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Mauritius is Often referred to as the 'Star of the Indian Ocean' with safe beaches, gentle seas and mild tropical climate combined with a legendary Mauritian hospitality make this one of the world's most sought-after holiday destinations. |
The first Europeans to have visited Mauritius were the Portuguese at the beginning of the sixteenth century (most probably in 1510). The Dutch who settled in the island in 1598 named it Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau. Among other things, the Dutch introduced sugar cane and the Java deer before leaving in 1710 where they had found in the mean time a far better settling place: The Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. About five years later, in 1715, the French occupied the island, renaming it "Isle de France".
Mauritius achieved independence on 12 March 1968 and adopted a constitution based on the British parliamentary system. The first post-independence years were difficult but after more than 15 years of planning and hard work, Mauritius achieved economic and political stability. Mauritius changed its status to that of a Republic on 12 March 1992.The Mauritian Constition is based on the Westminister model. Political power is vested in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Elections are held every five years
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Mauritius is a densely populated island of around 1.3 million people. It is a plural society where all the ethnic groups present: Hindus, Muslims, Creoles, Chinese and Europeans live in peace and where all the ancestral cultures have been preserved. These features make the island a unique place in the world.
Most Mauritians are bilingual being equally fluent in French and English. English is the official language, but French and Creole are widely spoken. Oriental languages also form part of the linguistic mosaic.
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While many countries claim they are cosmopolitan, only a few really qualify. Mauritius is one of the rare authentically cosmopolitan societies. Where else could so many towns and villages boast of a Catholic church, a Muslim mosque, and a Hindu temple within walking distance from each other? And if you are lucky, you might even find a Chinese pagoda in the vicinity! One little-known cemetery at Bambous hosts a burial ground with a Muslim and a ... Jewish section!
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| Climate |
Situated near the Tropic of Capricorn, Mauritius has the advantage of a subtropical climate. The climate is fairly acceptable to everyone and the heat is never unbearable.
There are 2 seasons: summer (November to April), with an average temperature of 30°; and winter (May to September) with a variation of temperatures from 17° at night to 24° in mid-afternoon. In between, a pleasant period from September to November with temperatures between 25° and 28° Mauritius does not suffer from a monsoon climate.
The Cyclone season generally occurs between January to March. Tropical cyclones are a common occurrence in Mauritius and tend to disrupt the weather for only about four days per year bringing a lot of rain in the region. Visitors should be prepared to spend a few days indoors during extra-heavy rains.
The sun rises at 5.00am and sets at 7.00pm in Summer and in Winter, rises at 6.00am and sets at 6.00pm.
December through March is the best time for diving, when the waters are at their clearest; June through August is best for surfing; and October through April is excellent for big game fishing, when the large predators feed close to shore.
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| Tourist Places In Mauritius |
| Pamplemousses garden |
The jewel of the crown! The gardens are known to naturalists throughout the world for their countless species of indigenous and exotic plants, including the giant Victorial Regia water lilies, and the talipot palm, said to flower once every sixty years and then die. The garden was created by Pierre Poivre in 1767 in the Estate of the French Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais. The latter's Chateau de Mon Plaisir, built in 1735, can still be seen there.
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| Casela Bird park |
Set in a magnificient site between Bambous and Tamarin in the Riviere Noire district, the Casela Bird Park hosts some 140 varieties of birds from around the world. The main attraction remains the Mauritian Pink Pigeon, one of the rarest birds in the world, still fighting to avoid the fate of the dodo. One of the giant tortoises is 150 years old. The park is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm and the entrance fee is Rs 125/150 on weekdays/weekends.
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| Lle aux Cerfs Island |
There are no stags (cerfs) remaining on this small island which now belongs to Le Touessrok Sun Hotel and attracts large numbers of holiday-makers on the east coast. The ferry runs several times each hour between 9 am and 4 pm and costs Rs 80 per person return, although this is expected to increase. Le Touessrok Sun Hotel residents travel for free. What you get when you step off the ferry is a sheltered, crowded beach and lagoon for water sports or sunbathing, restaurants and several souvenir stalls. You can walk only around the seaward half of the island, that is, clockwise from the landing site. On the island, there is a boat house where you can hire water skis, pedalos, sailboards, surfcats, Laser dinghies and canoes. Two-hour boat trips are offered to the Grande Rivière Sud-Est waterfall; and there's also a tour around Île aux Cerfs. |
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| Tamarin Falls |
These falls are awkward to reach, but it's worth the effort for a beautiful, deep, cool bathe at the bottom of the series of seven falls. You can see them from the Vacoas side, if you follow the sign from Henrietta. From Curepipe or Quatre Bornes, take a bus to Henrietta, then walk to Tamarind Falls. If you're coming from Tamarin, turn right about 3Km north of Tamarin, at the round about to Magenta and Yemen. A tarred, bumpy road through cane fields leads to the Magenta and Tamarind Falls turn-off. Continue through all the 'Private Estate', 'Permit Needed' and 'Prohibited Entry' signs, down towards the power station. Leave your car or bike and walk along the river up to the falls. The path is quite heavily overgrown and you must cross to the other side and boulder-hop the last 300m along the river bed to reach the top, but you will richly rewarded! |
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| National Park |
A visit to Mauritius, and a travel tour to Mauritius, takes the tourist on an exciting and innovative enquiry into the confines of the Black River Gorge National Park. Then, a visit to Mauritius offers travel tours to the exotic and very popular Black River Gorge National Park, situated in Mauritius. Mauritius is a rich and big treasure trove of nature and has been for some time a common haunt of the nature watchers and birdwatchers to add to the body of knowledge in the field of nature watching.
How to reach The Black River Gorge National Park is easily reachable from Vacoas or Curepipe, which are other travel destinations of note in Mauritius.Mauritius, offers travel tour booking and travel packages to Black River Gorge National Park, located in Mauritius.
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