Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean known for its
beautiful beaches, lagoons and reefs, and is geographically part of
Africa.
The Hindu-Christian country offers a fascinating mix
of beautiful beaches, diverse culture, exquisite cuisine, varied
water sports and the opportunity to explore tropical natural wonders
such as the Black River Gorges National Park.
Mauritius is
known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. The mountainous interior
includes the Black River Gorges National Park with rainforests,
waterfalls, hiking trails and wildlife.
Mauritius is well
suited for Africa beginners. The infrastructure is good and medical
care is at European levels. As soon as you arrive at Sir Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam International Airport, you are greeted by dry, scorching
heat and a wonderful smell of vanilla and sandalwood. You will
discover this smell again and again all over the island (outside the
cities).
The island seems like what you generally imagine
when you read the catalog to be “Caribbean”; Nevertheless, it is
also an interesting destination for people with travel experience in
the Maldives or Guadeloupe, as the island offers much more than this
Caribbean dream. There are remnants of jungle-like terrain, a flat
plateau, of course plenty of dream beaches with white sand and wild
mountains. Unlike La Réunion or Mayotte, you are outside the EU,
which in itself feels different. Anyone who comes here must be aware
that Mauritius is a paradise that has to be conquered.
On the
island you will encounter two animal species in particular. Firstly,
there are images of the dodo, a flightless large pigeon that was
extinct just 100 years after its discovery. Secondly, there are the
macaques, which were brought to the island by European sailors in
the 17th century and probably played a key role in the extinction of
the dodos.
1 Port Louis . As the capital of Mauritius, Port Louis offers a mix
of historical attractions such as the Fort Adelaide Citadel, Le Caudan
Waterfront Complex, Central Market and cultural establishments such as
the Blue Penny Museum.
2 Vacoas-Phoenix . Located in the Plaines
Wilhems, this city is one of the largest cities in Mauritius.
Vacoas-Phoenix is known for its botanical gardens, including the
National Botanical Garden of Mauritius. Tourists can discover a variety
of native and exotic plant species here. The city also offers shopping,
restaurants and markets that offer a glimpse into local life.
3 Beau
Bassin-Rose Hill . Also located in the Plaines Wilhems, this twin city
is a major urban zone in Mauritius. Beau Bassin-Rose Hill is known for
its vibrant atmosphere, shops, restaurants and markets. Tourists can
experience local life, try traditional dishes and go shopping here. Beau
Bassin's Central Park is also worth seeing, offering a green oasis in
the middle of the city.
4 Curepipe:
79,001 inhabitants
5 Quatre Bornes: 77,492 inhabitants
1 Rodrigues Island – Smaller, less touristy island.
2 Île aux
Cerfs – The island has white sandy beaches and is well developed for
tourism, there are several hotels and a golf course.
3 Pamplemousses Botanical Garden
4 Trou aux Cerfs – Dormant
volcano with a well-defined cone and crater.
5 Black River Gorges
National Parktype, the largest and oldest national park on the island,
it was established in 1994. The park was named after the Riviére Noir
river. The 6 Piton de la Rivière Noire is located in the park
7
Chamarel waterfall – The Rivière de Cap plunges over a rocky edge almost
100m into the depths. A narrow path leads to the foot of the waterfall.
From the parking lot in front of it, a staircase leads to a viewing
platform. As the surrounding gorge offers protection to endemic animal
species, fruit bats can often be seen.
8 Alexandra Falls – A great
waterfall, very easy to get to and there is no entrance fee. You can go
on lovely hikes here. There are also a few monkeys jumping around in the
forest.
9 Rochester Falls – The waterfall is one of the most popular
tourist attractions and the widest waterfall in Mauritius.
10 Seven
Coloured Earth – The volcanic rock comes in seven different colours. The
area is well developed for tourism, there is a kiosk and toilets. At the
edge of the area is an enclosure for giant tortoises and a garden with
rare endemic plants.
11 La Vanille Nature Park – This is where you
will find the world's largest captive tortoise colony with around 1000
animals, including radiated tortoises from Madagascar, giant tortoises
from the Seychelles and freshwater turtles. Another main attraction of
the animal park are the approximately 2000 Nile crocodiles of all sizes
and ages.
12 La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park – The main attraction
of the park are earth bands and hills that can be seen in 23 different
shades of color. This phenomenon was discovered in 1998 and is the main
attraction of the park. A geology museum, a small animal farm and a
children's playground are also part of the park. For entertainment there
is also a quad track and a zip line.
13 Trois Mamelles – Three
characteristic mountains, the peak of the highest is 629m high.
14
Bras D'Eau National Park – The area is home to mangrove swamps and a
variety of birds. This place is very popular with bird watchers. The
national park also contains the remains of over 200-year-old ruins of a
former sugar factory and a lime kiln. In addition, marked hiking trails
start at the visitor center and picnic tables are available.
1 Grand Bassin (Ganga Talao) – Ganga Talao is the most important
Hindu pilgrimage site on Mauritius. It consists of a crater lake
surrounded by several smaller temples and a few small statues of gods.
According to tradition, the lake was created when the god Shiva poured
water from the Ganges into this lake while he and his wife Parvati were
on their way around the world. There are two large statues in the
immediate vicinity. The 33m high statue of Shiva and the relatively new
statue of Parvati are worth seeing. Oh yes, you have to watch out for
the animal visitors who are used to visiting people. Macaques can be
quite cheeky.
2 Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice de Cap Malheureux – Very
beautiful red church right by the sea.
1 Villa Eureka – Colonial style building with a beautiful park.
2
Bois Cheri Tea Factory and Tea Museum, Bois Cheri Road, Bois Cheri.
Tel.: +230 617 9109. The Tea Route is a tourist route that connects the
site of Curepipe with the village of Souillac. This route is
simultaneously gastronomic, historical and cultural and allows you to
discover the cultivation of tea, sugar cane and vanilla in three
farms.infoedit
3 Château de Labourdonnais - It was built in the 19th
century by Christian Wilhelm Wiehe, a descendant of a Danish immigrant.
All Europeans can enter the island for up to 90 days without a visa. The exception is the Balkan states that are not yet part of the EU; they need a visa on arrival that is valid for 60 days. The rule that you should have 100 US$/day is more theoretical. Tourists are allowed to stay on the island for a maximum of 180 days per year, business travelers a maximum of 120 days per year.
