| Quick Facts |
| Capital |
Port Louis |
| Government |
parliamentary democracy |
| Currency |
Mauritian rupee (MUR) |
| Area |
2,040 km2 |
| Population |
1,230,602 (July 2006 est.) |
| Language |
English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri |
| Religion |
Hindu 52%, Christian 28.3% (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1% |
| Electricity |
230V/50Hz (European or UK plug) |
| Calling Code |
+230 |
| Internet TLD |
.mu |
| Time Zone |
UTC+4 |
Regions
There are 9 districts
- Black River
- Flacq
- Grand Port
- Moka
- Pamplemousses
- Plaines Wilhems
- Port Louis
- Riviere du Rempart
- Savanne
And 3 dependencies (separate islands)
- Agalega Islands
- Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon)
- Rodrigues
Travel by bus
Fairly good and numerous bus services ply the island. Taking the bus is the most economical way of travelling. Air-conditioned buses have been recently introduced on some routes.
The major bus companies are:
* National Transport Corporation (NTC),
* United Bus Service (UBS),
* Mauritius Bus Transport (MTB),
* Triolet Bus Service (TBS),
* Others.
Other smaller companies bear amusing names e.g. Apollo, Turbo etc.
Buses are still manned by a driver and a conductor (who walks around collecting fares and issuing tickets after passengers have boarded). Tell the conductor where you want to go and he'll tell you the fare amount. Upon payment, he'll give you a ticket with the charged amount printed on.
Most conductors are very helpful in providing directions to tourists. In the local creole dialect, the conductors are called con-tro-lair (literally controller).
Try to pay with the small denominations or the conductor may not have enough change. Over-charging tourists (unless accidental) is seldom heard.
Metered Taxi
These are regulated and metered (though meters are almost never used) and linked to provinces or hotels, printed on a yellow panel on the drivers' door. Tips are not customary for taxi drivers, but appreciated.
Do NOT patronize unlicensed taxis. They promise a cheaper ride but, lately, there has been a surge in cases of robbers using this trick to lure and attack their victims.
Spoken Language
The official language in Mauritius is English. Virtually everyone speaks Creole closely followed by French, with English a not too distant third. Other languages are: Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri and Chinese. Usually administrative papers are in English.
Places of Interest:
- Views For a spectacular 360-degree view of Port Louis and the north, climb Le Pouce or ‘the thumb', at 812m (2,664ft). It is an easy 2-hour climb from the village of Petit Verger (near St. Pierre), and takes another 2 hours to walk into Port Louis.
- Tour the Moka mountains by quad bike, horse or 4-wheel drive at the accessible 1,500-hectare (3,700-acre) nature park of Domaine Les Pailles. Travel to the sugar mill and rum distillery by train or horse-drawn carriage before dining in one of four restaurants.
- Head to Grand Baie, for watersports such as parasailing, an underwater walk, submarine and semi-submersible scooters, or to La Cuvette, a long silky beach with clear water between Grand Baie and Cap Malheureux, for sailing, windsurfing and waterskiing.
- Swim at the northern beaches such as Trou aux Biches, shaded by casuarinas, Mont Choisy, a 2km (1.2-mile) narrow white stretch of sand curving north from there, and Péreybčre, a little cove between Grand Baie and Cap Malheureux.
- Diving on the west coast around Flic-en-Flac or in the north, at Trou aux Biches or the Northern Islands from November to April. The Mauritius Scuba Diving Association (MSDA) can provide further information (website: www.msda-cmas.org).
- Watch dolphins up-close in their natural habitat off the western coast (Tamarin) of the island.
- Speedboat from Trou d'eau Douce to the popular island playground of Ile aux Cerfs for beaches, golf and watersports. Or, for a quieter day, a catamaran to the Northern Islands - Gabriel Island, Flat Island and Gunner's Quoin.
- Hike in the Black River Gorges National Park, a 6,794-hectare (16,788-acre) forest, to see indigenous plants, birds and wildlife. Black River Peak trail goes to Mauritius' highest mountain, while the Maccabee Trail starts nearby and plunges into the gorge to Black River.
- Lunch For an adventurous lunch of roasted wild boar, duck or deer curry with one of the best island views, try Domaine du Chasseur's alfresco Panoramour Restaurant. This domain is the best place to glimpse the Mauritius kestrel in the wild.
- La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes is commonly referred to as ‘The Crocodile Park', for its thousands of Nile crocodiles. It is the only place worldwide to breed aldabra tortoises and also has deer, monkeys, boar and an insectarium. At the park shop, you'll find crocodile belts and other crocodile goods.
- Rodrigues Island Tiny, rugged, volcanic it lies 550km (340 miles) northeast of Mauritius and is known as the ‘anti-stress' island. The capital, Port Mathurin, is only seven streets wide, with a Creole population. Rodrigues offers walking, diving, kitesurfing and deep sea fishing.
- Waterfalls Tamarind Falls on the Interior portion of the island is an incredible string of about 7 waterfalls surrounds by green mountains and is tucked away beyond a sugar cane filled. Bring something to swim in as the are numerous pools beneith certain falls to take a dip in. There are some spots that require getting a little dirty and some traction on your shoes, but it is well worth it. First time visitors would be advised not to go unguided.
- Blue Safari Submarine see the wonderful underwater tropical fish without even getting your feet wet. Dives to 35m.
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