17 Issues You Should Know Earlier than Visiting Mauritius Journey Suggestions

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Visiting Mauritius quickly? Right here’s what you could know earlier than you go.

Should you dig a gap straight by means of the earth’s middle from the west coast, you find yourself within the ocean simply south of Mauritius Island. Mauritius hadn’t been on our radar till just lately, and after reserving our journey, we realized there was a lot to study concerning the island on the opposite facet of the world. Should you’re planning a visit to Mauritius Island, right here is every little thing we realized throughout our time right here that will help you benefit from your go to.

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Final Up to date: February 23, 2023

The place is Mauritius?

Mauritius is off of the southeastern African coast within the Indian Ocean. Sixteen islands and islets comprise the Republic of Mauritius, together with Mauritius Island, together with Rodrigues, Agalega, St Brandon, and plenty of others.

Time Distinction: It’s +4 hours Greenwich Imply Time (12-hour distinction from PST)

See Extra: 15 Finest Issues to Do in Mauritus + The way to Plan the Excellent Trip

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Issues You Should Know Earlier than Visiting Mauritius

1. English is the Official Language

The three foremost languages are English, French, and Creole. English is the official language, however the majority language used is French-Mauritius Creole, which was correct on our journey. Many resort staff additionally communicate German, Italian, and Spanish. Should you plan on venturing outdoors the resorts and fashionable vacationer points of interest, studying some primary French will allow you to.

Most Mauritians are bilingual, and plenty of are expert in three or 4 languages, making them fashionable cruise ship recruits. In addition they communicate Mandarin, Bhojpouri, Tamil, Hindi, and Urdu.

2. It’s Far! (From the US)

Should you’re visiting Mauritius from the US, be ready for 2 twelve-hour flights, particularly from the west coast. Give your self an prolonged layover (no less than 6 hours) to clear customs and stretch your legs. You may make it even longer in order for you a relaxation day or to go to a layover metropolis. We deliberate to stroll round Paris on our layover, however our flights received delayed.

3. Who’s Visiting Mauritius

Due to Mauritius’ location, we observed most vacationers had been Europeans. France, the UK, Germany, and Spain convey essentially the most vacationers, adopted by China.

Once we visited, we received just a few feedback asking if we had been from China. The borders have been closed due to the pandemic, so the Mauritians had been excited that we is likely to be among the many Chinese language vacationers beginning to go to once more.

4. Convey your Benjamins

Mauritius isn’t thought-about a price range vacation spot. Most individuals go to Mauritius for luxurious, and so they pay for it. Though you’ll be able to journey right here on a price range, there are higher locations for those who’re on the lookout for an reasonably priced seaside trip.

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5. Their Foreign money is the Mauritian Rupee

They use the Mauritian Rupee, and roughly USD 1 = MUR 43.95.

We solely wanted money for ideas and road distributors. Different spots took bank cards. You’ll be able to trade currencies on the airport and most resorts or withdraw from an ATM. Should you withdraw from an ATM, we heard it’s best to restrict every transaction to MUR15,000. In any other case, the machines may get jammed.

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6. Tipping Is Not Obligatory however APPRECIATED

Tipping isn’t necessary in Mauritius. Here’s a fast guideline if you’re trying to tip for distinctive service: Spas (5-10%), Tour guides (10%), Taxis (100-200 Rps), Resorts (100 MUR), and Eating places (10-15%).

7. Visiting Mauritius throughout Excessive and Low Seasons

Temperatures are heat all yr, making it a year-round vacation spot. The water temps keep between 71-80°F (22-27°C).

The excessive season is throughout their summers (October-April) and winters (Might-September). Throughout peak season, it’s best to ebook resorts three months prematurely and actions/eating places round one week earlier than. Shoulder season runs March-April and September-October.

  • Summers (Oct-Apr) – The imply temperature in the summertime is 76°F (24.7°C). Dec to Mar are the wettest months. Thunderstorms are widespread however cross. Throughout our December go to, the waterfalls had been dry (normally late winter/early Summer time) however had been dryer than common. As soon as the rain begins in Dec/Jan, the rivers and falls fill again up.
  • Winters (Might-Sep) – The imply temperature within the winter is 70°F (21°C). Winter is windier and one of the best time to go to for those who like delicate temperatures and sports activities that require wind, like kitesurfing.

Native Tip: They normally get a cyclone every season, and each ten or so years, it’ll hit the island instantly. The final large one was in 1992, so locals have been anticipating one any time now.

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8. Locations Shut Early

Many locations closed sooner than anticipated, and plenty of companies closed for holidays and Sundays. Additionally, sure eating places have random days they aren’t open.