1 Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (IATA: MRU). 3
hours of free WiFi with registration. On level 0 there is a service desk
where you can inquire about the officially set taxi prices (also on the
website). On level 0 you can also send cards to your loved ones at the
post office (Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-4.15 p.m.).
The holiday airlines Condor
and Eurowings Discover fly to Mauritius several times a week from
Frankfurt am Main. Air Mauritius also offers connections all year round
(sometimes via Paris after peak season). The flight time from Frankfurt
am Main is around 11½ hours, from Munich it is 11 hours. In addition,
Gulf carriers such as Emirates offer connections from Europe with a
stopover in Dubai. South African Airways from Frankfurt am Main offers
another connection with a short transfer time in Johannesburg, so that
the trip can also be combined with a stay in South Africa.
The
approach to Mauritius is very low from the north, so that during the
last four minutes of the flight you can see the whole island from above
and count palm trees and circular sugar cane plantations. The runway is
short and "seems" to end in the sea.
When taking off, which
usually takes up the entire runway, you usually head south away from the
island for a few minutes after take-off while the plane gains altitude.
After a U-turn towards Mogadishu or Dubai you can then say goodbye to
your holiday destination at medium altitude.
The airport closes at 11 p.m. In the event of a very early departure,
there are more expensive airport hotels nearby that also organize
transfers for a fee.
Airport bus lines
9 Mahebourg Traffic
Centre – Airport – Curepipe - Ian Palach South, daily 05:00–19:25, every
9 minutes
10 Mahebourg Traffic Centre – Airport – Rivière des
Gallets, daily 05:45–18:15, every 20 minutes
198 Mahebourg Traffic
Centre – Airport – Port Louis (Deschart Street), daily 05:25–18:25,
every 15 minutes, travel time to the capital approx. 80 minutes. If you
want to go on to Grand Baie, you have to change to line 215.
As people drive on the left in Mauritius (and Rodrigues) and the road
conditions (roundabouts) are sometimes very confusing, you should trust
the local drivers. Make sure that all vehicles have functioning air
conditioning. It is rarely worth bargaining, but you should definitely
agree on the price before starting the journey. There is no taximeter in
the taxis. Make sure that the taxi is an official one. The others are
cheaper, but often in a terrible condition, and in the event of an
accident, insurance coverage is questionable.
It makes sense to
use a taxi or similar if you want to go into Port Louis, as the driving
style there is not very European - scooters and mopeds overtake you on
the left and right...
A taxi driver who works as a self-employed
driver with day trips and airport transfers in tourism earns around
50,000 to 60,000Rs (1250-1500€) a month. Hotel taxi drivers earn
significantly more, as hotel taxis are exorbitantly expensive. Their
prices are based on the number of stars in the hotel. A day trip in a
taxi from a 5-star hotel or a resort hotel can easily cost 10,000 Rs
(250€). Day trips in a taxi are possible. The advantage of this is that
the driver also acts as a tour guide and waits for you nearby, no matter
how long it takes. Occasionally you are driven to restaurants/souvenir
shops that pay the driver a commission. Don't be afraid to rule out such
things before setting off. Restaurants with lots of taxi drivers in
front of them are - unlike here - a sign of good, cheap food. Here the
chef pays quite well for the guests he serves. (It is a fact, however,
that taxi drivers are always among the richest Mauritians, which can
easily be seen from the quality of their private houses.)
Taxis are always significantly more expensive than rental cars, as
they are small cars, which you should never rent from Germany, but
always in Mauritius. A vehicle the size of a Nissan Micra or Honda Jazz
costs around €25 per day, which can be even cheaper if you rent a
vehicle for a longer period, e.g. over 14 days. Larger rental cars
(luxury class) such as the Mercedes E-Class, BMW X5 or Porsche cost at
least around €250 per day and are always offered with a local driver.
Scooters (with helmet) are offered for around €20 per day.
The
road conditions in Mauritius are not confusing! You should generally
have some experience of driving on the left. Roundabouts are only a risk
for tourists if you don't know how to drive on them. Since a tourist
doesn't know the exact route to their destination and therefore doesn't
know the correct exit from a roundabout, every roundabout should be
approached on the right-hand lane. This lane leads into the inner
circle, and you can circle on this lane for as long as you like. You can
then look for the correct exit without danger. A vehicle on the outer
circle, on the other hand, must leave the roundabout after driving a
semicircle at the latest! Every road user in Mauritius knows this. If a
tourist drives over the permitted semicircle on the outer circle, the
risk of an accident is very high, as vehicles from the inner circle pull
into the exit without using their indicators.
The final stop is at the top of the bus. When waiting for the bus,
remember that traffic drives on the left here! Sit on the side of the
bus facing away from the sun. You pay for the ticket to the conductor,
it's best to have small change ready. You should keep your ticket safe
because it is often checked! Ring the bell at the desired bus stop when
you get off.
Bus stations can be found in all larger towns. For
example in Port Louis, where there is a northern and a southern bus
station, as well as in Goodlands, Centre de Flacq, Curepipe or
Mahebourg.
The buses run almost constantly between 5:30 a.m. and
8:00 p.m. The last bus from Cap Malheureux to Port Louis also leaves at
8:00 p.m.
In Grand Baie, next to the La Jonque restaurant, an
express bus to Port Louis runs every half hour.
After there was no rail service in Mauritius for decades, the Metro Express has been connecting Port Louis with Rose Hill since the end of 2019. Details can be found in the article on Port Louis.
English is the official language, but a large proportion of the population still understands French better. The younger residents, who earn their living in banks or tourism, are also more likely to speak German. However, this is not always immediately apparent. Creole, Hindi, Urdu and Hakka are also spoken.
The shop opening hours are comparatively short. Most of the time, work ends at 5.30 p.m.
The exchange rate of the Mauritian rupee was € 1 = 48 mRs at the
beginning of March 2021. (In mid-2020, the exchange rate fell by -13%,
but has stabilized since then.) Mauritian rupees can be obtained from
almost any bank before arrival. Export from Mauritius is not permitted.
The exchange rate in Mauritius is better anyway. There are enough
exchange offices at the exit at the airport, and the large hotels also
offer exchange services at reception, albeit at a slightly less
favorable rate. You should also exchange enough small bills; the largest
bill of 2,000 rupees is difficult to exchange, like our 500 euro bill.
