1 Agaléga Agaléga on Wikipedia — a pair of outer islands 1000 km north of the main island; home to

about 300 people, and now leased to the Indian military

2 Rodrigues — a separate island 500 km east of the main island, but under the political control of
Mauritius

3 Black River Gorges. This national park of 6,574 ha (16,244 acres) was created in 1994 for the
protection of Mauritius’ remaining native forests. Visitors can enjoy magnificent landscapes, with
endemic plants and rare bird species. A trail leads from the Pétrin information centre to an area of
typical plant life and to a conservation area. Black River Gorges National Park (Q2421766) on Wikidata
Black River Gorges National Park on Wikipedia edit

4 Le Morne cultural landscape. A peninsula and an eponymous mountain in the southwest of Mauritius.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. edit

5 Domaine du Chasseur, ☏ +230 634-5011, fax: +230 634-5261. Nestled in the Anse Jonchée hills, the
Domaine des Grand Bois has splendid hunting grounds covering an area of 900 ha. Stags, monkeys and
boars live amidst the luxuriant vegetation of the hillside. One can watch a few species of endangered
birds, including the kestrel. The Domaine contains four thatched-roof bungalows and a restaurant with a
panoramic sea view. Take an opportunity to enjoy a meal of venison. The view is great and well worth
the visit, but the food can best be described as average. The venison is very chewy. There is a steep hike
up the hill from the car park to the restaurant. The restaurant offers a 4WD taxi service which is free if
you eat one of their overpriced meals, but if you only want a cup of tea or desert they charge Rs230 per
person for the 5-minute ride. (updated Jul 2016 | edit)

6 Macchabée - Bel Ombre Nature Preserve. Bel-Ombre, Mauritius (Q2894141) on Wikidata Bel-Ombre,
Mauritius on Wikipedia edit

Understand

Mauritius island location.svg

Capital Port Louis

Currency Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Population 1.2 million (2017)

Electricity 230 volt / 50 hertz (Europlug, BS 1363)

Country code +230

Time zone UTC+04:00, Indian/Mauritius

Emergencies 114 (emergency medical services), 995 (fire department), 115 (fire department), 999
(police), 112 (police)

Driving side left

edit on Wikidata
Chamarel Falls

The country consists of the main island of Mauritius and the smaller islands of Rodrigues, the Agalegas
and the Cargados Carajos shoals.

History

The island of Mauritius was first discovered by Arab sailors in the 9th century, though the exact date is
unknown. At that time the island was uninhabited and covered in a dense forest. The Arab sailors were
not interested in settling on the island which they named Dina Arobi or Dinarobin. Fernandez Pereira, a
Portuguese sailor saw the island in 1505 and decided to give it the name of Cerne. However, the
Portuguese did not settle permanently on the island either.

The first to colonise the island were the Dutch, who took possession of the island in 1598. The Dutch
settlers landed on a bay in the southeastern part of the island which was named Warwyck Haven after
the commander Van Warwijck; the bay is now known as Grand Port. Mauritius also got its modern name
during this period; the island was named after the Stadtholder of Holland, Maurits van Nassau.

In 1710, the Dutch abandoned the island, leaving behind macaques, the java deer, sugarcane, fugitive
slaves and, also, irreversible damage to the endemic and indigenous flora and fauna of the island. The
dodo was, by then, extinct due to extensive hunting, the bird being very easy to capture, while the once
abundant black ebony tree population was almost completely depleted due to its timber being
overexploited.

The French settled on the island in 1712, also landing at the bay in the southeast. They renamed the bay
Port Bourbon and renamed the island Ile de France. They settled and established their main harbour on
the northwestern side of the island, which was to become Port Louis, the present day capital of the
country. The French colonial period led to the economic development of Mauritius. Mahé de
Labourdonnais, whose statue can be seen across from the harbour in Port Louis, is known as the
founder of the capital city and the island prospered under his governance from 1735 to 1746.

In August 1810, the British tried to take over the island but lost after a fierce battle against the French in
the famous Battle of Grand Port – the only naval victory of the French over the British during the
Napoleonic period. However, the British came back in December 1810 and defeated the French. From
then on, the island was renamed Mauritius and remained under British rule until it attained
independence, although the British agreed to allow the locals to continue using the French language.

