I was lucky to be visiting this beautiful tropical island off the east coast of Southern Africa travelling from South Africa because there are about at least two flights in each direction daily, otherwise it is indeed quite the trip to get to Mauritius if you’re travelling from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe or South America. It’s a very easy trip from South Africa, but it’s worth it either way because of what lies in wait for those who make the means to visit.
As the plane approaches from the west of the island country you can probably immediately get a sense of where exactly you’d like to be based. The appearance of the colour of the water boasts an unreal blue all around, except for the west itself. The western coastline is about as “normal” as you’ll get by way of the colour of the sea water – at least from the sky that is.
Because of the geographic location of the island country the weather is gorgeous all year around, even though if you asked the locals if it ever gets cold sometimes and they’ll tell you that it does, it’s all relative because their “cold” is about 16 degrees Celsius! So I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s really hot, so if you’re dressed up for the cold altitude at which the plane flies, you’ll inevitably be shedding some clothes as soon as you land.
Don’t be surprised if you get pulled into secondary by customs – they pretty much question everybody a little more closely as the destination is somewhat of a place where a lot of people might want to come and never want to leave again!
You can pretty much stay anywhere on the island as it’s really affordable, especially during off-peak travel season, but be sure to base yourself along the coast. You don’t explicitly have to be right by the beach – one to three rows back will do just fine. On the east/north-east of the island right down to the beginning of the south east is particularly great for budget travellers who still want to enjoy the sea view, or for those travellers who perhaps want to get more bang for their buck and stay a little longer on the island.
I’d personally recommend the town of Mahebourg, which has a very nice sea breeze and a lot of accommodation which comes with free Wi-Fi. This region is a self-caterer’s dream because there’s a market right in the centre of the town where you can get some fresh produce and most of what is on offer is centred very much towards tourism.
Coastline activities are galore, with many secluded beaches (although they’re public) to be found via a footpath passage that runs from the first road parallel to the beach, but Blue Bay in the south might tickle your fancy a bit more if you want to interact with many other beachgoers. Otherwise ask around for ideas on what you can get up to, including Catamaran cruises which stop for a picnic at the smaller islands as well as offering some snorkelling and a whole lot more!