As with everywhere, withdrawals from ATMs incur fees, but are possible
without any problems as long as you still have an old Girocard with a
Maestro symbol. The V-Pay with chip, which was recently introduced in
Germany, is not supported. In this case, you will definitely need a
credit card that is accepted worldwide for cashless payments.
Most retailers now accept euros, but can only give out rupees.
Bargaining is allowed and often leads to pleasant conversations about
God and the world.
Recommended souvenirs are spices (real vanilla pods or powder for
around 200 rupees for 100 grams in the supermarket or 600 rupees in the
souvenir shop) and flowers of all kinds, some of which are delivered
from Madagascar and packaged for air travel. Mauritian sea salt can be
bought cheaply by the kilo. T-shirts can be bought for a few euro cents
if you don't shop in the big shops, but in one of the many
everything-and-nothing shops with hairdressers, fish and cola in the
villages. All things that have to be imported onto the island are
expensive, such as batteries, films (does anyone still need those?) and
electronic accessories. The largest shopping centers for quick shopping
trips are of course the capital Port Louis, as well as Mahébourg and
Curepipe. In Curepipe you can buy model ships that are well packaged and
delivered to the airport for your departure.
In Mauritius there
are also shops "on the green field" like here, which are also well
suited for self-catering. There is often a tobacco and newspaper shop
attached.
Hats, bags, figurines, sunglasses, fruit... The relaxing beach tourist will definitely get to know them. In some places you will not find even five minutes of peace. This is annoying, after all you are on vacation...but you have to remember that this is the only way these people make money. As a rule, you only have to show that there is no business to be done today and the vendors will move on after a short chat with good wishes for the tourist. In Mauritius, by the way, the beach belongs to everyone and must remain accessible by law, so beach vendors can also sell in fenced-in luxury hotels. As long as you are on the way to the hotel, the guest is off limits. If you get into conversation with a local or want to buy something, you should step out onto the public sand, otherwise the merchant could get into serious, existence-threatening difficulties with the hotel. The goods are usually of a good quality, just a little more expensive than in the souvenir shop - which in turn is a little more expensive than the above-mentioned shopping options.
Exotic: Curry No. 5 made from monkey brain is famous and infamous. It
can still be found in some travel guides, but is no longer on the menu.
Otherwise, the cuisine is shaped by all the Indian, English, Portuguese
and African influences that make up the history of the island. Europeans
who are used to greenhouse tomatoes will make many flavorful
discoveries, especially with familiar vegetables. Tropical juices and
jams, often handmade, are recommended. Palm heart salad is unaffordable
here, but in Mauritius you can eat your fill of it for little money.
(Mobile) food carts are called flic-en-flac.
Fish: If you have
the chance to eat "smoked marlin", you should do it! However, shrimp and
similar crustaceans taste better from cold latitudes with deep waters.
Chicken: Often on the table. The meat is more fibrous than here and
darker, but the flavor is more intense.
Dessert: Pancakes were
once left behind by the British. They are usually served with a thin
layer of whipped cream with coconut flakes or papaya jam. Try it!
Drinks: Alouda is a milk-based drink with basil seeds and agar-agar.
Local beers are Phoenix and Blue Marlin. Imported alcohol is heavily
taxed and therefore expensive, and this also applies to South African
wine. (It is advisable to take advantage of the duty-free allowances
here.) As an island whose main export is sugar cane, rum is naturally
produced: for example, the brands Goodwill or the slightly more upscale
Green Island, mixed with lemon soda and a slice of lemon. The sale and
distribution of alcohol to people under 18 is prohibited. To serve
alcohol, restaurants must have a (costly) license following the English
model.
Enjoy the stars and the Milky Way, because you can still see them
here.
If you really want to party in a club, the northeast of the
island and of course the capital are the place to be. Most luxury hotels
have a disco or offer Sega evenings by torchlight on the beach.
You didn't fly so far to watch TV, but that's also possible: from the
afternoon onwards there are local channels or German-language channels
around the clock with ZDF. Due to the time difference, however, you have
to watch the afternoon program. There is no ARD, ORF, SRG or similar.
Mauritius is not a cheap travel destination, and this is particularly
noticeable in the accommodation. Even though prices are currently
falling a little as the crisis in Europe is now reaching us, the only
cheap accommodation is in privately owned guesthouses or small hotels
without great luxury. However, this may have the advantage that you also
get to see a little more of the real life of Mauritian families. The
German community is also happy to welcome guests from home, many offer
individual rooms in Internet forums.
But Mauritius is really
known for its large hotels with 5 or more stars, such as Le Touessrok,
the LUX Le Morne or the Paradis in Le Morne. Everything your heart
desires and your wallet can afford is offered here. It doesn't matter
where on the island you want to spend your vacation, luxury resorts are
located all around the coast, and inland the hotels without a sea view
try to offer particularly nice wellness offers and included excursions.
The school system in Mauritius is good and free for everyone up to primary school. Uniforms are compulsory.
It is possible, but not easy to achieve. Pensioners and non-working foreigners have to bring in €40,000 a year and provide proof that they have spent this money in Mauritius. The rates have already been raised several times, so that for some who can no longer afford this, they have to leave the country very quickly and unexpectedly, even if they have already lived on the island for decades.
Although many ethnic groups live in close quarters on the island, coexistence is characterized by mutual tolerance. This is also shown to tourists. As always, travelers should follow a few rules, as pickpockets are everywhere (especially in the capital, Port Louis). However, traveling alone or as a woman is completely possible. The murder rate is also low.
There are two health systems. The local population always uses a free
system, which can also be used by tourists. In every town there is a
dispensary, a small bungalow where you can get free medication. Doctors
of various specialties also come to this town and their services are
free. One hospital in the free system is a hospital. However, these
hospitals are not used by tourists. The second system consists of
pharmacies where you can buy medication, private doctor's offices and
private clinics. The medical quality of these clinics can be rated as
very good.
Tourists are free to choose any clinic as long as they
have additional travel insurance. You always have to pay in advance,
which is reimbursed by the respective insurance company in your home
country.
In addition to the general weather, Mauritius always has a
microclimate. It can happen that the everyday breakfast rain falls in Le
Morne and that in Tamarin, a few places further away, it is 40°C in
blazing sun. But rain usually doesn't really bother you because
everything dries quickly. Occasionally, cyclones head for Mauritius in
the first half of the year. Very few actually make it there.
At
around 65 × 45 kilometers, Mauritius is a relatively small island.
