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| Mauritius
Information: General
| North | South
| East | West
| Capital |
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Inland
Mauritius
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The reputation
of Mauritius for its beaches and sea is now established
and Mauritius remains first of all a "sea sun & sand"
destination. Since several years, there is a will to
promote the country as a whole for its nation and fauna
as well as for its inland regions. Many are those who
are astonished by their discovery of the island's inner
regions 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. |
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Climate |
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The
climate in the centre of the island 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). Temperature may
vary between 12-degree Celsius and 22-degree Celsius
in winter or between 18-degree Celsius and 30-degree
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 |
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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 the coasts and often
free of sugar canes. The different lakes and reservoirs
give a more continental atmosphere.
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| Towns
and villages |
The
most important residential towns of Mauritius
are found on the high lands. Although they are not very
pleasant to the eyesight, visiting them allows the discovery
of the day-to-day life of Mauritius, although it could
be seen as a visit to "the dark side of the moon."
Curepipe
Curepipe is almost in the middle of Mauritius where
the climate is rather cool, very humid and rainy almost
all year round. The sky is grey and the buildings are
all dark grey from mildew. This colour seems to have
bled into its inhabitants' minds, as they do not seem
very cheerful. 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 |
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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. A guided excursion
of ½ a day in minibus is proposed every Sunday.
Although the above does not make these towns very attractive,
we recommend allowing them a few hours especially due
to the fact that they are close to the Plaine Champagne
to Chamarel road, which is highly recommended.
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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 |
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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. |
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| To
See and Do |
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.
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.
There are several places along |
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road where you can stop for a snapshot, a walk in the
woods or to waterfalls, for a visit to the village or
for lunch at one of the "table d'hotes" along the street.
This drive is a must and is the most convenient way
to take you from the centre of the island to the south
or west coasts. |
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Grand
Bassin |
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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 as the holiest and sacred place of Mauritius.
A Pilgrimage occurring every year on the Occasion
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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. The
best way to go round the high grounds routes is to rent
a car or hire a taxi for the day but there are also
excursions in minibuses or in a chauffeur-driven car.
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Le Pouce |
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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. The easiest way
to start off is to park at its foot in the area of
Moka. (Follow the signs to Eureka House, then the
ones to Le Pouce). It is recommended not to leave
any valuables in the car and the ascent is probably
not adequate to children below 10 years. |
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| Restaurants |
Along
the road from Plaine Champagne to Chamarel
there are enough possibilities to have very nice lunches.
One of the most outstanding restaurants of Mauritius
"Varangue Sur Morne," is in the region of Chamarel (it
is well indicated). Superb in simplicity, its all wooden
veranda fits well into the setting and derives the atmosphere
of the continental high mountains with the open air
and the magnificent view on the South as bonus. The
cuisine is rather gastronomic and its panned "foie gras"
(not always on the menu) is a treat. Think about taking
with you a pretty filled wallet.
The village of Chamarel counts several "table
d'hotes"; we would mention 2 of them: Chez Pierre Paul
and Le Coin Tropical. Chez Pierre Paul has a more authentic
Creole cuisine and often has game meat on the menu while
Le Coin Tropical is slightly more oriental and is sea-food
orientated. |
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| These
restaurants open only for lunch (or for dinner but under
reservation only). |
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| Accommodation |
The
best quality accommodations in the central
regions of Mauritius are in the form of lodges
and Guesthouses, entirely adapted to their environment.
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| Updated:
June 2006 |
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| Accommodation:
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| Lodges
& Guesthouses,
Bungalows
110-150 Euro, Villas
180-360 Euro, Luxury
Villas |
| Hotel
Promotions, Golf
Hotels Mauritius, Honeymoon
Packages, Early Booking Offers, Spa
Hotels |
| 2
& 3 star Mauritius Hotels, 4
Star Hotel Mauritius, 5
Star Mauritius Hotels |
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Mauritius
for Two:
Culture
/ Sightseeing,
Holidays
in Spas, Honeymoon
in Mauritius, Weddings |
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Active
Holidays:
Golf Holidays,
Hiking
Holidays, Horse
Riding Holidays, Kite
Surfing Holidays, Mountain
Biking Holidays, Nautical
Holidays |
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Vehicles:
Car
Rentals, Vehicle
hire services, Airport
Transfers |
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