Mauritius in 7 days, beyond the beaches
A day-by-day route from Port Louis to Le Morne Brabant by way of the sacred lake of Grand Bassin and the Seven Coloured Earths, with an activity sheet and its sources for every stage.
Seven days to see Mauritius differently: the capital and its history, the Pamplemousses garden, a crater, a sacred lake, Black River Gorges, Le Morne and the Blue Bay lagoon. Every stage links to an activity sheet, where each fact cites its source.
Our sources give few travel times: this notebook gives one only where a source does. No official price could be read.
Day 1 · Port Louis and Aapravasi Ghat
The capital mixes the Jummah Mosque, St James Cathedral, a Tamil temple and a Chinese pagoda. On Trou Fanfaron bay, Aapravasi Ghat, a World Heritage Site since 2006, saw half a million Indian indentured labourers pass through from 1849 to 1923.
Day 2 · The Pamplemousses garden
Buses for Pamplemousses leave from Immigration Square bus station in Port Louis. Created by Pierre Poivre in 1770, the garden is the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere.
Day 3 · The Trou aux Cerfs crater
In Curepipe, this dormant 605 m volcano has a crater 300 to 350 m across and 80 m deep; it last erupted 700,000 years ago.
Day 4 · The sacred lake of Grand Bassin
In a crater of the Savanne district, Ganga Talao is sacred to Hindus and hosts the yearly Maha Shivaratri pilgrimage.
Day 5 · Chamarel and Black River Gorges
The Seven Coloured Earths and the 95 m Chamarel Falls lie next to Black River Gorges, the country’s largest national park, with 60 km of trails.
Day 6 · Le Morne Brabant
The summit trail is 3.5 km and takes 3 to 4 hours; it is somewhat challenging and not advised in the rain. Le Morne has been a World Heritage Site since 2008.
Day 7 · Blue Bay and Île aux Aigrettes
Blue Bay marine park is protected by a network of reefs. Nearby, about a kilometre from Mahébourg, Île aux Aigrettes holds the last piece of Mauritius Dry Coastal Forest.
Sources · 11
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