Almost in the middle of the island, a mountain range runs north-south,
with mountains averaging around 500 meters high each. The highest
mountain in Mauritius is only 828 meters high. Above the island, there
are usually many clouds that cross the island from the northeast to the
southwest. The rain therefore falls on the east side of the mountain
range, making the west the driest and warmest region. Written travel
guides often refer to a rainy season. This officially falls in the
summer months, but at no time does it have Asian proportions. Rain
showers can often only last a few minutes. Under the influence of
cyclones in the summer months (rotating clockwise) or anticyclones
(rotating anti-clockwise) in the winter months, the rain hits the island
parallel to the mountain range. Then the west also gets wet and the rain
can last for several weeks. Cyclones are very rare, however. The
constantly warm wind over the island makes the heat very bearable for
people.
Mauritius cannot be compared to the Caribbean. The island
has a more European, tidy appearance, which is probably due to the
influence of the French and English in the past centuries.
The
fauna and flora are unique. There are many endemic plants and animals.
Notable endemic bird species include the Mascarene eye-witness, the
Mauritius falcon, the Mauritius parakeet, the Mauritian fody and the
rose-colored pigeon. The colorful Mauritian ornamental day gecko can
also only be found in Mauritius. The Aldabra giant tortoise, on the
other hand, is only related to the Mauritian giant tortoise, which once
lived on the Mauritian island of Rodrigues and was exterminated by Dutch
sailors. Aldabra is an island in the Seychelles, and the giant tortoises
currently living on Mauritius come from there.
Good tips are a thank you for good service. It doesn't hurt the traveler, but for the people it's a lot of money. You can also make people happy by bringing chocolate as a present, as much as you can fit in your suitcase. There is no such good one in Mauritius, and the brand with the cow is available, but costs up to 5 euros. If you know the person well, they might be happy to have shoes, because good shoes are hard to come by on the island, even for money.
Nudism is prohibited! Topless is tolerated on the "hotel beach", however. Many Mauritian women even go into the water in street clothes. When sightseeing inland, it is best to wear something short-sleeved and have your knees covered.
The postal system is African. What doesn't go away today will go away
tomorrow. Experience shows that postcards take between 2 weeks and 3
months to reach Germany. In Mauritius, there are no postmen in the
villages in the true sense of the word. Everyone has to pick up their
mail from the office. Anyone who receives a package is notified.
Post to Mauritius: It is important to note "Ille Maurice - Indian Ocean"
on the shipment; some deliveries are redirected to Mauritania en route
because of the name similarity. A package always ends up at customs
before it is handed over. The recipient has to come and pick up the
package and open it in the presence of the official, then an amount of
money is set - even with gifts, the recipient pays properly (if in
doubt, for something they don't even want). You can simplify this rough
assignment as sender if the value on the delivery note is not very high
or if, for example, the new USB stick is "hereby returned" in the
accompanying letter as borrowed for vacation photos.
If you want to make a call abroad, you should dial 020 + the country
code on a landline phone.
From a hotel phone: A long-distance
call to Germany can cost up to €3/min. It is not expensive within the
island. For Skype, see the Internet section.
With a German cell
phone: T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2 have roaming partners in Mauritius. The
cell phones automatically log into the emtel or cellplus network. You
can make calls in the country and to Germany, and send and receive SMS.
With Debitel, calling costs around €1.50/min., SMS to Germany costs
€0.20, and receiving an SMS is free.
Local mobile network
operators are Mauritius Telecom (my.t, formerly Orange), Emtel and Chili
(= MTML). You can check the current coverage on a map. my.t has the best
coverage (especially on Rodrigues and Agalega), but emtel is cheaper in
terms of per-minute prices. At the airport, emtel is only available at
the post office.
They all offer cheap prepaid cards starting at
100 rupees with a few free minutes or SMS. The passport is required when
purchasing. Activating newly purchased credit can take 2 days. It is
also annoying that VAT is deducted from the credit. This means that if
you buy 100 rupees, only about 86 rupees are credited! Credit for calls
expires after three months. For data volume, the rest expires
differently depending on the package and sometimes much more quickly,
sometimes after just 7 days, at most 30 days. 5GB of data was available
in 2020 for 450-500 rupees.
Phone cards: Then there are the phone
cards for the public telephone. You can get them in many shops and use
them to make inexpensive calls in Mauritius and to Germany.
In
Mauritius, cell phone antennas are often hidden in palm trees.
Regardless of whether they are real plants or artificial transmission
masts.
Mauritius was an early adopter of the WWW submarine cable, so it is not behind the times. Smartphones also work well on the WWW, but at horrendous prices in residential contracts. After all, it is in World Zone 4. Free WiFi is increasingly being offered in hotels, or at least there is a PC terminal at reception. Skype is usually easy to use and the quality is, with a bit of luck, the same, but usually even better than at home. There are also a few internet cafes, especially in the urban centers. (Please add prices).
Smokers who like to roll their own cigarettes have a problem: cigarette papers are banned under the country's drug laws. You can only hope to find a Gideon Bible in the hotel bedside table.
Please bear in mind that there only seems to be enough water for everyone. Especially in the large hotels, it bubbles and gurgles everywhere for the benefit of the guests. The fact is, however, that this water is often delivered at great expense by tanker truck and the population does without it in favor of travelers. Even in Port Louis, there is sometimes no water in private homes because the hotels are given priority. In addition, the public pipe system is dilapidated and loses a lot of water through burst pipes. The island's water supplies come from deep underground springs and two huge rainwater reservoirs (e.g. the Grand Bassin). Water is also partly imported from Madagascar and the continent.
Mascarenes
Together with Réunion, the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues are part of the Mascarenes.
The island of Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean about 1800 km east of the African continent.
The island of Réunion, which belongs to France, is about 200 km to the west. To the north, about 1750 kilometers away, are the Seychelles. India is about 4000 kilometers away to the northeast.
Main island of Mauritius: The state of Mauritius consists of two
large and several smaller islands: Mauritius itself, the largest island
in the state, is home to the capital, Port Louis.
Small islands near
Mauritius: Large parts of the main island are surrounded by a reef, from
which several other small islands such as Amber Island rise. Also in the
immediate vicinity of Mauritius are Gunner's Coin (Coin de Mire) (8 km
off the north coast) and Round Island 22 km to the northeast.
