally say a fond farewell to what was the holiday adventure of a lifetime.
