The Chinese began coming to Mauritius in the 19C, bringing their dynamism and spirit of enterprise. In Port Louis a great “gate” marks the entrance to Chinatown, east of the central market. Behind it, the tightly packed, colourful stalls of the vario..

Built north of Chinatown in the mid-19C, Jummah Mosque is endowed with a fine sculpted wooden doorway. The Muslim community on Mauritius is mainly composed of Sunnis.

The Château du Réduit, a vast colonial home built in 1748, stands imposingly in the middle of its French-style garden. First a place of refuge in the event of a British attack – Mauritius being under French rule then – it became the residence for the..

Trou aux Cerfs, the crater of an extinct volcano overrun with thick shrubs and undergrowth, 180m wide at the base and 80m deep, evokes the stag hunts organised in honour of the royal princes in the 19C. The road that hedges it, George V Avenue, looks..

This temple complex built in the 19C, decorated with colourful sculptures and topped by white domes, is only a few kilometres from the coast. It is certainly the most highly venerated temple on the island after the one at Grand Bassin, and exudes an ..

This propitious site west of Grand Baie, ideal for spotting fugitive slaves and English invaders, was a military camp for the French settlers. Now a plush residential area, the peninsula boasts several hotels with a magnificent view of the islands ..

The Domaine du Chasseur can be reached on a trail leading inland from the village of Anse Jonchée. After 2km one enters a (900ha) natural sanctuary that is a delight for ecotourists as they make their way through the island’s last primal forest inhab..

At Pavillon du Grand Port, near the Church of N.-D.-du-Grand-Pouvoir on the left, you can see the remains of French buildings erected in the 18C on the ruins of Fort Hendrik, the island's first fortress built by the Dutch. The Frederik Hendrik Museum..

The Ferney Valley is a natural sanctuary in the heart of the mountains that dominate the eastern part of the island. The preservation of this unique biotope is due to the combined action of the CIEL group, the Mauritian government and the Mauritian W..

The National History Museum contains various objects, furniture and maps illustrating the colonial history of the island under successive Dutch, French and English rule. It occupies an 18C manor house.

At this little cottage industry factory, in operation since the 19C, you can taste the manioc flour biscuits after seeing how they are produced. The products are sold in the markets in Mahébourg.

Rugged Pointe d’Esny beach and its vast lagoon (beware of urchins!) extends from the road along the water at the southern end of Mahébourg. Lined by a series of more or less luxurious encampments, it was long the favoured beach of the Franco-Mauritia..

aThis island across from Pointe d’Esny contains one of the rare nature preserves on Mauritius where a few native plants (the red butterfly tree, tarenna borbonica and screw pine) and animals (pink pigeons, kestrels and giant tortoises) have survived...

In Bois Chéri, cane fields give way to the island's only tea plantations, unfolding in harmonious dark green strips. Bois Chéri is the name of the town, the factory and the brand of tea produced here. After your visit, the growing and making of tea w..

Black River Gorges National Park (6 500ha) is located between Chamarel and Le Pétrin, one of its points of entry (information centre). It strives to protect the primary forest stretching from the high plateaus (750m) to lower altitudes in the Plaine ..

From Riambel to Souillac a well-marked road (about 4km) then a rocky trail (500m) through cane fields takes you to Rochester Falls, upstream from the Savanne River. Tectonic movement and erosion from the river have shaped the basalt into upright cubi..

The Réserve des Mascareignes is a 6ha tropical park where you stroll among bamboo, palm trees and orchids while exploring the fauna of the Mascareignes and Africa, including Nile crocodiles, Central American iguanas, green lizards, giant Seychelles t..

Île aux Bénitiers , north of Morne Brabant, is fringed with coconut trees and white sand and inhabited by a few fishermen. It offers heavenly swimming with a breathtaking view of le Morne and the island’s jagged peaks. Excursions are organised by ..

The park contains over 10ha mainly devoted to exotic birds (about 1 500 including parrots, cockatoos, sacred ibises) in large aviaries scattered throughout the tropical vegetation. It also boasts big cats, giant tortoises and ostriches that can be se..

After the end of the road at Grand Baie, east of Port Mathurin, you can continue on foot (20 min) to Baladirou Cove, a charming sandy beach surrounded by rocks.