Rodrigues: The second largest island is Rodrigues with around 40,000
inhabitants. It is located around 600 km to the east at roughly the same
latitude as the main island.
The Cargados-Carajos Islands (also St.
Brandon) are located around 500 km northeast of Mauritius. This group of
islands is around 100 km long and stretches from north to south.
The
Agalega Islands are more than 1000 km north of Mauritius and are much
closer to the Seychelles at around 650 km as the crow flies.
Mauritius is in the southern hemisphere. The seasons are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere. Due to its location in the humid tropics in summer, the average temperature on the coast is around 23.3 °C and at higher altitudes around 19.4 °C. The relative humidity fluctuates around 80%. Winter (June to October) is the driest season, while summer (December to April) is the wettest. The contrasts between the east and west coasts are striking: while the east coast is directly influenced by the SE trade winds, the west coast is well protected in the rain shadow (lee) of the mountains. As a result, the east coast has about 2.5 times more precipitation (1960 mm per year) than the west coast (780 mm per year). In addition, the west coast is slightly warmer than the east side on average due to the lee effect (foehn).
An average of around 15 tropical storms are observed each year over the southwest Indian Ocean (SW Indian Ocean), in which Mauritius is located. The cyclone season on Mauritius lasts from November 15 to May 15. Not every storm reaches the cyclone stage (wind speeds > 118 km/h), and not every storm passes over the island. More often they pass through foothills with heavy cloud cover, increasing wind and high waves on the coast.
Mauritius lies on the African plate and is of volcanic origin. Three volcanic phases are distinguished. The oldest phase began ten million years ago and ended five million years ago. A middle volcanic phase began 3.5 million years ago and ended 1.7 million years ago. A recent or current series began 700,000 years ago and goes back at least to 20,000 years ago. The volcanism mainly produced basaltic lava. The island of Rodrigues also consists of basaltic volcanic rocks, which a radiometric dating showed to be 1.54 million years old. On the southwest side of Rodriguez, the coral rubble rises to a height of 62 meters.
The highest mountain in Mauritius is the Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire at 828 m. It is located in the Black River district in the Black River mountain range. It is followed by the two peaks of Pieter Both (820 m) and Le Pouce (811 m) of the Moka-Port-Louis range.
As is often the case on isolated islands, Mauritius' fauna is not
very diverse, but it does have a high proportion of endemic species.
Before humans arrived, there were no land-dwelling mammals other
than bats. These bats include the Mauritius tombstone bat, the Mascarene
flying fox (Pteropus niger) and the now extinct lesser Mascarene flying
fox. Other species of bats and flying foxes are also native to the
island. Because the Mascarene flying foxes damage the mango and lychee
harvest, the government decided in October 2015 to kill 20 percent of
these flying foxes. Animal rights activists and the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned that this could bring the
species to the brink of extinction.
Man has introduced numerous
animal species, including rats, mice, mongooses, the maned deer and the
cynomolgus macaque.
There are also over 100 species of birds on
Mauritius, and some of the endemic species in particular are severely
threatened or already extinct due to habitat changes and introduced
mammals. The most famous bird is the dodo (Raphus cucullatus), which is
also represented on the island's coat of arms and was already extinct in
1690. Other endemic species are the Mascarene eye-witness, the Mauritius
falcon, the Mauritius parakeet and the rose-ringed dove. The Mauritius
grey parrot, the Mauritius goose, the Mauritius night heron, the
Mauritius parrot, the Mauritius rail and the Mauritius duck are already
extinct. The common myna, the red-crested bulbul and the hawk-dove have
been introduced, among others.
As on many islands in the western
Indian Ocean, there were also giant tortoises (genus Cylindraspis) on
Mauritius; however, they were extinct around 1800. Other reptiles
include mainly geckos (including Günther's day gecko and ornamental day
gecko) and skinks such as the Telfair skink. The rare Round Island boa
is endemic to the small island in the north whose name it bears.
At the end of August 2020, 18 broad-beaked dolphins died on the beaches
of Mauritius, which caused a major media response due to the oil
disaster caused by the Wakashio wreck shortly before. A connection with
the disaster has not yet been proven.
Of the 670 species of flowering plants, about half are endemic. Large
parts of the island were originally covered by tropical rainforest. The
endemic mallow plant Trochetia boutoniana is considered the national
flower.
National parks, nature reserves, Ramsar sites
There
are two larger national parks on the main island of Mauritius (as of
2020), and eight neighboring islands have been declared an island
national park (Islet National Park):
Black River Gorges National
Park, since June 15, 1994
Bras D’Eau National Park, since October 25,
2011
Île D’Ambre (128 hectares)
Ile aux Flamants (0.8 hectares)
Île aux Fouquets (2.49 hectares)
Ile aux Fous (0.3 hectares)
Ile
aux Oiseaux (0.7 hectares)
Ilot Vacoas (1.36 hectares)
Pigeon Rock
(0.63 hectares)
Rocher aux Oiseaux (0.1 hectares)
Another
seven islands are designated as nature reserves:
Serpent Island
(31.66 hectares)
Round Island (168.84 hectares)
Flat Island
(253.26 hectares)
Gabriel Island (42.21 hectares)
Gunner’s Coin
(76 hectares)
Ilot Mariannes (4.05 hectares)
Île aux Aigrettes (26
hectares)
On the territory of Mauritius, three areas are
currently (2022) defined as being of international importance under the
Convention on Wetlands, particularly as habitats for waterfowl and
waders (Ramsar Convention):
Rivulet Terre Rouge Estuary Bird
Sanctuary (RTREBS), since September 30, 2001
Blue Bay Marine Park
(BBMP), since January 31, 2008
Pointe d’Esny, since September 16,
2011
The island was probably known to Arabs and Malays as early as the 10th century.
The island was discovered by Europeans in 1505 (other sources say 1507 or 1510) by the Portuguese Pedro Mascarenhas. The name of the Mascarene archipelago (consisting of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion) still reminds us of him today. However, the Portuguese only used the island as a base and not as a colony.
