Hello everyone, it’s Shannon and I just returned from a two week trip to France and Mauritius with my partner Olivier. If you aren’t familiar, Mauritius is a very small island in the Indian Ocean due East of Madagascar and Northwest of South Africa. This tiny island nation has been colonized by the Dutch, the French and the British. It has beautiful beaches, lust green rainforests, and dormant volcanoes. This island had no indigenous people, so all people are a melting pot of culture, languages and religion. It was also the last resting place of the dodo bird.
- This island is easily reachable from Africa. There are regular direct flights from Johannesburg, Nairobi and Dar Es Saleem. So it is a perfect add on to a safari. Imagine spending a week on safari and then a week on a beautiful beach.
- Not a fan of sitting on a beach for several days? No worries, the internal part of the island is a lust green rainforest, complete with waterfalls, volcanic rocks and dormant volcanos. So you can zipline, hike, bike to your hearts desire. Plus there are ideal sites for surfing, snorkeling, and diving all around the island. Rum tasting, Hindu Temples, Giant Tortoises, Pink Pigeons…there is something for everyone.
- Looking for a luxury resort with an internationally certified kids clubs for your family or a locally owned small boutique adults only resort? Yes, there is a wide variety of accommodations on the island from a luxury well known international hotel brand to small leading luxury hotels. All accommodations can be reached from the airport via well paved roads. And most can be reached within 2 hours of the airport.
- The people! Local Mauritian people generally speak English and French plus their local Creole language. They drive on the British side of the road and their currency is the Mauritian Rupee. They celebrate the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Christianity religions on the island and all faiths are respected. It is the only country that I have been to that embraces the melding of all of these races, culture, and religion.
- The food is an amazing mix of Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai), Indian and African ingredients and dishes. We didn’t have a bad meal for the 4 days that we were there. The chefs at most resorts are coming from places like India and Thailand, so the food is quite authentic.
I would love to tell you more about Mauritius, feel free to contact me at 3129518517 or email to sbradley@africaendeavours.com.
