The Centre of Mauritius

Many are those who are astonished by their discovery of the inner regions of Mauritius, wondering why they had not been briefed about this aspect of Mauritius.
Since the beginning of this century the inner regions are more easily accessible as:
- There are some magnificent private properties that are now being commercialised and accessible to visitors through guided hikes, mountain biking or Quad rides.
- It is now possible to find excellent accommodation in lodges and guesthouses inland.

Climate
The climate in the centre of Mauritius is totally different to the coastal regions as the centre part is higher in altitude. It is therefore generally cooler, especially after sunset and simply cold in winter in the highest parts (around Curepipe).
Temperatures may vary between 12 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius in winter or between 18 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius in summer but this is just a numerical indication as due to the high humidity (up to 90%) the extremes in temperature are amplified.

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Topography
It is difficult to describe the topography of the centre as it covers a large part of the island. However, all the sub-regions of the centre may have one thing in common; it is always sloping up or down and in altitude. The vegetation is much richer than on the coasts and often free of sugar canes. The different lakes and reservoirs bring a hint of continental atmosphere. 

Towns and Villages
The most important residential towns of Mauritius are found on the high lands. Although they are not nice towns, visiting them allows the discovery of the day-to-day life of Mauritius, a look at the flip side of the same coin.

Curepipe
Curepipe is almost in the middle of Mauritius where the climate is rather cool, very humid and rainy almost all year round. The region of Curepipe is worth for only one thing; the buying of duty-free fine jewellery made in Mauritius and the visit of the diamond cutting factories.

Beau Bassin / Rose Hill
If you have some extra time, the town of Beau-Bassin / Rose-Hill are a better detour. Rose-Hill came to life at the end of the 18th century when the malaria disease was spreading in Port-Louis. People moved their residences to the higher plains where the cooler climate was keeping most mosquitoes away. Rose-Hill and Beau Bassin were then the new places to be and until the mid 1900's Rose Hill and especially Beau-Bassin had plenty of wonderful colonial houses.

Owing to the quality of the earth and the humidity the huge gardens around these well-kept houses were simply magnificent.

Today, Beau-Bassin / Rose-Hill is just another busy town of Mauritius with very few of these luxuriant properties. However, it takes its charm from being by far the largest residential town of Mauritius inhabited by all ethnics, which we can qualify as the true Mauritians.

Rose-Hill is full of funny shops, visited by all, especially the young ones. We suggest to park in the centre and have a stroll in "Arabtown" and around the fair.

Quatre-Bornes
This town is adjacent to Beau-Bassin / Rose-Hill and is slightly more organised and "modern." Its main attraction is its fair, which by the way occurs namely on Sundays, the ideal day as the beaches are crowded.

Our favourite village: Chamarel
Chamarel is unique as it is the only typical remote mountain village of Mauritius. Quiet, pretty and tidy, Chamarel successfully merges with its surrounding vegetation.

Populated by the Creole community of Mauritius, Chamarel is the nursery of this culture and is the place from which most of the Sega songs were written, sung and danced. Traditional but not conservative, the people of Chamarel successfully separated the wheat from the chaff of evolution.

Warm, friendly with a deep sense of hospitality, the people of Chamarel have welcomed visitors and tourists since decades but contrarily to inhabitants of other regions, they managed to remain authentic.

The yearly Fancy Fair of Chamarel remains the most important event of the region and an occasion for its people to proudly share with others, the specialities of the village, namely the Curry No. 1 (monkey curry). Otherwise, it is the Sunday mass that makes the event.

To See and to Do

Sightseeing Excursion – The Chamarel Road
There are three ways to access Chamarel, but for the view, we recommend to start form the heights (Plaine Champagne road) and drive towards the coast not only to enjoy the view but also because thee are a few calls and places to visit nearby the Plaine Champagne region, namely the “Macchabés  Forest” and “Grand Bassin” (see below.)
The rich and wild vegetation along the road changes every kilometre as you drive. It is often cold and rainy uphill to become sunny and warm after just ten kilometres.

Grand Bassin
Grand Bassin is part of the itinerary of the excursions proposed along the high plateau. The call is interesting for its legend; the water inside the crater is said to be in direct contact with the waters of the holly Ganges of India.

The Hindus of Mauritius have thus declared “Grand Bassin” the holiest and sacred place of Mauritius. A Pilgrimage occurring every year on the Occasion of the "Maha Shivaratree" festival leads tens of thousands of people to Grand Bassin, contributing to this mystical atmosphere. A huge statue of Shiva has been erected on the spot.

Le Pouce Mountain
For those who wish to hike in open nature independently from guides and tours, the "Le Pouce" mountain is the right thing to do. It is relatively easy to climb except for the last 50 metres, and the view from the top is of course fantastic as almost the whole island can be seen from there.

Updated: November 2008