Admiral Wybrand van Warwijck took possession of the island for Holland in 1598 and named it after Prince Maurice of Orange (Dutch Maurits, Latin Mauritius). Mauritius was owned by the Dutch from 1598 to 1710. It was not settled by the Dutch until 1638. In the same year, France took possession of the neighboring islands of Rodrigues and Réunion. Numerous governors were appointed as heads of the island, but many stresses and hardships, such as cyclones, droughts, pest infestations, food shortages and diseases, took their toll, and Mauritius was finally abandoned by the Dutch in 1710. In the following period, pirates established themselves on Mauritius. They operated more and more boldly in the Indian Ocean and caused considerable damage to merchant shipping. The trading power France intervened and fought against the well-organized piracy. The island was almost completely deforested and the animal populations (such as the dodo) were eradicated or severely decimated.
In 1715, the island was conquered by the French, who renamed the island "Île de France". Mahé de Labourdonnais was governor of Mauritius from 1734 to 1746 and founded Port Louis in 1735 and built the governor's residence there. The French East India Company owned the island until it went bankrupt in 1767. It had sugar cane plantations planted and cultivated by slaves from East Africa and Madagascar. From 1767 the island was a French crown colony.
In 1810 the British under Commodore Josias Rowley occupied the island
after a successful campaign - the so-called Mauritius campaign - against
France and renamed it Mauritius. Rodrigues also fell permanently into
British hands, while Réunion, which had also been conquered, was
returned to France after the war. From 1814 Mauritius was a British
crown colony and belonged to the British Empire. The British occupiers
had little influence on events and conditions on the island. Many of the
French influences were retained, such as Napoleon's Civil Code and the
French language.
However, mass immigration from India began under
the British in the 19th century after the British colonial power banned
slavery in 1835 and the majority of freed slaves were no longer willing
to work in the fields for the colonial rulers. From 1871, when Indians
working on the plantations had reached 60 percent of the population, an
immigration ban was imposed on contract workers.
Due to the
monocultures, the island's economy was particularly dependent on the
development of the world market price of sugar cane. The crisis in the
sugar cane industry on Mauritius at the end of the 19th century led to
part of the population emigrating.
Despite more than 150 years of
British rule, the population has remained French to this day due to the
ancestry of the ruling upper class.
In the British island colony
of Mauritius, representation had been limited to the elite until the
1947 constitution extended the right to vote to all women and men over
21 who could read and write. This introduced women's suffrage. A new
constitution in 1959 introduced universal suffrage for adults.
In
December 1940, the British Colonial Office interned more than 1,500
Jewish refugees who wanted to enter Palestine in a prison in Beau
Bassin, where they remained until 1945.
From 1958, Great Britain prepared Mauritius, together with Rodrigues,
for independence. Universal suffrage and political autonomy were
granted. After 150 years of British rule, Mauritius became independent
on March 12, 1968 and joined the Commonwealth. Women's suffrage was
confirmed.
The first Prime Minister was the leader of the
Workers' Party, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who ruled Mauritius for the
first 14 years of its independence.
On 12 March 1992, Mauritius
became a republic after the introduction of a new constitution.
From 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam's son
Navin Ramgoolam was Prime Minister.
The colonial past is also reflected in the culture. In all areas there is a mixture of influences from the two colonial powers as well as Africa and Asia.
The culinary menu of Mauritius contains elements from French cuisine, Indian and Chinese cuisine as well as Creole cuisine.
European music first arrived on the island with the Dutch colonists
in the 17th century. The travel reports of sailors and the letters of
the Dutch East India Company (VOC) contain sparse information about
songs and dances of the slaves from this period. Although the Dutch
settlements were small, there seem to have been certain public musical
performances that also attracted visitors from outside, including
pirates.
During the French period, a European classical music
culture developed alongside military music. The oldest opera house in
the southern hemisphere is located in Port Louis, built around 1820.
Mauritius therefore already has a long opera tradition, which was lost
in the second half of the 19th century. The building is currently not
usable. However, since 2009 there have been efforts to revive the opera
scene in Mauritius. The entrepreneur Paul Olsen, the singer Katrin Caine
and the conductor Martin Wettges are committed to this. The Berlin-based
Friends of Opera Mauritius e. V. association supports music education
and the implementation of opera productions in Mauritius as well as the
restoration of the opera building. The Mauritian association Friends of
OperArts promotes young talent and organizes concerts. There are now
several choirs, including the adult choir Cantiamo! and the children's
choirs Rainbow Voices led by Katrin Caine, the L'Ensemble 415 and the
music kindergarten Vent D'un Rêve.
So far, the following opera
productions have taken place since 2009: Carmen (2010), Hansel and
Gretel (2011), La Traviata (2012), Dido and Aeneas (2013), Orphée aux
Enfers (2014) and most recently Franz Lehár's operetta La Veuve joyeuse
was performed in October 2018.
The Conservatoire François
Mitterrand has existed in Mauritius since 1987. In 2017, the Indian
Ocean Symphonic Orkestra (IOSO), an association of musicians from La
Réunion, Mauritius and Madagascar, was founded. This reflects a musical
exchange that is already taking place on other (musical) levels between
the islands.
There is also a western pop and rock music scene.
One of the most famous Mauritian pop singers is Linzy Bacbotte.
The escaped slaves (Maroons), who lived in semi-nomadic groups in the
interior of the country, cultivated musical forms from which the dance
music style Sega emerged. By the beginning of the 18th century, this
spread across the entire island from the Maroons to the slaves working
on the plantations and was performed at night in secret by the light of
a fire. By 1730, the instrumental accompaniment that is still common
today in the nightly Sega dances with the frame drum ravanne, the raft
rattle maravanne and a triangle (or a similar percussion instrument) had
become standard. Various variations have developed on the Mauritian
islands. A well-known Sega group called Cassiya was founded in 1988.
Sega was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in
2014, followed in 2017 by the faster Sega tambour from the island of
Rodrigues.
In addition to African musical traditions, there are
influences from Indian and Chinese music. The Indian population is known
for folk songs in the Bhojpuri language, which were recognized as an
intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2016 along with the Geet
Gawai ceremony. A popular Mauritian-Indian band called Bhojpuri Boys
sings songs in this language.
Devout Muslims practice the na`at
genre, which originates from South Asia. These are songs of praise to
the Prophet Mohammed in which no musical instruments are permitted.
The French writer Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre lived on
the island from 1768 to 1771. In 1788, his novel Paul et Virginie was
published, in which he tells a love story set on the island and thus
made the island famous in the French-speaking world.
The novel
Georges by Alexandre Dumas the Elder, published in 1843, is set in
Mauritius between 1810 and 1824. Dumas's subject was racism and slavery
in the French colony and the conquest of the island by the British. In
the novel he already used many of the ideas and narrative elements that
characterize his later novels, such as The Count of Monte Cristo.
