17 Things You Must Know Before Visiting Mauritius Travel Tips

Things You Must Know Before Visiting Mauritius

1. English is the Official Language

The three major 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 lodge workers additionally communicate German, Italian, and Spanish. If you propose on venturing outdoors the resorts and fashionable vacationer points of interest, studying some primary French will enable you.

Most Mauritians are bilingual, and plenty of are expert in three or 4 languages, which makes them a well-liked recruit for cruise ships. It can also be price noting that 70% of the inhabitants can communicate “Morisyen.” They additionally communicate Indian languages akin to Bhojpouri (31.4%), Tamil (3.5%), Hindi (2.8%), and Urdu (2.7%).

3. Who’s Visiting Mauritius

Because of Mauritius’ location, we seen most vacationers had been Europeans. France, the UK, Germany, and Spain convey essentially the most vacationers, adopted by China.

When we visited, we acquired a number of 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 could be among the many Chinese vacationers beginning to go to once more.

4. Bring your Benjamins

Mauritius isn’t thought of a finances vacation spot. Most folks go to Mauritius for luxurious, they usually pay for it. Although you may journey right here on a finances, there are higher locations if you happen to’re on the lookout for an inexpensive seashore trip.

5. Their Currency is the Mauritian Rupee

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

We solely wanted money for suggestions and avenue distributors. Other spots took bank cards. You can alternate currencies on the airport and most accommodations or withdraw from an ATM. If you withdraw from an ATM, we heard it is best to restrict every transaction to MUR15,000. Otherwise, the machines may get jammed.

6. Tipping Is Not Mandatory however APPRECIATED

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

7. Visiting Mauritius throughout High 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 (May-September). During peak season, it is best to guide accommodations 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 move. During our December go to, the waterfalls had been dry (normally late winter/early Summer) however had been dryer than common. Once the rain begins in Dec/Jan, the rivers and falls fill again up.
• Winters (May-Sep) – The imply temperature within the winter is 70°F (21°C). Winter is windier and the very best time to go to if you happen to like gentle temperatures and sports activities that require wind, like kitesurfing.

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

8. Places Close Early

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

9. Renting a Car 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. Just keep in mind they drive on the left aspect of the highway, which may be disorienting.

Roads outdoors town are simple to navigate and never too crowded, however driving in a metropolis may be tense. Navigating through google maps labored nicely going to fashionable points of interest, and the roads had been in good situation in comparison with different international locations we’ve explored. Speed limits are normally round 40 kph (25 mph) in cities, 90 kph (50 mph) outdoors of them, and 110 kph (68 mph) on the freeway.

Taxi prices fluctuate and are not regulated. For instance, from Port Louis to Flic n Flac, it could possibly value between MUR 800 and MUR 1,000. Be cautious of taxi drivers, since some are affiliated with retailers they may attempt to take you to for “a good deal” to obtain a lower of earnings. But now that I give it some thought, it’s just like some bloggers and influencers too.

10. Traffic can get loopy

It can take 1-2 hrs to get from one aspect of the island to the opposite. Keep that in thoughts if you plan actions or the place you’re visiting. We had a whole lot of early days since we had so as to add within the journey time.

Traffic on the island begins round 8 am and 4 pm. Although we didn’t see site visitors, they saved telling us how unhealthy site visitors was, so we at all times left earlier or manner later to keep away from it.

Local Tip: If you booked a lodge with breakfast however have an early exercise, you’ll probably miss breakfast. Ask for a to-go bag.

11. Tap Water is Technically Safe

Locals drink faucet water, but it surely isn’t really useful for guests. Regardless of secure ingesting water, we pack this self-cleaning water bottle on all our journeys to replenish on the lodge or airport.

12. Mauritius has a whole lot of historical past, and Sugar is a Big a part of it

Most of the fields in Mauritius are sugarcane fields, and sugarcane farms nonetheless dominate 70% of the land. One of the very best locations to be taught extra concerning the historical past of sugarcane in Mauritius is Sugar World (L’Aventure de Sucre). Here, you may also do a sugar tasting and a rum tasting.

Due to the sugar trade, after slavery was abolished, the British examined out indentured labor and unfold it to the remainder of the world attributable to their success. You can be taught extra about that at Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site, the stays of an Immigration Depot inbuilt 1849.

Did the now-extinct Dodo fowl can also be from Mauritius? You’ll discover them on souvenirs and branding all around the island.

13. Souvenirs

• Sugar from L’Aventure du Sucre – we purchased a number of for mates again house that love baking or ingesting espresso.
• Phoenix is the island’s hottest native beer. We by no means verify our luggage, however you may convey again some native beer or liquor if you happen to do.
• Local Rum or Fruit Wines – Most cocktails are made with rum since they supply from native rhumeries. There aren’t native grape wines, however you could find native fruit wines.

14. If you Love Golf, You’ll Love Mauritius

Golfing may be very fashionable in Mauritius. There are ten 18-hole programs and 4 9-hole programs, some designed by Gary Player and Ernie Els. Mauritius was house to the primary golf course within the southern hemisphere.

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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’d have taken a PADI refresher course and booked some diving excursions as a substitute.

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

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 can solely be seen through helicopter, which is at all times climate dependent. Plan your trip 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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