Visa: On Arrival

Spring: September to November 17-24 C
Summer: December to February 21-28 C
Autumn: March to May 20-26 C
Winter: June to August 16-22 C

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam is the internatinal airport which is located at Plaisance near the town of Mahebourg in the south of the island. It would be a good idea to change some money into Mauritian currencies immediately on arrival. Flic-en Flacq in the southeast is one hour from the airport by car, Port Louis the Capital 1Hr, Grand Baie and Perebere in the north 1.5 Hrs, Le Morne in the southeast 1.5 Hrs, Belle Mare and Palmar in the east 1.2 Hrs, and Mahebourg in the south 20 mins. Depending on your destination, transfer cost varies from 300 to 900 Mauritian rupees.

The best time to visit is between the cooler months of July and December

The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU),   at Plaisance is the major gateway for travelers coming from abroad. Air Mauritius  is the home carrier and operates a network of routes to the local islands and to international destinations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia. Regional airlines Air Austral, Air Madgascar and Air Seychelles connect Mauritius with the surrounding islands.International airlines such as Air Europe, Air France, Virgin Airlines, Air Zimbabwe, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Condor, South African Airways, Air India, and Emirates all serve Mauritius from their home bases.

The common way to enter Mauritius is usually by plane, and even though there are vessels that arrive at the port they are mainly cargo ships. The Mauritius Pride and the Trochetia are the Mauritian vessels that usually sails to Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island and  Madagascar. Costa Cruises ships have recently started an Indian Ocean cruise including a visit to Mauritius.

Maha Shivaratree: This festival also called 'the great night of Shiva' is celebrated by a pilgrimage to "Grand Bassin", a natural lake on the central plateau.

Cavadee: This religious festival is celebrated mostly by Indians of Tamil origin and is quite a sight.

Divali: Divali is celebrated by all Indo-Mauritians and also by people of other communities. Originally an Indian festival celebrating the victory of Lord Rama over the devil as depicted in the epic poem, Ramayana.

Holi: An Indian festival, where the celebrants splash each other with colours, sing and dance around happily.

Father Laval Day: On September 9th, birthday of Blessed Father Jacques Désiré Laval, people of all communities walk to his shrine at Sainte Croix. A priest of French origin in the 18th century, Jacques Désiré Laval became the protector of the slaves' community and has become the symbol of compassion and love.

Chinese Spring Festivals: The Chinese New Year's Day or the Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Sino-Mauritian community. This festival is preceded by a thorough cleaning of the home and is characterised by the traditional sharing of wax cakes amongst relatives and friends.

Eid-Ul-Fitr: Festival celebrated at the end of the holy month of fasting, Ramadan. All Muslims celebrate this day with prayers at the mosques where food and cakes are shared. These are also shared with neighbours, friends and the poor.

Christian's festivals:  Mauritius has a big Christian community, mostly of Catholic faith. As such, most Christian celebration like Easter and Christmas are celebrated here with some of the same tradition as in Europe. During Easter, you will find the traditional Easter chocolate eggs on sale everywhere on the island. For Christmas, the living room is decorated with a Christmas tree and gifts are offered to the children. The sight of Santa Claus who make his appearance in shopping centres everywhere and shops decorated with Christmas winter decorations, can be quite peculiar under the tropic. But it adds to a festive period celebrated by most and which continues until the end of year.

Beneath the natural beauties of Mauritius's landscape, lies another, but sometime forgotten, gem: the Mauritian Culture, better yet, cultures. Going to its discovery can be a journey into some of the most fascinating and refined thousands year old ancestral traditions. It would be too simple to classify Mauritius as having one culture as so many unique and distinctive parts forms this whole. It is made up of the different customs and traditions of those who, during the last 400 years, have settled on these shores. Here Europe meets India, China, Africa and so on. Who would imagine that such unique and diversified customs thrives on such a small place

Many good restaurants, bars and Discos are in the north of the island, mainly in Grand Bay. Real nightlife is only Fridays and Saturdays. Try some of the following places:  "Les Enfants Terrible” (Pointe aux Canonniers), “Stardance“ or “Banana-Café“ with its Cocktails.

There are plenty of shops of all kinds, with enough wares to give you souvenir fever. Famous for its textiles, especially knitwear, Mauritius offers the curious traveller a wide range of apparel from suits to swimwear, at very reasonable prices. There are also plenty of tourist-only duty-free shops, were such items as scale ship models, vanilla tea, basketwork, embroidery, cut stones, and pottery will surely attract your attention. Check out such prime shopping areas Port Louis as: Caudan, Curepipe, Rose-Hill, Floreal Square, and Orchard Centre.

For the art and history lovers holidaying in Mauritius, this place brings an unusual and amazing collection of various museums like the naval museum, blue penny museum and even more. The blue penny museum is worth a visit when on holiday in Mauritius as it presents striking artworks, coin collections, historic pictures, colonial maps and much more. L'Aventure du Sucre is another museum well worth visiting, as the museum once was a sugar factory and brings out the history and importance of sugar.

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority
4-5th Floor, Victoria House
St Louis Street
Port Louis
Republic of Mauritius
Tel : (230) 210 1545
Fax : (230) 212 5142

There is plenty to do from the second you step foot on the shores of Mauritius, from snorkelling to deep sea fishing to lounging on the beach. Further inland, you can choose from a variety of spa treatments available at the various world class spas on the island. The island also has a few world class 18 hole golf courses, rivalling the best on the planet in terms of sheer beauty. The many cuisines are not to be missed, and can be sampled in various restaurants all over the island. Do not miss the fusion food.