Most people know that Mauritius is a luxury resort, but don’t know much else about the country. Here is a brief introduction to the popular holiday destination to help orientate you before you head off on a luxury holiday there.
Where is Mauritius?
If you know where Madagascar is, you might know Mauritius. Officially called the Republic of Mauritius, it is made up of three islands in the Indian Ocean, lying off the East coast of the African continent. When planes leaving from Europe, with passengers headed on Mauritius holidays, it will take about fifteen hours before they arrive at the airport in Port Louis.
What Will I See There?
You’ll soon see on arriving on your Mauritius holidays that the country is a beautiful beach setting, with white sands and a topaz shoreline. The sea temperature here is typically a balmy 22 degrees centigrade or higher, and that’s during the winter! The constant warm weather makes Mauritius an all-year-round luxury resort. Mauritius has some rainforest and palm savannah inland, which host animals such as mongooses and varieties of flying fox. Many species that live on the island have been introduced by settlers.
What Won’t I See?
Mauritius is most famous for once being the home of the dodo. The story of the dodo is a sad one. Being a relatively friendly bird, and not particularly clever, the dodo showed no fear of people. As they could not fly, this made them easy creatures to hunt. Whether it was the humans in the 17th Century, or by the animals they introduced to the island, the dodo disappeared within 80 years of human settlement. So although you may see a Javan deer or a giant fruit bat or two on your luxury holiday, Mauritius is all out of waddling feathered simpletons; you'll only see them in the national coat of arms.
Multi cultural
Like the country’s flag, there’s a colourful diversity in Mauritian society. The residents here are the descendants of people from India, continental Africa, Madagascar, France, Great Britain, and China, among other places. Although the official language of the country is English (so you’ll be fine speaking English on your luxury holiday) Mauritius also teaches its children in Creole and oriental languages in school. Because the Mauritians incorporate so many ethnic groups, there are plenty of festivals throughout the year. If you‘re lucky, your Mauritius holidays might coincide with the celebrations for: Cavadee, Chinese New Year, Père Laval, Diwali, Mahashivratri and Eid Al-Fitr, or Christmas.
The National Export
No celebration is complete without a drink or two and in Mauritius, that drink is likely to have rum in it. Sugar cane has been cultivated in Mauritius for over two centuries, and the cane fields are everywhere to see. As well as being exported as sugar cubes, there are numerous rum distilleries around the island that process this sugar. Most Mauritius luxury hotels will have the local labels for you to sample as you relax at the bar or on the beach. Enjoy!
Jane Wilkinson is head of Marketing for Cadogan Holidays. This multi award winning travel company can arrange bookings for the very finest luxury holiday Mauritius has to offer, as well as a wealth of other inspirational experiences in a selection of other top destinations.
