Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean next to the southeastern coast of Africa. The island is only 2040 square kilometers. The population is around 1.2 million people. Mauritius is a melting-pot of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious peoples. The population is composed by Indo-Mauritians (68%), who are the descendants of the Indian laborers, followed by Creoles (27%), Sino-Mauritians (3%), with Chinese heritage and Franco-Mauritians (2%), who are the descendants of French habitants. The main religion is Hinduism and followed by Christianity and Muslim. The official language is French, Creole and English, although French is most widely spoken language. The capital of the country is Port Louis. Mauritius gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1968 and has been a republic since 1992.
I had the chance to explore this beautiful island with my husband and our 1.5-year-old son between end-October and beginning of November. This period is the beginning of the tourist season, as summer starts from November. We had a great summertime with around 28 degrees Celsius during the day and around 20 degrees Celsius during the nights. There were few rainfalls and cloudy weather in the beginning, but later then weather changed to being warm and sunny.
Flight with a toddler
We have traveled by Emirates, so we transferred in Dubai. We have deliberately chosen long connections flight in order to have a possibility to sleep in one of the hotels near to the airport in Dubai. This was life-saving solution as our son didn't have a separate seat and was traveling in my lap. It wasn't comfortable for me, not to mention I couldn't sleep in this way either. The first flight was around 5 hours to Dubai, followed by a 6-hour flight to Mauritius. As our son didn't turn 2 years old, he traveled in my lap, and we had got a chance to get extra legroom seats without additional cost. As a consequence, I didn't have to run after him on the flight and had got enough space to move, walk as well as pack his toys in front of us. We read books for him & played with the small toys, what he got from the stewardesses. Finally, he got some sleep as well. He was fussy a little bit on the second flight, but as he found the right position to sleep, everything was solved. The flights on the way back home were easier as he already remembered how he should sleep. Flying with him was easier than travelling with car for long hours.
Arriving to Mauritius
There was a long queue at the Mauritian border and the passport control wasn't quick. Fortunately, there was a fast-track line for families with an infant, what was reassuring for us. Visa isn't needed if you don't want to stay longer than 90 days. Before you travel you should fill the Mauritius All-in-One Travel Form for each passenger, and you will get a QR code. If you forget to fill in advance, you can fill it in the border as well. After we entered to the country, we grabbed our luggage, the baby stroller and the hiking carrier. These last two were at the oversize baggage area.
Then we bought e-sim at my.t shop at the airport. 200 GB internet cost 15 EUR. It was a really great deal; we had got internet everywhere we went with stable, good bandwidth. We made a reservation in advance for a car at Pinguin car rental for pick-up and return at the airport. 10% of the deposit was required upon booking with the remaining settled at the time of the pick-up. In Mauritius they are driving on the left side. I needed couple of days to use to it since everything was on the other side in the car and in the road as well. Overall, it was easier to drive in the left side than in the 'usual' right side Madeira with many up and downs. People were driving carefully, and everyone was relaxed which was a pleasant surprise after the Hungarian roads (1 liter petrol was 66,2 MUR; there were no toll roads, roads were generally in good condition if you stay on the main roads).
Where to stay
Our first accommodation was on Flic en Flac on the west coast of Mauritius. We booked comfortable, nice apartment, what was only 200 meters far away from the beach.
We preferred an apartment, as our son went to sleep early around 8 pm. The hosts were very friendly and helpful, and the apartment was clean and very cozy. I warmly recommend the Les Cerisiers - Exclusive beach residence in Flic en Flac.
Where to eat
Overall prices for meal were around 500 - 850 Rs in the restaurants. If you prefer street food which is way cheaper than the restaurants, a meal will cost you approx. 100 - 200 Rs. The restaurants weren't so outstanding in this area, however we found two restaurants around Flic en Flac, what don't miss if you go to Mauritius.
Creole Shack
The restaurant features a distinctive 'table d'hôtel' concept. The menu was a selection of Creole dishes including two appetizers, a soup, the main course and a desert. All the food was extremely delicious and priced at 850 MUR per person. Since our son shared my meal, there was no extra charge for the small child.
Le Chamarel Restaurant
The restaurant serves decent Creole dishes, and it offers an amazing view to the coastline. The panoramic view was so breathtaking while we ate our lunch.
