NATURE

Black River Gorges National Park

One of the main ‘green’ attractions is the Black River Gorges National Park, which extends over 16,680 acres and provides a haven to highly endangered native plants and animals. It plays home to around 311 species of native and endemic flowering plants and nine species of birds that can only be found in Mauritius.


Chamarel Coloured Earths

No one can categorically state why these undulating, dune-like knolls vary so wildly in colour. Some say the seven shades of earth were formed from volcanic ash deposits that cooled at different temperatures. Others believe that the colours of the mounds can be attributed to the differing quantity of metal oxide they each contain.

However people choose to interpret them, the Coloured Earths at Chamarel – just west of the Black River Gorges – are worth investigating. Note that they are especially breathtaking first thing in the morning, when the sun is at its brightest and the colours at their deepest.

CULTURE

Salt Pans, Tamarin

Owing to the exceptionally high level of sunshine over the district, Tamarin has become the heart of salt production in Mauritius. The Salt Pans make an interesting diversion if you happen to be in the area.



HERITAGE

Martello Tower, La Preuneuse

The Martello Tower at La Preuneuse was built by the British between 1810 and 1846 to protect them against their sworn enemy, the French navy. Since being restored in 1999, the tower is now accessible for guided tours.



Le Morne

In centuries past, the fissures of the eponymous basaltic rock that towers 556 metres above the Le Morne peninsula were famously used as a refuge by runaway slaves. Today, people come to Le Morne not only to witness the iconic rock – now listed as a World Heritage Site on account of its chequered past – but also to take advantage of the immaculate three-mile beach that stretches beneath it.


BEACHES

Enjoy magnificent sunsets or a dip in the calm, clear lagoon that surrounds Flic en Flac. Those looking for a more dramatic seascape should head for Tamarin or Le Morne further south.

What to do ?