Mauritius, the emerging destination that is fighting Sri Lanka and Maldives in terms of tourist arrivals.
Beyond it being known as a honeymoon destination, what else can Mauritius offer in terms of fun, outdoors and adventure?
6 Reasons why Mauritius is an emerging nature destination
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Mountainous Terrain – A Hiker’s Paradise
Le Pouce, meaning ‘The Thumb’ in french, is the 3rd highest mountain in Mauritius at 812 metres high ( 2664 feet). It was an amazing easy/ medium hike that started off rather gradual through the sugarcane plantations but gets a lot steeper as you ascend higher.
hiking up to mount le pouce
The mountain is part of the Moka Range which is formed ten million years ago from volcano eruptions. The hike up gets steep only nearer the top and it was extremely torturous just as we are touching the ‘thumb. But the view from up there was amazing and we even spotted a mini tropical cyclone, an extremely fascinating sight!
View from top of Mount Le Pouce
2. Sugarcane Plantations – One of the Top Income Stream for Mauritius?!
Sugarcane plantations in Mauritius
One thing that Mauritius has plenty of acres of is – sugarcane!
Fields and fields of them, together with tea/ corn/ potatoes and more are some of the agriculture produce this country exports. During our hike up to Le Pouce, we were constantly quenching our thirst with sweet sugarcane shoots that our brave Mauritian friend stomped through to cut down for us.
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3. Stunning Coastal View – The ‘Great Ocean Road’ of Africa
Gris Gris Beach
One thing that Mauritius had which few knew about is the stunning coastal line – absolutely breathtaking! The whole bunch of us in our summer clothes and all kinds of inappropriate footwear, still somehow managed to make our way to the lookout point edging through the rocky surface. One could sit there all day and be mesmerized by the waves crashing and splashing.
Port Louis is the main city area of Mauritius, with a very pretty and relaxing waterfront area, with plenty of shops and restaurants to dine and relax.
Port Louis Waterfront
Port Louise Waterfront Area
5. Catamaran and hunt for dolphins
And yes, finally not forgetting one of the best things of Mauritius – the Catamaran Cruises to remote islands! Popular activity for tourists, this is a must-try water attraction to get some good Mauritian sun and fresh wind. Other than being so much fun, with some luck, you can also spot jumping dolphins!
Catamaran Cruise
Chilling out on the catamaran as we headed towards a private deserted island to play and snorkel. We had plenty of fun chilling out on the comfortable catamaran and getting a nice bronze tan as well. Depending on the tour operator you work with, you can visit islands the lovely islands like Ile aux cerfs, Ile aux benitiers, Ile de la passe.
6. Outdoor Adventures
Last but not least, there is a whole bunch of outdoor activities one can embark on in Mauritius, from waterfall abseiling; quad biking to flying fox and hiking. You can get the best of Mauritius at all these amazing scenic spots.
Canyoning at Tamarin Falls
Waterfall
Hence this concludes the list of amazing outdoor and nature activities on can embark on when visiting Les jours à l’île Maurice.
Lydia Yang is a Singaporean city girl who decided to ditch her high heels for hiking boots and become a full-time traveller and digital nomad. She has been to more than 50 countries to date! She has a knack for adventure travel, especially rock climbing, and always hunts down the best climbing spots around the world.
Lydia, If you ever get back to this region, there’s a small island next to it, called Reunion. It is a French island, no beaches, but really a paradise for hikers! And with an active volcano and a helicopter ride it is a great destination!!
Kudos, Lydia! Your site looks pretty grand and friendly! How do you pick your adventure and city to visit next? This post is everything – adventure and all, I never realized that I wanted to go to Mauritius until now 🙂 Must check airline tickets soon! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Hey, Bowdy! It’s a tough question. I have a long bucket list of places I want to go yet limited time and money, so it usually depends on opportunities that come my way . If I happen to be in a certain city for an event/ work, I usually extend it further to see the nearby areas and hunt for rock climbing places Next up for me is – the Balkan countries! Where are you planning to go coming up?
Completely agree with you, it’s a bit of a challenge if you have unlimited energy and zest for travel, but have limited time and money hahaha 🙂 Rock climbing in other cities sounds like a good idea! Yes, the Balkan peninsula! I am headed there too sometime end of this year! Looking forward to visit the Land of Dracula – Romania! How about you, which cities made it in your list to visit? 🙂
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5 Comments
Eran
October 13, 2017 at 4:35 pmLydia,
If you ever get back to this region, there’s a small island next to it, called Reunion. It is a French island, no beaches, but really a paradise for hikers! And with an active volcano and a helicopter ride it is a great destination!!
Lydiascapes Travel
October 30, 2017 at 6:02 pmthat sounds amazing too..will make it a point to visit if I go back there again!
Bowdy
July 2, 2018 at 6:15 amKudos, Lydia! Your site looks pretty grand and friendly! How do you pick your adventure and city to visit next? This post is everything – adventure and all, I never realized that I wanted to go to Mauritius until now 🙂 Must check airline tickets soon! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Lydia Yang
July 2, 2018 at 10:41 amHey, Bowdy! It’s a tough question. I have a long bucket list of places I want to go yet limited time and money, so it usually depends on opportunities that come my way . If I happen to be in a certain city for an event/ work, I usually extend it further to see the nearby areas and hunt for rock climbing places Next up for me is – the Balkan countries! Where are you planning to go coming up?
Bowdy
July 9, 2018 at 2:17 amCompletely agree with you, it’s a bit of a challenge if you have unlimited energy and zest for travel, but have limited time and money hahaha 🙂 Rock climbing in other cities sounds like a good idea! Yes, the Balkan peninsula! I am headed there too sometime end of this year! Looking forward to visit the Land of Dracula – Romania! How about you, which cities made it in your list to visit? 🙂