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MAURITIUS
Sobriquet
: 'Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.'
Situated just
north of the Tropic of Capricon, surrounded by blue waters and occupying
choice section of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is a good choice for
a honey moon. The Dutch name this island Mauritius after Prince
Maurice of Nassau. The official language here is English, so you
can feel comfortable about communicating. Mauritius is a cosmopolitan
country.
American author Mark Twain visited Mauritius and described it as
:God created Mauritius and then the heaven. Sandy sunny beaches
to moonlit nights, this tropical island has everything to fill you
up to the brim with enjoyment and entertainment.
Here are some of the features you would like to know about the tropical
island.
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CITIES
Port
Louis
Port Louis
the capital and main port of Mauritius. The harbour of Port Louis
is wrapped in a semi-circle of mountains. The town of Port Louis
is very lively with variety of things to look at, the fine old French
colonial buildings, the government house of the 18th century, the
then built Municipal theatre etc. You can find the fascinating livel
Mauritian life in the market. And for the race lovers Champs de
Mars racecourse is present. You can view the town from high-up from
the splendid Edward VII Avenue and from Fort Adelaide. In the South
is the French colonial residence of the former Governor-General
of Mauritius, set in magnificent gardens.
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Curepipe
The main
urban centre of the island, Curepipe, you can do some good shopping
and can find some fine restaurants. The spectacular Trou aux Cerfs
a crater about 85m deep and 200m wide, standing on the rim of this
you can enjoy the view of the island.
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Quatre
Bornes & Rose Hill
Quatre
Bornes & Rose Hill are other urban centres with numerous shopping
centres and eating out areas.
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Mahébourg
Mahébourg,
one of the main fishing centres, lies in the bay of Grand Port and
has a Naval Museum. A handicraft village built in typical island
architecture is found in the premises of the museum.
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Festivals
As we have said
before Mauritius is cosmopolitan with it's origin digged into three
continents, therefore they have many festivals.
Cavadee
Cavadee
celebrated in Jan/Feb is a Tamil festival, at this festive time
you can get to look at the awesome Tamil events like fire-walking
and sword climbing.
Chinese
Spring Festival
The Chinese
New Year's Day which comes in Jan/Feb, it falls on a different day
each year because it is calculated depending on the lunar days.
The traditional wax cake is distributed among relatives and friends
at this time, and if you are there at that time you can get to taste
them and can have a look at the firecracker lit up skies and food
is piled up to ensure abundance during the year.
Diwali
Diwali
one of the Hindu festivals. Celebrated with clay oil lamps lit up
and placed in front of every home, you can feel as if your walking
into a fairyland of flickering lights.
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh
Chaturthi celebrated on the 4th day of the lunar month of August/September,
is considered to be the birthday of Ganesha.
Holi
Holi is
another Hindu festival celebrated by pouring colours on each other
it is a time of fun and sharing greetings with each other.
Id-Ul-Fitr
Id-Ul-Fitr
celebrated to mark the end of Ramazan, the holy month of fasting
and prayers. It is celebrated with nice savouring foods.
Ugadi
Ugadi
is the Telegu New Year. It is usually celebrated in March.
As you can notice there are lot of Indian festivals here, so you
can be sure of not missing the festivals when you are at Mauritius
and feel at home.
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Places of Interest
Pamplemousses
Botanical Garden:
One among
the finest of botanical gardens is the Pamplemousses. It is known
for it's infinite species of exotic flora. The giant water-lilies
and the Talipot palm said to flowe once in sixty years are somethings
that must be seen.
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Coloured Earths of Chamarel
The seven-coloured
earths at Chamarel is an eye catching sight, the contrasting layers
of colored earth are believed to result from the weathering of volcanic
rocks. The gorgeous Chamarel waterfalls, which emerge from the moors,
are nearby from here.
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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.
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Casela Bird Park
This park,
set in the district of Black River, stretches over 20 acres of land
and contains more than 140 varieties amounting to 2,500 birds. Specimens
from the five continents may be seen there, but the main attraction
is the Mauritian Pink Pigeon which is one of the rarest birds in
the world. Othertr attractions are the tigers, fish ponds, tortoises,
monkeys, orchids (seasonal), and the overall green scenery and the
peaceful atmosphere created by yej trees, streams and small cascades.
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The Casela Bird Garden:
Stretchin
over 20 acres of land and set in the district of Black River, the
Casela bird park has more than 140 varities of birds. The main attraction
is the Mauritian Pink Pigeon still trying to avoid the fate of many
extinct birds. The park is also filled with other attractions like
tigers, fish ponds, tortoises and the green pastures making it a
must to visit place.
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Île
aux Cerfs
An
island resort about 20 minutes in a ferry from Pointe Maurice, Ile
Aux Cerfs. As soon as you get down off the ferry you step into a
sheltered, crowded beach and a lagoon for water sports. There is
Grande Riviere Sud-Est waterfall.
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Domaine
Les Pailles
A nature
park spread over 3000 acres at the foot of the Moka mountain range
is the Domaine Les Pailles. The gardens apart from their natural
beauty also feature a replica of an ancient sugarmill, a spice garden
and a natural spring.
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Aquarium
Between
Pointe-aux-Piments and Trou-aux-Biches is the Aquarium which hosts
about 200 species of sea creatures. You can admire the treasures
of the Indian Ocean here.
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Domaine
du Chasseur (Anse Jonchee, Vieux Grand Port)
Covering about 1,950 acres and situated in the south-east, is Domaine
du Chasseur a magnificent park. You can find monkeys, wild boars
and herds of deer here on the forest covered slopes. At the end
after taking a stroll down the leafy domain you can enjoy typical
Mauritian food in a gastronomic restaurant.
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Le Val Nature Park
Situated
in the south-east of the island at Cluny, Le Val offers the following
attractions: Spring water with natural aquatic life like shrimps,
eels and carps; Anthurium and Andreanum greenhouses, Prawn ponds,
watercress ponds, deer park, monkeys, birds, endemic plants and
animals.
All these and
there is much more to see and do in Mauritius, come for an unlimited
everything.
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