In 1835, slavery was officially abolished and, as most of the African slaves chose to abandon the
agricultural fields and move to small coastal villages, indentured labourers ("coolies") were brought in
from India to work in the growing sugarcane industry. To this day, ethnic Indians form the majority in
Mauritius, and Mauritius is the only country outside South Asia to have a Hindu majority.

On 12 March 1968 Mauritius became an independent nation within the Commonwealth. Three years
before though, the British separated the administration of the Chagos Archipelago from the rest of
Mauritius and formed the British Indian Ocean Territory. The government of Mauritius has claimed
these islands now used as a joint American and British military base ever since, making the archipelago a
disputed territory. Although the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in favour of Mauritius in 2017,
the British government does not accept the ruling has refused to hand the islands over to Mauritius.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam also known as the "Father of the Nation" led the island to independence
and did a lot to develop the country. During his reign however, Mauritius faced economic difficulties and
political turmoil following the postponement of elections for more than 9 years. On 12 March 1992,
Mauritius became a republic under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Sir Aneerood Jugnauth.

A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record means that it has
attracted considerable foreign investment and has one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.

Climate

Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid
summer (November to May); Natural hazards : Tropical cyclones can occur between November and
April, however are most likely from late December until March. Mauritius has only two seasons, winter
and summer. Temperatures do not differ greatly over the seasons. The climate on the central plateau is
cooler than on the coastal areas.

The hottest and driest part is the west coast

The windiest and wettest part is the east coast

December to February are the hottest months of the year

The driest month of the year is October

The coolest months are from June to August

Mauritius Weather - Current weather report from the Mauritius region.

Get in

A map showing the visa requirements of Mauritius

Visa requirements

Citizens of many countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and most other OECD
countries do not need a visa in advance. For more information, visit the Passport and Immigration Office
website.

If you require a visa to enter Mauritius, you might be able to apply for one at a British embassy, high
commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no diplomatic post of
Mauritius. For example, the British embassies in Al Khobar, Amman, Belgrade, Guatemala City, Jakarta,
Jeddah, Pristina, Rabat, Riyadh, Rome and Sofia accept Mauritius visa applications (this list is not
exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge GBP50 to process a Mauritius visa application and an extra
GBP70 if the authorities in Mauritius require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities
in Mauritius can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly.

Visitors are required to provide accommodation details to the immigration service on arrival.

If you arrive in Mauritius from a country where malaria is endemic, you may receive a visit from the
government health service and be required to give a blood sample for malaria screening.

By plane

Air Mauritius is the national carrier

Air Mauritius is the home carrier and operates a network of routes to the local islands and international
destinations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia.

Regional airlines: Air Austral, Air Madagascar and Air Seychelles connect Mauritius with the surrounding
islands.

International airlines such as Air Belgium, Air France, British Airways, Condor, Corsair International,
Edelweiss Air, Emirates, Eurowings, Evelop Airlines, Kenya Airways, Saudia, South African Airways, TUI
Airways, and Turkish Airlines serve Mauritius from their home bases.

1 Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU IATA) (at Plaisance in the southeast of the
island), ☏ +230 603 6000. It is the major gateway for international travellers. Sir Seewoosagur
Ramgoolam International Airport (Q36460) on Wikidata Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International
Airport on Wikipedia edit

The arrivals hall can get congested in the morning when most of the flights from Europe arrive.
Immigration officers tend to be quite slow and the whole immigration process can be a frustrating
experience.

By sea

Vessels that arrive at the port are mainly cargo ships. The Mauritius Pride and the Trochetia are the
Mauritian vessels that usually sail to and from Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island and Madagascar. Costa
Cruises ships have started an Indian Ocean cruise including a visit to Mauritius.

In 2008, one-way passage prices from Tamatave in Madagascar to Mauritius by boat were €275 first
class or €255 second class, compared to €212 to fly from Antananarivo on Air Madagascar. The journey
takes at least four days, more if transiting through Reunion. A boat leaves every other Wednesday.

If you are going directly to the port in Tamatave you can negotiate with a boat captain for a non-cabin
berth. Visiting the Nautical Club in Tamatave to enquire about yachts that might be heading to Mauritius
rarely yields positive results.

Get around

By plane

Air Mauritius operates daily flights connecting Plaisance Airport and Rodrigues (flight time - 1 hour 15
minutes). Helicopters are also available for transfers and sightseeing tours.

Air Mauritius Helicopter, ☏ +230 603 3754, helicopter@airmauritius.com. edit

By boat