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Sightseeing and Touring: Mauritius is an island of great beauty and invites the visitor to explore the many places of interest, which a tour of the island offers. Taxis are easily available, while self-drive cars with the help of a good map give independence. On the other hand there are a number of tour companies with a choice of itineraries.

Port Louis: Capital and main port of Mauritius, Port Louis was founded by the French governor, Mahe' de Labourdonnais, in 1735. The harbour lies sheltered in a semi-circle of mountains. The town has plenty of character, and shows in certain quarters signs of its past elegance.

Off the main square, palm-lined Place d'Armes, there are some particularly fine French colonial buildings, especially the Government House (eighteenth century) and the Municipal Theatre, built around the same time. There are two Cathedrals, Anglican and Catholic, a Mosque, a Chinese Casino, a fine Supreme Court, some 18th century Barracks, a Natural History Museum. To see a fascinating cross-section of Mauritian life visit the lively covered market.

Champ de Mars, orginally laid out by the French for military parades is now a racecourse. The best high-up views of the racecource, town and harbour, are from a splendid boulevard called Edward VII Avenue and from Fort Adelaide, a citadel fortified in the time of William IV. South of Port Louis is Le R`eduit, French colonial residence of the former Governor-General of Mauritius, set in magnificent gardens. From Port Louis you can drive through the residential townships of Beau Bassin, Rose Hill, Quatre Bornes and Vacoas.

Domaine Les Pailles:

At a stone's throw from Port Louis lies the Domaine Les Pailles, a nature park spreading over 3,000 acres at the foot of a mountain range where visitors will be able to discover some old ways of living in an enchanting environment.

Domaine Les Pailles offers a wide range of facilities; a gastronomic restaurant, "Fouqet's Mauritius" a less formal restaurant "La Cannelle Rouge", an Indian restaurant 'Indra', an exclusive Chinese Cuisine 'Fu Xiao', a pizzeria, a swimming pool, a mini-golf, a Casino. There are also possibilities of driving in LandRovers in the mountains where deer, monkeys and rare birds live harmoniously, riding in horse-drawn carriages or in a train. In the garden is found a replica of an ox-drawn sugar mill, an aleambic to distill the domain's own rum, a riding club, a spice garden and a natural spring.

Curepipe: is the island's main urban centre, a pleasant town that lacks the atmosphere of Port Louis but has good shops and restaurants. Between Curepipe and Floreal is the spectacular Trou aux Cerfs. an extinct crater 85 m deep and more than 200 m wide from the rim of which one enjoys an extensive view of the island.

Mahebourg: is one of the main fishing centres. It lies in the bay of Grand Port and has a Naval Museum, housed in the French colonial mansion where in 1810 the English and French naval commanders, both wounded in battle, were brought to be given medical care. A handicraft village built in typical island architecture is found on the premises of the museum.

Pamplemousses Gardens: The gardens are known to naturalists throughout the world for their large collection of indigenous and exotic plants, including the giant Victoria regia water lilies and many species of palm trees. Of particular interest is the talipot palm, which is said to flower once every sixty years and thereafter die.

Eureka, Creole Museum: Eureka is a unique creole house built in 1830 in a magnificient garden surrounded by the waterfalls of Moka River and the Moka Range. A visit to Eureka is a must to understand fully the charms of the tropics.

Casela Bird Park: This park, set in the district of Black River, stretches over 20 acres of land and contains more than 140 varieties amounting to 2,500 birds. Specimens from the five continents may be seen there, but the main attraction is the Mauritian Pink Pigeon which is one of the rarest birds in the world. Other attractions are tigers, fish ponds, tortoises, monkeys, orchids (seasonal), and the overall green scenery and peaceful atmosphere created by trees, streams and small cascades.

Grand Bassin, within a short distance of Mare aux Vacoas is one of the island's two natural lakes. It rests in the crater of an extinct volcano and is a place of pilgrimage for a large number of Mauritians of the Hindu faith, especially on the occasion of Maha Shivaratree.

