17 Things You Must Know Before Visiting Mauritius Travel Tips 

Issues You Should Know Earlier than Visiting Mauritius

1. English is the Official Language

The three principal 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 staff additionally communicate German, Italian, and Spanish. In the event you plan on venturing exterior the resorts and common vacationer points of interest, studying some fundamental French will assist you to.

Most Mauritians are bilingual, and lots of are expert in three or 4 languages, which makes them a well-liked recruit for cruise ships. Additionally it is price noting that 70% of the inhabitants can communicate “Morisyen.” Additionally they communicate Indian languages resembling Bhojpouri (31.4%), Tamil (3.5%), Hindi (2.8%), and Urdu (2.7%).

3. Who’s Visiting Mauritius

Due to Mauritius’ location, we seen most vacationers have been Europeans. France, the UK, Germany, and Spain deliver probably the most vacationers, adopted by China.

Once we visited, we acquired a number of feedback asking if we have been from China. The borders have been closed due to the pandemic, so the Mauritians have been excited that we is likely to be among the many Chinese language vacationers beginning to go to once more.

4. Deliver your Benjamins

Mauritius isn’t thought of a finances vacation spot. Most individuals go to Mauritius for luxurious, and so they pay for it. Though you possibly can journey right here on a finances, there are higher locations if you happen to’re on the lookout for an reasonably priced seashore trip.

5. Their Foreign money is the Mauritian Rupee

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

We solely wanted money for ideas and avenue distributors. Different spots took bank cards. You may trade currencies on the airport and most lodges or withdraw from an ATM. In the event you withdraw from an ATM, we heard you must restrict every transaction to MUR15,000. In any other case, the machines may get jammed.

6. Tipping Is Not Necessary however APPRECIATED

Tipping just isn’t obligatory in Mauritius. Here’s a fast guideline if you’re seeking to tip for distinctive service: Spas (5-10%), Tour guides (10%), Taxis (100-200 Rps), Inns (100 MUR), and Eating places (10-15%).

7. Visiting Mauritius throughout Excessive 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 (Could-September). Throughout peak season, you must guide lodges three months upfront 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 cross. Throughout our December go to, the waterfalls have been dry (often late winter/early Summer time) however had been dryer than common. As soon as the rain begins in Dec/Jan, the rivers and falls fill again up.
• Winters (Could-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 delicate temperatures and sports activities that require wind, like kitesurfing.

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

8. Locations Shut Early

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

9. Renting a Automobile vs. Getting a Taxi

Renting an (automated) automobile is an possibility on the island, and also you don’t want a global driver’s license. Simply bear in mind they drive on the left aspect of the street, which may be disorienting.

Roads exterior the town are simple to navigate and never too crowded, however driving in a metropolis may be annoying. Navigating through google maps labored nicely going to common points of interest, and the roads have been in good situation in comparison with different nations we’ve explored. Pace limits are often round 40 kph (25 mph) in cities, 90 kph (50 mph) exterior 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 might value between MUR 800 and MUR 1,000. Be cautious of taxi drivers, since some are affiliated with outlets they’ll attempt to take you to for “a superb deal” to obtain a lower of earnings. However now that I give it some thought, it’s just like some bloggers and influencers too.

10. Visitors can get loopy

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

Visitors on the island begins round 8 am and 4 pm. Though we didn’t see visitors, they stored telling us how dangerous visitors was, so we all the time left earlier or approach later to keep away from it.

Native Tip: In the event you booked a lodge with breakfast however have an early exercise, you’ll most definitely miss breakfast. Ask for a to-go bag.

11. Faucet Water is Technically Secure

Locals drink faucet water, but it surely isn’t advisable for guests. No matter protected ingesting water, we pack this self-cleaning water bottle on all our journeys to refill on the lodge or airport.

12. Mauritius has quite a lot of historical past, and Sugar is a Large a part of it

A lot of the fields in Mauritius are sugarcane fields, and sugarcane farms nonetheless dominate 70% of the land. The most effective locations to be taught extra concerning the historical past of sugarcane in Mauritius is Sugar World (L’Aventure de Sucre). Right here, you may also do a sugar tasting and a rum tasting.

As a result of 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 may be taught extra about that at Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Website, the stays of an Immigration Depot inbuilt 1849.

Do you know 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 pals again dwelling that love baking or ingesting espresso.
• Phoenix is the island’s hottest native beer. We by no means verify our baggage, however you possibly can deliver again some native beer or liquor if you happen to do.
• Native Rum or Fruit Wines – Most cocktails are made with rum since they supply from native rhumeries. There aren’t native grape wines, however yow will discover native fruit wines.

14. In the event you Love Golf, You’ll Love Mauritius

{Golfing} could be very common in Mauritius. There are ten 18-hole programs and 4 9-hole programs, some designed by Gary Participant and Ernie Els. Mauritius was dwelling 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 might have taken a PADI refresher course and booked some diving excursions as an alternative.

Native Tip: Don’t neglect coral-safe sunscreen. We have been dissatisfied 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 you need to see whereas visiting Mauritius. It might probably solely be seen through helicopter, which is all the time 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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