What to see
If you're looking for more than just beach relaxation, Mauritius is an excellent destination with a variety of attractions to explore. During our stay in Flic en Flac, we explored the nearby attractions in the west and south coast of Mauritius.
Chamarel Waterfall & Seven Colored Earth Geopark
The waterfall and the Seven Colored Earth Geopark are one of the main attractions in Mauritius. Both attractions are located in the same park. The viewpoint for the waterfall is accessible by car via Chamarel Park (fee applies at the entrance). Adult ticket was 550 Rs/person while no ticket is needed below 5 years old.
The waterfall was beautiful and luckily there was nobody around us until 9 am. Yes, we were there that early thanks to our early-rising son, who got up at 6:30 in every morning. Later on, tourist started to come, but there wasn't as much tourist as we used to in Europe.
The seven-colored earth is formed from erupting lava that cooled into basalt. During this process, the refined basalt oxidized, leading to the formation of aluminum and iron oxides, which coloured the fine basalt in various colors, from blue to orange. Next to the seven-coloured earth there is small tortoise park.
Ebony forest
If you are at the Chamarel Park, don't miss the Ebony Forest. The ticket was 460 Rs/person. It was free below 4 years old. There is two path to reach the Sublime Point, the raised walkway and the hiking trail. The full length of the hike is 6.1 km out and back, it took 2-3 hours with a small child. He looked around and slept in the hiking carrier during our short hike.
The plants and the ebony trees were amazing. We listened the birds chirping at the background was very calming. No to mention that the view at the Sublime Point was definitely worth the hike.
Bois Chéri Tea Plantation
Bois Chéri was the first tea plantation in Mauritius and dates back to 1892. There was a guided tour through the factory and the plantation with tea tasting at the end. You can buy ticket there in the museum. The factory hasn't got a good, informed website, at least I didn't find it. So, I bought the tickets (18 EUR/person, no ticket needed for small child) at mauritiusattractions.com. It was slightly pricier than purchasing it there.
Tea manufacturing is once in a week, on Wednesdays. I didn't find this information at all, so we missed the tea manufacturing that week. Apart from that, it was a very good experience for all of us.
Grand Bassin
Grand Bassin is the most sacred Hindu site in Mauritius, with little temples around a lake. This attraction is very close to the tea plantation, so it worth to visit on the same day. It was very atmospheric religious site, but if you wish to enter the temples, be prepared to dress accordingly (long sleeves for everyone).
Hindu music was playing from the speakers. We strolled by the lake, enjoying the music and marveling at the statues of the Hindu gods.
Hiking Le Morne Brabant
Le Morne is a Unesco World Heritage Site, where we saw the underwater waterfall (actually a sandfall to be precise). You only can see from the mountain or during on a helicopter tour. We chose the hike as we love hiking.
Le Morne Brabant has a sad history because of enslaved people were hiding there and jumped to their death to escape from their oppressors. The hike is a moderate one, but it was very challenging for us. Covering a distance of 6 kilometers with an elevation gain of 440 meters took 3.5 hours. It is recommended to go with a guide. We choose Yanature and it was a good choice. The guide helped a lot to which way to climbed up on the rocks. The route isn't recommended for small children, therefore, one of us stayed at the apartment with our son while the other went to the hike. As a result, we ended up doing the hike separately with the guide and the tour group since we didn't want to miss it. It was unforgettable, one of the best hikes so far.
La Vanille Nature Park
La Vanille Nature Park is a crocodile and giant tortoise park, what was also a very great experience for us. We fed and pet giant tortoises, who are endangered species nowadays. They are among the longest lives animals and live over one hundred years of age. All tortoises in the park were born in captivity. Besides of the tortoises, there are also crocodiles, monkeys, and fishes.
Best beaches
Flic en Flac beach
Flic en Flac beach was very calm. There weren't many people, so we felt completely safe to leave our stuff on the beach. The colour of the water depended on the weather. When the sun was shining the water was brightly turquoise.
Le Morne Public Beach
Le Morne Public Beach was another beautiful beach in the south coast of Mauritius. There was only one restaurant at the beach, what was open from 12 pm. There were public toilets as well.
To be continued soon with the north coast of Mauritius...
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