2024-12-17 06:04:00
When it’s cold and gray outside, many people dream of moving to warmer climates. You can find them in Mauritius. We cite five reasons why, in addition to lots of sunshine, the island state in the southwest Indian Ocean makes it one of the most attractive long-distance travel destinations.
Mauritius has more than 150 kilometers of beaches. They originally consist of Filao, as the casuarina trees on the island are called. There are also many palm trees, especially in beach hotels: in the luxury resort “Long Beach” alone, 5,000 were planted on the 1.3 kilometer long hotel beach! The beaches have light to white sand and the sea shines from light blue to turquoise in winter the water is as warm as a bathtub at 25-27 degrees;
In the north, the Bain de Boefs, the cattle bath at Cap Malheureux, is the first choice: the best infrastructure for water sports enthusiasts, bars to relax and views of the offshore islands of Plate and Gabriel. Number one in the west: Flic en Flac, a postcard beach, stretching for kilometers and dotted with excellent hotels.
To the east, Île aux Cerfs, which is largely unspoiled and has many filaos, may seem like a favorite. And in the south, Le Paradis on Morne Brabant is unbeatable: the 556 meter high mountain offers a dream setting. This is also a reason why the largest international publisher of travel guides “Lonely Planet” has included Le Paradis among the 5 best beaches in Africa.
Accommodation: There is everything from luxury to budget
There are 50 five-star and 65 four-star hotels in Mauritius, which is slightly smaller in size than Saarland. A huge density! At the top are the two best hotels on the island,”The Touessrok” AND “Four seasons“: A room there costs at least 750 euros per night.
If you want to stay a little less glamorous but also at five star level, you can stay in hotels starting from around 350 euros.Solar life“The “Long Beach” and “Sugar Beach” group found what they were looking for: golf, tennis, “Buddha Bar” and single-storey residential units, some with direct access to the 1.5 kilometer long beach. Even when it is fully occupied you can find free sunbeds on the beach or pool. The beautiful one”Anantara Iko Mauritius“.
In the four star category you have to expect from 250 euros per night. A favorite among German citizens – 50 percent of the guests are German – is “The canoe“On the beach of Flic-en-Flac. The resort only has bungalows with lots of privacy. In the “Amber“only adult guests stay and in the two rooms”Riu“-From hotels you can expect the quality known from holidays in Spain.
If you are interested in cheap accommodation: in Mauritius they are simple but adequately equipped. The apartments have a kitchenette and kitchenware. However, I am always in the second or third row towards the beach. In the simplest category you can stay starting from 30 euros per night.
At the three-star level there are also beach and swimming pool places starting from 100 euros, as in “Ville Mon Plaisir“. Price information does not include meals.
Food: multiculturalism in the making
“Curies come from India, Africans took over the grilling, the French brought the baguette, the Chinese brought their soups. All Mauritians love these different culinary influences,” says Vik Mungroo about the ubiquitous multicultural cuisine. He is one of the best chefs on the island and head of the fine dining restaurant “Fun(at the “Long Beach Resort”). He worked with Alain Ducasse and was the personal chef of the family of the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
The island’s most important specialty is marlin, whose meat is light and relatively firm: “Best smoked or raw as sashimi,” says Vik Mungroo, whose restaurant serves several variations. However, chicken or prawn curry with rice is more commonly eaten in Mauritius. A good address for this is the “Happy Rajah“in Grand Baie.
If you want to try African food, such as a piri-piri marinated grilled chicken thigh, go to “The Lighthousein Mahebourg. “La Cravache d’Or” on Flic-en-Flac beach offers good French seafood cuisine, such as lobster with garlic baguette. And the “Hong Kong PalaceGrand Baie not only serves Chinese soups, but also Peking duck.
Culture: India is omnipresent in Mauritius
The central market in the capital Port Louis is like in India: some women wear saris, some men wear dhotis, the cloth-like Indian trousers. The bindi, the red dot on the forehead, brings good luck, and Bollywood films on television are all in Hindi. In daily life in Mauritius, where about half of the 1.2 million islanders are of Indian origin, all that is missing are cows and rickshaws on the streets.
Advantages compared to India: there is no poverty like in the suburbs of all large Indian cities and no mass poverty. Hindu priest Satish Dayal, 69, head of the 620,000 Hindus in Mauritius, confirms: “Hindu culture dominates but does not suppress Islam or Christianity.”
His temple on the Grand Bassin, which Hindus call Ganga Talao, a volcanic lake within the island, is visited by Hindu devotees, especially on weekends and holidays, who pray, sacrifice and meditate there. At the pilgrimage festival honoring Shiva in February, 300,000 believers were counted, a quarter of the island’s population.
Thousands of people also make a pilgrimage to the Grand Bassin in September in honor of Ganesha. Then the incense sticks light up, the oil lamps burn, and the flowers float picturesquely in the water. The first Indian immigrants, brought to Mauritius by ship from what was then Calcutta in 1856 as workers in the sugarcane fields, brought water from the Ganges to the Grand Bassin – the river is sacred to Indians. “The lake is our Ganges,” says priest Satish Dayal.
The former immigration camp Aapravasi Ghat in Port Louis it has been a world heritage site since 2006. And at the Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Memorial Center for Culture you can discover aspects of the history of immigration; Unless you want to lie on the beach the whole time.
Animals: giant turtles and blue marlin
The giant tortoises, released in Mauritius around 1875, can today be seen living in the wild only in Mauritius and on the island of their origin, Aldabra (Seychelles), from which they take their name. “They wanted to give the breed a second home,” says Vikash Tatayah, director of the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation.
The heavy types move laboriously, their heads and necks are bald, their bodies are armored. 250 kilograms of live weight and up to 200 years: this is how old Aldabra giant tortoises can be. “Their favorite thing is to munch on fresh leaves from the trees,” says Tatayah.
They reproduce between the ages of 20 and 50 – successfully: there are currently around 2,500 specimens on the island. Tatayah assumes that some original Aldabra tortoises still live in Mauritius. In the Ferney Nature Reserve you can visit the giants.
A completely different giant is the blue marlin, loved by chefs. The predatory fish can weigh up to one hundred kilograms and is a fighter, which is why deep-sea fishermen flock to Mauritius – they love to fight for hours with a marlin. A shark, on the other hand, after a few minutes hangs on the fishing rod like a soft sack.
In Mauritius you can rent fishing boats or book deep sea fishing trips. December to March are the best months to catch marlin from the water.
Advice and information:
I arrive: For example from Frankfurt with Condor direct in 11.5 hours or with Emirates with a change in Dubai.
Registration: Tourists with a German passport do not need a visa, but the “All in One Travel Form” passport (aml.mru.aero/index.php/all-in-one-form) is also required. it’s better to do it at home.
Further information: mymauritius.travel/de; mauritiusnow.com
The trip was supported by “Sunlife Resorts” and Condor. Our standards of transparency and journalistic independence can be found at go2.as/unabhaengigkeit
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