Mauritius is widely famous for its first series of stamps, the Red and Blue Mauritius, known in English as the "Red Penny" and the "Blue Penny", which are on display at the Blue Penny Museum in Port Louis. They were printed in 1847, when Mauritius became the fifth country in the world to start using stamps. These stamps are very rare and very valuable today. The Mauritius Postal Museum in Port Louis provides information on the island's postal and telecommunications history.
The island offers a wide range of sports for both locals and
tourists. The geographical conditions are conducive to mountain hiking,
diving, snorkeling, fishing, hunting, sailing, surfing, windsurfing and
kitesurfing. Saint-Pierre is home to the Côte d'Or National Sports
Complex, which includes a multi-purpose sports hall, a water sports
centre, a football stadium and an athletics stadium.
Mauritius
has hosted the African Athletics Championships twice. The Mauritius
Speedminton Open has also been held in Port Louis every November since
2010. In cycling, the results of the Tour de Maurice attract
international attention.
The Mauritian national football team has
been playing international matches since 1947.
The rich coral
reefs of Mauritius attract many divers and snorkelers. Mauritius is
known for its giant moray eels and a large variety of mussels and water
snails.
From June to August, the wind statistics for the
windsurfing spots promise 85% planing wind over 4 Beaufort, the average
water and air temperature is 25 °C. The spot at Le Morne offers a very
large shallow water and standing area due to the reef lying far out to
sea in the Ladicke enclosed by it.
The Champ de Mars in Port
Louis is the oldest horse racing track in the southern hemisphere.
Special Olympics Mauritius was founded in 1995 and has taken part in
the Special Olympics World Games several times.
Mauritius had 1.3 million inhabitants in 2023. The population decreased by 0.1%. A death surplus (birth rate: 9.6 per 1000 inhabitants vs. death rate: 10.2 per 1000 inhabitants) contributed to the population decline. The number of births per woman was statistically 1.3 in 2022. The life expectancy of the inhabitants of Mauritius from birth was 73.5 years in 2022. The median age of the population in 2021 was 36.8 years. In 2023, 16.0 percent of the population was under 15 years of age, while the proportion of people over 64 was 13.3 percent of the population.
Around two thirds (68%) of the inhabitants are Indo-Mauritians, i.e. they come from the Indian subcontinent. A large part of the rest of the population are so-called Creoles (27%, descendants of slaves from Africa and Madagascar, mixed with other groups, mainly Europeans). A good 3% of Mauritians are of Chinese descent as Sinomaurites. The white minority is somewhat smaller, with around 2% of the population being Franco-Mauritians. There are no indigenous people, as Mauritius was uninhabited before colonization and was only occasionally visited by Arab sailors. In 2017, 2.3% of the population was born abroad.
Morisyen, a creole language based on French, is used by almost the
entire population in everyday life and is spoken as a mother tongue by
over 86.5% (in 2000 it was only 70.1%). There are efforts to give
Morisyen official status. A mixture of North Indian languages and
dialects is also spoken, as well as Dravidian languages from South
India, especially Tamil. The second most spoken language is Bhojpuri,
which is similar to Hindi and is spoken by 5.3% of the population (12.1%
in 2000). Some Chinese still speak various southern Chinese dialects.
Another language is English (less than 1%), while French remains the
mother tongue (4.1%) of the upper class, although the French have not
dominated the country for over 200 years. The position of French is also
strengthened by the related Morisyen. French dominates the mass media,
and English and French are equally common in public spaces. The official
language of parliament is English, but French can also be used.
Rodriguais is spoken on Rodrigues, and Agalega Creole on the Agalega
Islands.
Since 2006, Mauritius has also had observer status in
the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries.
The most widespread religion is Hinduism, to which 48.5% of the population belong. About 32.7% of the population are Christians, with 26.3% being Catholic (diocese of Port-Louis and Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues) and about 6.4% other Christians (Protestants). Almost all of the approximately 17.3% Muslims are Sunnis, although there are a small number of politically and economically influential Shiites. The Bahá'ís make up just over 1% of the population. Buddhists only make up a small part of the population, and 0.7% do not belong to any religion. The vast majority of Hindus and Muslims are descended from Indian workers who were brought to the island by the British after the abolition of slavery and employed on the sugar cane plantations.
The country's health expenditure in 2021 amounted to 6.4% of gross domestic product. In 2020, there were 26.6 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants practicing in Mauritius. The under-5 mortality rate was 15.0 per 1,000 live births in 2022. The life expectancy of Mauritius residents from birth was 73.5 years in 2022 (women: 77.1, men: 70.1). Life expectancy increased by 3% from 71.7 years in 2000 to 2022.
Since independence, Mauritius has been one of the few stable representative democracies in Africa with free elections and guarantees for human rights within the state.
The National Assembly of Mauritius consists of at least 62 and a maximum of 70 members. They are elected every five years in the 21 constituencies. Each district has three representatives, with the exception of Rodrigues, which has two. The remaining eight are the "best losers" of all districts, who must belong to certain ethnic groups that are underrepresented in the "normal" election result. The usefulness of the best loser system, which is based on a census from the 1970s, is controversial and could be abolished as part of a discussed electoral reform.
The head of state is the president, who is elected by parliament
after the elections. He chooses the prime minister from among the
members of parliament, who leads the government and proposes candidates
for the individual ministerial posts, who are then appointed by the
president. Prithvirajsing Roopun has been president since 2019. His
predecessor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim held the office since 2015 and
resigned in March 2018 after a corruption scandal. She was followed by
Barlen Vyapoory until 2019 and Eddy Balancy until Roopun took office as
interim president.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has been Prime
Minister since January 2017.
The Mauritian Labour Party (MLP) ruled either alone or in a coalition
from 1947 to 1982. The alliance of the Mauritian Militant Movement and
the Mauritian Socialist Party (MMM/PSM) won the 1982 elections and was
awarded all 60 seats. In 1983, politicians from the MMM defected to the
PSM, united to form the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and formed a
majority in the coalition with the MLP.
In July 1990, the MSM
joined forces with the MMM. The coalition won 59 of the 62 directly
elected seats in parliament in the September 1991 elections. In December
1995, the MLP won again, but this time in coalition with the MMM. After
Prime Minister Ramgoolam of the MLP excluded the coalition partner MMM
from government in 1997, the MLP continued to govern alone with the help
of small parties.
