The Dodo Guide
This summer, I visited the paradise island of Mauritius -which is located in the Indian Ocean, and is part of the African continent- with my family.
You might be thinking about why the name 'Dodo'. The Dodo is the national bird of Mauritius. It is an extinct flightless bird which was found mainly in Mauritius only. It is one of the most famous name in the list of extinct birds. It is also part of the Emblem of Mauritius.
With an area of 2040 sq. km, it is indeed the jewel of the Indian Ocean. With most of it's people Indian migrants, you would feel at home in Mauritius, as many of them even speak Hindi along with, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi which are taught as optional subjects in their schools!
Not many days are required to cover the entire island of Mauritius (we did it in 5 days!). Although you might want to sit back a few more days and enjoy it's beauty (which of course I wanted to...) It has everything from beautiful beaches, lagoons, and even scenic hills and forests. Lets talk all about them first.
The island has a coastline of approximately 330 km, and nearly all of it is covered with sandy beaches. Another big advantage the country has, are the coral reefs which surround the whole island, forming a big lagoon so you will never drown in the sea as far as the corals are there (and they are quite far). Thus the average depth in the lagoons is about a metre to 1.5 metres only, till about a few hundred metres from the beach! (Just one tip while going to the beach, DON'T REMOVE YOUR SLIPPERS/SANDALS whether you are on the sand or in water because there are a lot of coral pieces and sea urchins there)
Then there is the botanical garden and many more nature parks which take you for adventure rides through the forests and waterfalls. As Mauritius is an island made up of volcanic activity, there are many places where you can visit as remains of the volcanoes, such as craters, and even patches of the Earth which have changed colour due to the flow of lava!
Enough of nature now, let's talk about what to take, shop, and do there. The best time to visit there is of course during May, when it is our summer and their winter. Even though it is winter, you wouldn't need any sweaters or woolens. Do not forget to take a lot of sunscreen and mosquito repellents along with you, there are a lot of mosquitoes there!
Although Mauritius might not be pocket-friendly for shopping, but it is famous for it's hand-looms, and ship models so don't forget to have a look at them. Stay away from all the shops who say that they are government affiliated shops. They are overpriced. The currency there is the Mauritian Rupee which is worth 1.5-2 Indian rupees per rupee. There is a local market in the capital city of Port Luis which is famously called the 'bazaare'. There is no problem in the matter of food, as you will find a variety of Indian restaurants there along with many other varieties. As for recreation and sports activities, water sports are a must, be it para-sailing, undersea walk, submarine rides, etc.
One of the longest zip-line in the world
(1.5 km) is also present here. For rum lovers, there are a number of rum companies in Mauritius which produce one of the highest quality rum in the world and rum tasting is very common. Also for history lovers, there are a few forts around the country with Fort Adelaide being the most famous one as it give a panoramic view of the capital city, Port Luis, and also a huge museum. Mauritius is one of a handful places where the French won against the British. It also boasts of the world's one of the oldest horse racing tracks and races are held every Saturday. Since Mahashivratri is the most celebrated festival, there are ardent followers of Lord Shiva, and a 100 feet idol of him is also present with another one of similiar size of the Goddess Durga. The country has no army! It also gives free education and medical facilities to it's citizens.
There are only 2 major cities there, Port Louis and Curepipe and is one of the largest economies of Africa. Tourism is their main economy followed by sugarcane farming which, only a few years back was at the top, and can be seen all over the country. Hence, the people are extremely courteous and warm as they go out of their boundaries to serve us. Greeting them is considered very respectful and they give behaviour top priority. I was extremely impressed by their hospitality and I think that was the best part of the trip as they made it more special. The weather is quite unpredictable and it is advisable to carry umbrellas and even though the people there might induce you to buy bottled or mineral water which can get as expensive as 200 INR a glass, tap water is just good and the locals drink that only.
For concluding, I would give a 10/10 for the people, irrespective of which hotel/resort/shop they were from and 8/10 for the place. It is a great retreat and one should visit it at least once!
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