Discover Mauritius

Mauritius is a volcanic island of 2,040 square kilometres two thousand kilometres off the south-east coast of Africa, ringed by a lagoon and a reef, rising to 828 metres at Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, and settled -- late, and by everyone -- into the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the most practised religion and the only one the Economist's index counts as a full democracy. The Dutch named it in 1598 for a prince of Nassau and ate the dodo, last reliably seen in 1662; the French made it the Isle de France from 1715; the British took it in 1810 and turned it into the empire's chief sugar colony, worked first by enslaved Africans and Malagasy and then, after 1834, by some 450,000 indentured Indians who landed at the Aapravasi Ghat in Port Louis, now a World Heritage Site. Independence came on 12 March 1968.

The visitor's island is the coast: Grand Baie and the north, Flic en Flac's long public beach on the west, and Le Morne in the south-west, the 556-metre basalt monolith that sheltered escaped slaves and was inscribed by UNESCO in 2008, standing over the best lagoon on the island. Inland are the Black River Gorges, 67.54 square kilometres of native forest holding every one of the island's endemic birds, the Seven Coloured Earths and waterfall at Chamarel, the crater of Trou aux Cerfs above Curepipe, and the botanic garden at Pamplemousses. Rodrigues, 560 kilometres east and autonomous since 2002, is the quiet outer island.

Mauritius is a high-income economy by the World Bank's count and one of the safest destinations in the region: Canada's advice is to take normal precautions, Britain's that most crime is non-violent theft in the tourist towns. Sixty days without a visa for many nationalities, an online travel form before arrival, the left-hand road, a rupee used nowhere else, and a cyclone season from November to May are the practical frame; a climate that varies by only four degrees between summer and winter is the reason people come.

Do I need a visa?

British passport holders and many other nationalities can visit for up to 60 days without one; the passport is stamped with the end date, proof of onward travel is required, and the All in One travel form must be completed online before arrival and printed with its QR code.

Is Mauritius safe?

Yes, by both advisories: normal precautions, with petty theft in Port Louis, Grand Baie and Flic en Flac the main risk. Use a hotel safe, avoid walking alone at night, and report anything to the tourist police on 999.

Can I drive?

On the left, with a foreign licence for four weeks and an international permit after; zero tolerance for drink-driving, and country roads with ditches, livestock and poor lighting.

What money?

The Mauritian rupee, used nowhere else; exchange on arrival at the airport desks or ATMs for a better rate than at home, and avoid street ATMs at night.

What are the emergency numbers?

Police 999 or 112, ambulance 114, fire 995 or 115.

When is the best time?

The tourism board says April to December; June to September is the cool dry winter at a mean of 20 degrees, and the cyclone season runs November to May with the storms mostly in January to March.