The brightest jewel of the southern Indian Ocean with magnificent beaches, top class hotels, excellent year round climate and breathtaking flora.
Located 500 miles east of Madagascar, a four hour flight from Johannesburg, or 12 hours from London, Mauritius is a kaleidoscope of romantically tropical images comprising beaches of white sand, swaying palms and pale blue lagoons protected from ocean breakers by a coral reef teeming with marine life.
Mauritius is not large, some 60 kms from north to south, and much of it consists of low lying farmland with plantations of cotton and sugar cane, although a number of abrupt craggy mountains provide dramatic evidence of the island's volcanic origins.
Throughout the island vegetation is fragrant, lush and colourful, the exotic gardens of the many luxury hotels in particular being ablaze with a breathtaking diversity of exquisite flora attracting rare butterflies and hummingbirds.
But there is more to Mauritius than greets the senses alone for the island has a colonial heritage accounting for much of its charm. Although the British held sway for more than 150 years, from 1815 until 1968 (the island remains a member of the British Commonwealth), it is the influence of the short, earlier French occupation that is most marked. Whereas the British tended to rule at arms length, relying on the army and civil service to maintain administration and infrastructure, the French moved in with large numbers of settlers who brought their culture, language and, of course, cuisine with them. The most prominent outward signs of the British occupation are old road signs from the fifties, nameplates on official buildings ('Courthouse', 'Post Office', etc) and an ageing population of Morris Oxfords!
Making oneself understood in Mauritius is not a problem for, whilst the lingua franca is Créole, French is widely spoken and English is used in administrative circles and among the educated classes. Descended from immigrants brought in to work the former colonial plantations, the present population is predominantly Indian or Sri Lankan in origin; there is also significant numbers of Europeans and Orientals and many of the faces in the street display a fascinating mélange of many races. This, and the unique blend of Indian, French and British cultures, exemplified by Hindu temples, plantation houses and other colonial buildings, is what gives Mauritius its special character.
Most tourists, especially those content to remain within the confines of their luxury hotels, will enthuse, above all, about the superb beaches of Mauritius, the fantastic variety of watersports and splendid tropical gardens. Hotel staff apart, however, most will have little or no contact with local people but this is a pity for nowhere in the Indian Ocean does one find a more genuinely friendly welcome.
Climate: as this is the southern hemisphere, Winter and Summer are the reverse of what we are used to in Britain. Mauritius enjoys a maritime climate, tropical in summer (November to April), the hottest and wettest season, and sub-tropical in winter (June to August), the coolest and driest season. The most pleasant time of year is often the Spring (September to December) when temperatures hover in the 70s and 80s and humidity is comparatively low. Sunshine hours vary little throughout the year.