In 2000, the coalition of MMM and MSM won the
national elections. Despite disputes between the two parties, they again
ran together in the elections in July 2005 against the Social Alliance
led by the MLP. The Social Alliance, however, was able to score a
resounding victory, winning 42 seats.
Mauritius has been one of the 25 or so countries without a military
since it gained independence in 1968. However, Mauritius maintains a
paramilitary special unit (Special Mobile Force) of the Mauritius Police
Force, which emerged from two companies of the King's African Rifles
stationed here during the colonial era. A coast guard, the National
Coast Guard (NCG), has also existed since 1988. It has six large patrol
boats.
The 1,500 members of the Special Mobile Force (SMF) and
500 members of the National Coast Guard are the only paramilitary units
on Mauritius. Both units are made up of long-serving police officers.
The human rights situation is good within the framework of the stable
Mauritian democracy, but the National Human Rights Commission has
identified occasional violations of human rights by the police. The
criminal justice system works slowly. Freedom of the press and freedom
of expression are guaranteed.
According to the US State
Department, the government of Mauritius generally respects the human
rights of its citizens. However, some human rights issues have been
criticized: torture and mistreatment of suspects and prisoners by
security forces, overcrowded prisons, harassment and intimidation of
journalists, violence and discrimination against women, abuse and sexual
exploitation of children, discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS
and sexual minorities, restrictions on workers' rights, anti-union
discrimination, forced labor (including children) and child labor in
general. According to estimates by the International Labor Organization
(ILO), in 2002 about 1.4% of children between the ages of 10 and 14
worked.
Homosexual acts were decriminalized in early October
2023. The Supreme Court declared "morality article" 250, which provided
for up to five years in prison for same-sex sexual contact,
unconstitutional. However, the law was rarely applied to consensual acts
between adults even before that. The Spartacus International Gay Guide
generally recommends "unobtrusive behavior."
The stable political situation on the island after independence
attracted a large number of foreign investors, giving Mauritius one of
the highest per capita incomes in Africa. In the Global Competitiveness
Index, which measures a country's competitiveness, Mauritius ranks 45th
out of 137 countries (as of 2017-2018). In the Index of Economic
Freedom, the country ranked 21st out of 180 countries in 2020. This
makes the country one of the most economically liberal in Africa.
Cane sugar, which is grown on about four-fifths of the cultivated
area, was the central economic sector in the past and continues to be
important, even though the economy is now highly diversified. The
tertiary sector is the most important, followed by construction and
industry. In addition to food (especially sugar processing), the textile
industry is an important economic sector and was the largest export
sector in 2021 (47.3% of trade volume) with 535 companies and around
35,000 employees. Almost half of them came from abroad. At the end of
2023, the labor rights organization Transparentem published a report
accusing migrant workers of forced labor in textile factories. Three
companies that had purchased goods from one of these factories
subsequently paid compensation.
Another important factor is
tourism. In the 2010s, around 1 million tourists came to the island
every year. The COVID-19 pandemic caused this sector to collapse,
falling from around 15-20% of GDP to less than 5%.
Mauritius has
been one of around 25 states without a military since it gained
independence in 1968. The former military airfield in the southeast of
the island was therefore converted into a civilian international airport
and named after Governor General Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International
Airport. The airport is also the home airport of the state-owned Air
Mauritius.
Mauritius is a member of the African Union, COMESA and
SADC. Mauritius has been cooperating with France and the neighboring
island states in the Indian Ocean Commission since 1984.
The
unemployment rate in 2017 is reported to be 6.9%. Youth unemployment is
estimated at 23.3%.
On January 28, 2016, the EU Commission
presented a package of measures to combat tax evasion, which, among
other things, includes Mauritius on the black list of tax havens.
Before independence, the economy was almost entirely dependent on sugar cane cultivation. There is now also an industrial, banking and tourism sector, which has led to the relatively high standard of living. Gemstone cutting in particular has developed into an important branch of industry. The government voted out of office in July 2005 wanted to turn Mauritius into a "Cyber Island" and a target for outsourcing.
As in many holiday destinations, tourists are offered imitation branded clothing in many places. Often the shops limit themselves to simple T-shirts and polo shirts and print or embroider them with well-known brand names. However, there are also large, official-looking shops in all metropolitan areas that sell counterfeit branded goods in large quantities and in all available sizes and colors. This is permitted in Mauritius as long as the rights holders have not registered their trademarks and designs locally with both the Intellectual Property Office and Customs. Due to the small size of the island, very few companies are willing to take on this bureaucratic effort, so that the sale of counterfeit branded clothing is hardly curbed on the island.
In contrast to other African countries, the social security system is well developed. It is administered by the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Senior Citizens Welfare and Reform Institutions.
The state budget in 2016 included expenditure of the equivalent of
2.9 billion US dollars, compared to revenue of the equivalent of 2.4
billion US dollars. This results in a budget deficit of 3.9% of GDP.
The national debt in 2016 was 62.7% of GDP.
In 2006, the
share of government spending (in % of GDP) in the following areas was:
Health: 3.9%
Education: 3.9%
Military: 0.3% (Mauritius has no
regular military, only paramilitary units)
As a relic of the English colonial era, left-hand traffic is
considered a rule in Mauritius. Most of the traffic in Mauritius is
carried out via the 1,600-kilometer-long road network, most of which is
paved. However, many roads are narrow and some are dilapidated. The main
connection from north to south is the M2, a kind of motorway, from the
small seaside resort of Grand Baie via the capital Port Louis to the
international airport in Grand Port.
Since January 10, 2020, the
Metro Express has provided efficient rail passenger transport in the
capital region. This almost 26 km long light rail line connects Port
Louis with Curepipe. Traffic between Rose Hill and Quatre Bornes Central
began on June 20, 2021, and the line to Curepipe Central began operating
on October 10, 2022.
There is a dense network of bus routes on
the island that run regularly, but the many bus stops mean progress is
very slow. A few long-distance buses offer faster connections. The
safety standard in Mauritius stipulates that only as many people as
there are seats can be transported on the bus. At peak times, large
taxis often wait at the stops to transport guests together more quickly
and comfortably.
Taxis are quite inexpensive and are often booked
by tourists to take day trips, as the taxi drivers know the sights well.
There are daily flights to the island of Rodrigues.