Mauritius is beautiful

Of Africa, but outside of it

On a rare highway, my bus headed north, leaving behind the not-so-large Plaisance airport and heading into the wider mountainous landscape, where the golden sun shone like a pillar of light through the loose clouds, gilding the sugar cane fields, villages and grasslands with a warm golden hue, the terrain gradually becoming flat and undulating, the valleys steaming with the humid haze common to tropical islands, and the bright red and yellow flowers dotting the landscape in bright colors.

Perhaps only the intersection of the two can produce such a vast and delicate landscape, an island that is African in nature, but outside the African continent.

Located nearly two thousand kilometers east of the African continent in the Indian Ocean, this island, formed by a volcanic eruption, is surrounded by increasing elevation from the periphery to the center: scattered coral reefs in the shallow sea, narrow plains in the coastal area, and a high plateau in the middle of the island, with continuous mountains winding like a belt - of course, even the highest peaks are under a thousand meters above sea level, while in the valleys with the densest vegetation cover, there are countless strange and ancient animals and plants living.

The Garden of Eden where everything grows

"There are so many tortoises on the island, sometimes two or three thousand of them moving together, that one can even walk a hundred paces without touching the ground, directly on their shells ......" This is what the French colonist François Legault wrote in 1691 when describing the island of Rodrigues, an outer island of Mauritius.

Due to the geographical space that separates them from the mainland, the isolated islands often give birth to many unique species, and for Mauritius, the dodo is the embodiment of this species. Although it became completely extinct more than three hundred years ago, it has become popular all over the world and has given Mauritius its image of the Garden of Eden with its lightness and wonder, thanks to the eccentric bird created by Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland, which does not fly but likes to race with Alice and always "thinks in Shakespeare's pose". It has also made Mauritius a glorious Garden of Eden.

On the list of parks in Mauritius, the Black River Valley National Park is certainly not to be missed. The only national park in Mauritius, it is home to the highest peak of the Little Black River, the legendary Seven Colours and the Black River Mountain Waterfall. Although they may not be as imposing as one would expect, the dense vegetation, moderately difficult hiking trails and the viewpoint perched on top of the highest peak on the island have made the Black River Valley a favourite among travellers.

A paradise with the sea

In the eastern part of the island, which has some of the best water and sandy beaches in Mauritius, distinctive resorts are lined up along the coastline, each occupying favorable terrain and better sandy beaches. But outside of their enclave, there is still a beautiful island known for its sea and sandy beaches: Deer Island.

Deer Island is geographically an outlying island, just a 20-minute boat ride from Mauritius, with a beautiful lagoon, long shallow beaches and fine sand, so apart from walking on the beach or sunbathing, it's worth trying the various water sports. The fish swimming around. Surfers are eager to try their boards, and those with good swimming skills should of course choose to snorkel, burying their heads underwater to get a closer look at the boneless coral plants or strange-looking sea urchins from a different angle.