It is a kaleidoscope island: hotel tourism reigns supreme there, but outdoor activities are booming, and we meet more and more seasoned hikers or canyoning enthusiasts.
Luxury boutiques are springing up like mushrooms here, from the Caudan Waterfront to Grand-Baie, but fresh sugar cane juice, spices and pineapples overflow from the stalls of small vendors in the main arteries of each town.
At the foot of the buildings of Port-Louis, we meet women in high heels, and others in sari.
In front of 5-star hotels, Mauritian fishermen do not hesitate to cast their line, while couples blissful of happiness swing a few meters away in hammocks hanging from the
filaos
.
Houses from the colonial era and modest tin huts stand side by side with very select condominiums, the 4x4s emerge powdered in a thousand colors when they cross a street where we happily celebrate Holi ... And what about the delightful Mauritian cuisine, which with its
vindaye
, its pickles, its
biryanis
, its
stews
or its
chop sueys
, tells so well the richness of this mixed culture?
Because in addition to its indisputable seaside pleasures and its dream climate, it is indeed the intermingling of Creole, French, Chinese and Indian traditions that give this 2000 km2 island all its spice.
Read also: Mauritius tries a timid reopening to tourism
Ile aux Cerfs seen from Trou d'Eau Douce.
Marie Dufay / Le Figaro
To truly appreciate this unique historical heritage, you must visit the capital of Mauritius, Port-Louis, with one of the excellent guides of My Moris, created in 2015 by Maya, Belgian anthropologist, and Shakti, historian and Mauritian sociologist.
Alongside them, we discover with delight what is going on in the stalls and backyards of this rapidly changing port, founded by Mahé de la Bourdonnais in 1736 - it is on its quays that hundreds of thousands of Indians landed. came to replace the slaves in the sugar plantations.
Tinsmiths, barbers or printers, artisans with endangered know-how will tell you the secret soul of their island, the one you can only touch with your finger if you go straight from the airport to the immaculate sandy expanse where you intend to enjoy so much hoped-for relaxation until the last hour.
When the immense turquoise lagoon and the gentle murmur of the coconut palms no longer hold any secrets for you, go and discover other hidden treasures, starting with Goodlands, the most Indian of the Mauritian localities (we also build superb models of boats at Historic Marine), or the picturesque road that runs along the unspoiled south-eastern coast.
As for Bambous Virieux, sustainable development now inspires tourism: you have to spend at least one night in one of the super-comfortable Otentic Mountain Experience tents that you reach by jeep, to experience a real disconnection in the heart of nature.
Read also: Mauritius, paradise is 50 years old
However, the great Mauritian classics should not be snubbed.
Protected by its volcanic ramparts, the west coast of the island - with its emblematic rocky peak of Le Morne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - offers a superb coastline attracting surfers, divers, kitesurfers and big game fishing enthusiasts.
The water temperature is around 25 ° C, and you spend hours snorkeling observing an abundance of underwater fauna.
In video, Mauritius in 360 °
On the mountain side, the very scenic route de Plaine Champagne offers a bewitching glimpse of the botanical diversity of the Mauritian forests: with its 6,574 hectares and 311 varieties of plants, the Black River Gorges National Park instantly changes.
Ebony trees, camphor trees, macaques and deer from Java, rivers and waterfalls ... can be discovered even better on foot!
The road along the north coast, which is more frequented, offers beautiful views of the surrounding islands: Coin de Mire, Île Plate, Îlot Gabriel… While the one that runs along the eastern coast, sparkling as on the side of Belle Mare, breathe peace.
The Labourdonnais castle or the House Eureka, colonial large houses telling the old Maurice, give him
the
former hunting grounds as Ferney Valley, or the well known Pamplemousses Botanical Garden.
From Trou d'Eau Douce to Trou aux Biches, from Flic en Flac to Post de Flacq, poetry is everywhere.
And the often total surprise, in front of this irresistible digest of small human pleasures, natural, gustatory, which one could not reduce to a postcard.