Black River Gorges National Park: This 6,574 hectare park, proclaimed in 1994, protects much of the remaining native forests of Mauritius and provides opportunities for the visitor to enjoy spectacular natural scenery and some of the unique endemic plants and birdlife. The National Park is easily reached from Vacoas or Curepipe, via La Marie and Mare aux Vacoas. At Le Petrin a visitor information center has been developed with picnic facilities. A boardwalk provides access to the typical dwarf forest of the region and a fenced conservation management, area (from which invasive non-native plants have been removed) protects a sample of the remaining heathland. From here visitors can walk to Macchabe`e Forest ( 7 Km/4 mile return) or down through the Gorges to Black River (15 Km/9mile).

From the road across Plaine Champagne towards Chamarel there is easy access to viewpoints at Alexandra Falls, over Bel Ombre and over the spectacular Black River Gorges. There are also a number of longer walking trails, including one to the island's highest point, Black River Peak (828 m) details of which are contained in a brochure available free from the National Parks and Conservation Service, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Re`duit.

Chamarel (coloured earth): A twisting metalled road leads from Case Noyale village to the coloured earths at Chamarel. This is a mound of undulating land stretching in contrasting layers of colour, and the patches of blue, green, red and yellow earth are believed to be the result of weathering. The nearby Chamarel waterfall emerges from the moors and primeval vegetation and is startingly beautiful.

La Vanille Crocodile Park: Near Rivie`re des Anguilles, nestled in the wild South, is this farm breeding Nile crocodiles imported from Madagascar. The site offers a vast park with a nature walk through luxuriant forest studded with freshwater springs. A small zoo of animals found in the wild in Mauritius adds to the attraction.

Souillac is a small seaside resort on the rugged coast in the Savanne district. The appeal of Souillac lies in it scenery, for it is not a bathing spot. In striking contrast to the soft curves of the northern coastline, the high cliffs here drop abruptly to the sea and the bracing winds of the Indian Ocean blow all the year round. A charming feature is the garden overlooking the sea, named after Dr. Charles Telfair. At the southern end of the village a favourite viewpoint is Gris-Gris on the clifftop. Facing it, the sea engulfs itself in dark rocks, which have been hollowed out by the constant crashing of the waves.

Rochester Falls, near Souillac are well worth a visit. The road leading to the falls crosses a sugar estate. Spectacular joints have been formed by the contraction of the lava due to sudden cooling.

Lle aux Cerfs: Off the east coast, 20 minutes by boat from Pointe Maurice is the island resort;; lle Aux Cerfs. Tickets for boat transfers are available on the spot. The island has two restaurants, a boat-house and miles of beautiful beaches.

Domaine du Chasseur (Domaine des Grands Bois): Hidden in the hills at Anse Jonche`e near Mah`ebourg on the South-Eastern side of the island is a magnificent park covering 2,000 acres. On forest-clad slopes at an altitude of 300 to 500 metres live stages and deer monkeys and wild boars among a luxurious vegetation of ebony, eucalyptus, ravenals, palm trees and wild orchids. Rare species of birds such as the kestrel can be seen in the woods.

The domain also boasts 10 thatch-roofed lodge-type bungalows and an open restaurant overlooking the hills. A wide choice of venison and seafood is available.

Le Domaine de l'Ylang Ylang rests at the foot of Anse Jonch`ee Mountain, Vieux Grand Port. It main resource is the plantation of Ylang-Ylang from the fragrant yellow flowers of which a perfume is distilled. The domain commands is panoramic view over the bay of Vieux Grand Port and the neighbouring islets. Hiking possibilities exist for nature-lovers and food sampling of farm products can be organized on request.

Le Val Nature Park is situated in the South East of the island at Cluny in the Grand Port District. Le Val derives its name from the valley as luxuriant mountains surround it. It offers the following attractions: spring water with natural aquatic life like shrimps, eels and carps: Anthuriums and Andrreanum green houses, Prawn ponds, watercress ponds, deer park, monkeys, birds, endemic plants and animals.

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