9. Renting a Automotive vs. Getting a Taxi

Renting an (computerized) automotive is an choice on the island, and also you don’t want a global driver’s license. Simply keep in mind they drive on the left facet of the street, which will be disorienting.

Roads outdoors town are straightforward to navigate and never too crowded, however driving in a metropolis will be irritating. Navigating through google maps labored effectively going to fashionable points of interest, and the roads had been in good situation in comparison with different nations we’ve explored. Pace limits are normally round 40 kph (25 mph) in cities, 60 kph (40 mph) outdoors of them, and 110 kph (68 mph) on the freeway.

Taxi prices range and are not regulated. For instance, from Port Louis to Flic n Flac, it might price between MUR 800 and MUR 1,000. Be cautious of taxi drivers, since some are affiliated with outlets they may attempt to take you to for “an excellent deal” to obtain a reduce of earnings. However now that I give it some thought, it’s much like some bloggers and influencers too.

10. Visitors can get loopy

It will probably take 1-2 hrs to get from one facet of the island to the opposite. Maintain that in thoughts whenever you plan actions or the place you’re visiting. We had loads of early days since we had so as to add within the journey time.

Visitors on the island begins round 8 am and 4 pm. Though we didn’t see visitors, they saved telling us how dangerous visitors was, so we all the time left earlier or manner later to keep away from it.

Native Tip: Should you booked a resort with breakfast however have an early exercise, you’ll most certainly miss breakfast. Ask for a to-go bag.

11. Faucet Water is Technically Secure

Locals drink faucet water, but it surely isn’t beneficial for guests. No matter protected consuming water, we pack this self-cleaning water bottle on all our journeys to replenish on the resort or airport.

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12. Mauritius has loads of historical past, and Sugar is a Massive a part of it

Many of the fields in Mauritius are sugarcane fields, and sugarcane farms nonetheless dominate 70% of the land. The most effective locations to study extra concerning the historical past of sugarcane in Mauritius is Sugar World (L’Aventure de Sucre). Right here, it’s also possible to do a sugar tasting and a rum tasting.

Because of the sugar trade, after slavery was abolished, the British examined out indentured labor and unfold it to the remainder of the world because of their success. You’ll be able to study extra about that at Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Web site, the stays of an Immigration Depot inbuilt 1849.

Do you know the now-extinct Dodo fowl can also be from Mauritius? You’ll discover them on souvenirs and branding everywhere in the island.

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13. Souvenirs

  • Sugar from L’Aventure du Sucre – we purchased a number of for mates again dwelling that love baking or consuming espresso.
  • Phoenix is the island’s hottest native beer. We by no means examine our baggage, however you’ll be able to convey again some native beer or liquor for those who do.
  • Native Rum or Fruit Wines – Most cocktails are made with rum since they supply from native rhumeries. There aren’t native grape wines, however you will discover native fruit wines.

14. Frightened of Bats?

The fruit bats, aka Mauritian flying fox, are among the many largest bats and may attain a wingspan of 31 in (80 cm). We noticed them usually, flying round or on palm timber. Should you’re terrified of bats, it’s possible you’ll wish to look away. We’re not sometimes afraid of bats, however they had been the largest we’ve seen within the wild, so I can see them being intimidating.

15. World Class Diving Over Snorkeling

We weren’t impressed with the snorkeling on the reefs, however Mauritius has world-class diving. There are round 50 dive websites throughout the island. If we may have a do-over, we might have taken a PADI refresher course and booked some diving excursions as a substitute.

Native Tip: Don’t neglect coral-safe sunscreen. We had been disenchanted by all of the bleached coral we noticed.

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16. The underwater Waterfall can solely be Seen from a Helicopter

The underwater waterfall, an optical phantasm, is a well-known landmark it’s essential to see whereas visiting Mauritius. It will probably solely be seen through helicopter, which is all the time climate dependent. Plan your experience early in your go to in order that if it will get canceled, you’ll have loads of time to reschedule.

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The place to Keep in Mauritius

We break up our keep between two completely different areas on the island to maximise our keep. Usually,

  • The northern shore is extra touristy, 
  • the south facet is wilder,
  • the west facet is nearer to fashionable points of interest,
  • and the east facet is quieter, with extra luxurious resorts.

Native Tip: There are over 100 seashores alongside the coast. Most pristine ones in images are non-public seashores for resorts and resorts.

Are you planning on visiting Mauritius within the close to future? Have you ever been already? Are there any ideas that we have to add?

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Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Native Adventurer, one of many high 5 journey blogs within the US. They imagine that journey will be discovered close to and much and hope to encourage others to discover regionally. They discover a brand new metropolis in depth yearly and at present base themselves in Las Vegas.

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