Mauritius, the destination to breathe one of the best air qualities in the world!!

Mauritius is an island in Indian Ocean which is an absolute paradise for travellers around the globe. It is a favourite destination of Indian couples for honeymoon.

We started for our destination from Indira Gandhi International  Airport , New Delhi by Air Mauritius flight. The flight was delayed by around 4 hrs but we had a nice time at the airport.It was a comfortable flight though & we reached Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at the southeast of the island at around 11 PM.

This time around , we were staying at Hotel La Plantation in Balaclava, Mauritius. It is a nice luxurius resort having sprawling accommodation , two restaurants, three swimming pools and a private beach of its own offering a wide range of water sports and recreational activities.

After checking in, we went for a quite walk by the sea side in the moonlight. To tell you the truth , I was quite scared to go out at the beach at 1.30 am but as I walked silently , I could actually feel the cool wind talking to me. The vast coastline by the beach & stars gazing at me from the sky with moonlight guiding my way , I immediately came to know why this is a tourist paradise.

Beautiful view

It was a seven nights stay in Mauritius. Next morning , a buffet breakfast was awaiting us. After a sumptuous breakfast, we enjoyed water sports in the resort itself.

Beach view

We relaxed for a while post lunch and played indoor games in the evening. The first day ended with a traditional dance & music night at the hotel itself.

Traditional dance at LA Plantation, Mauritius  Speed boat

Day 2 was our excurtion to the ILE AUX CERF , an emerald lagoon on the east coast. We took a speed boat from the jetty. The island was enchanting and is actually a real pearl in Mauritian landscape with most of the tourist coming to indulge in beach and water sports. Ile Aux Cerf island is a property of a 5* hotel and houses a golf course and beautiful beaches. It is famous for Catamaran cruises.

We stopped at the waterpark leisure Village. This was a nice place where we had fun at giant slides, waterfall and other splash pools. It also has food court and shops for souvenirs. Water park had something to offer for all ages. This Park is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 15.30 pm.

Dinner became enjoyable with live music band in the moonlight and people dancing to popular tunes at the hotel.

Day 3 was our visit for a full day North Island tour with visit to Capital city Port Louis.

Grand Bay in North island is very beautiful and hosts various safe water activities like  swimming, windsurfing, water skiing etc. At Grand Bay we did snorkeling which was a nice experience. The view of flora and fauna through glass bottom boats was worth the visit. Coral reefs were beautiful. It was a good experience to see life under water. Other activities that can be done but we did not do are under sea walking, underwater scooter etc. 

Caudan waterfront is a commercialized point havimg banking facilities, shops, casinos, cinema halls, restaurant and a 5* hotel. The Pamplemousses botanical garden were exotic having spices, sugarcanes, lotus etc. It is a beautiful location and is one of the most densely populated areas in Mauritius. 

After three days of hectic travel , Day 4  was relaxing and we went to a local temple and then mall for shopping followed by long walk by the sea side which was rejuvinating. Day ended at our hotel’s discotheque.

Day 5 was our visit for full day South Island tour which included Trou aux cerfs , the crater of a extinct volcano.It was a giant creater & looked amazing. We also went to Grand bassin ( Ganga Talao), a place of hindu worship- a natural lake at the base of volcanic creater. It has a temple dedicated to God Shiva, Hanuman, Lakshmi and others.

Ganga Talao

Then we went to Chamarel which is known to have beautiful waterfalls and seven coloured land.

Chamarel Waterfalls

Land of seven colours

Land of seven colours

Day 6, Off the south west coast of Mauritius , there is a famous Le Morne mountain. About 200 meters from the shore, there is a famous crystal rock with a magnificent view of Le Morne mountain.

Le Morne mountain view from coast

Day 7, brought us a surprise. Cyclone Gamede had hit Mauritius and our hotel had closed all the beach activities. It was drizzling and I could not understand the severity of the situation till the time I moved out of my room. Breakfast was shifted indoors with the hotel staff hurriedly removing furniture from poolside / beachside. We went to the top floor of the hotel & to my surprise the sea was actually looking bad. I could not stop thinking that this was the same sea in which I was enjoying myself all these days. It had turned wild!

Beach side  

I suddenly had chills down my spine when I saw the rough sea in the middle with the haze around. Since my room was on third floor of the hotel, I could see it clearly.I was aghast at fury of mother nature when I received another news. Our return flight to India was cancelled the next morning for indefinite delay.A hurried flurry of calls to the airport authorities revealed that our flight was delayed by at least one day.Well , it seemed a long wait till the time I heard a knock on my doors.We had our friends ready in raincoats and they asked us to join us for a walk at seaside. I was terrified but mustured courage for the experience. We moved out to the shores along coastline & walked long and finally crossed across to the roadside . We took a cab and went to capital Port Louis & had hot coffee after lunch. It was an amazing feeling like telling mother nature that even cyclone could not dampen our spirits. Although we recieved enough scoldings from our parents later. All the recreational facilities were closed but we enjoyed by singing songs and dancing.

Soon we woke up to a better weather next morning. We could see fallen trees and lots of sea shells on the beach. We relaxed in our room’s balcony for a while. The life was slowly limping back to normalcy during the day. I was a changed person myself after feeling warmth, love and fury of mother nature in one go.

Next morning we took flight back to India with memories of a lifetime. 

I would recommend this place to all esp for honeymoon couples.

Some interesting facts

1. Mauritius was first explored by Portuguese in 1507, followed by Dutch settlement till 1710
2. It became a French colony around 1715 followed by British rule in 1810
3. Mauritius became independent in 1968 and republic in1992
4. Economy of Mauritius is dependent on Sugar and textile industry apart from Tourism
5. Le Mourne mountain was notorious in early 19th century as a refuge for run away slaves. After abolition of slavery in Mauritius on February 1st, 1835, a police expedition travelled to inform slaves of their freedom. This was misunderstood leading slaves to leap to death from the cliff
6. This mountain was Inscribed by UNESCO in world heritage list in 2008
7. Mauritius was the only home for ‘Dodo’ bird which became extinct after 80 years of its discovery

Other beautiful snaps

Sea side

Pineapples

Mauritius is a must visit for all.

Nidhi KM

Special thanks to Neha Mukhija for her contribution.

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