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Mauritius and West Africa

Mayıs - Temmuz 2025
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Darren and Janet tarafından 37 günlük bir macera Okumaya devam et
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  • Sao Tome ve Principe
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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    1
    32

    Good Hope and Boulders

    3 Haziran, Güney Afrika ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We had a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula today, beginning with a visit to the colourful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood across the road from our hotel. It is the oldest surviving neighbourhood in Cape Town, dating from the 1760s when Malay workers (slaves) were bought in by the Dutch colonisers.

    Travelling via Chapmans Peak Drive, a coastal road carved out of the mountain in the 1920s, we stopped at Houts Bay for an optional boat ride to see seals on a nearby island. Given the rain and rough seas, we chose the walk around the markets and dock area instead.

    We continued south to Cape Point Nature Reserve, stopping for lunch before walking up to the old lighthouse. Built in 1860, it was decommssioned 40 years and dozens of shipwrecks too late, after its high altitude meant the lighthouse was in cloud many days of the year, and couldn't be seen when the sailors needed it most! A new lighthouse was built at a much lower altitude.

    The drive continued via the Cape of Good Hope, the most South Westerly point of Africa, to Simon's Town and Boulders Beach.

    The beach is a popular tourist spot because of a colony of endangered African penguins (previously known as Jackass penguins) that settled there in 1982. It is in a residential area, and a series of boardwalks allows the birds to be observed at close range as they wander freely. From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3000 birds in recent years.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    1
    21

    Cape Town walking

    2 Haziran, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We arrived in Cape Town late last night and received notice that our scheduled tour to Robben Island today had been cancelled because of the weather, so a new plan was required.

    We investigated a late notice walking tour as we were recommended not to walk the streets for safety reasons. As most of the impromptu walking tours leave from Market Square, we made our way towards there.

    As we were walking we noticed security guards on most street corners, all in high vis uniform with body worn cameras, and armed with batons. We later found out that they are called Public Safety Officers, and 320 of them patrol the streets 24/7 to reduce crime in the CBD. Their presence was reassuring, and the number of other tourists and walking groups gave us the confidence to continue alone.

    We began our walk through Company's Garden, which was established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company to feed the growing settlement as well as provide fresh produce to resupply their passing ships.

    We also found the only piece of the Berlin Wall in Africa... slightly out of place in a city mall!

    Our final destination was the Victoria and Albert Waterfront precinct, one of the city's major tourism areas with a plethora of shops, restaurants and markets. After lunch and a thorough discovery of the area, we caught an Uber back to our hotel late afternoon, having walked 9.6km for the day.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    1

    Orevwar depi Moris*

    1 Haziran, Mauritius ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Our final day on Mauritius, and we have a 1 hour drive to the airport and 6 hours to do it... so plenty of time for detours.

    First stop was Grand River South East Waterfall, a few minutes out of Trou d'Eau Douce. Finding the path to the waterfall was the biggest challenge as it wasn't signposted from the road, so we took a track through the sugar cane plantation, then followed the noise down to the waterfall.

    The east coast doesn't have the wide sandy beaches of the north and west, so it's not as touristy... which means very few resorts, but fabulous sea views from the road most of the way. There's also a large number of Hindu temples - Mauritius is the only African nation with Hinduism as the dominant religion.

    Amongst our stops was a monument to the first landing of the Dutch in 1598, who named it after Prince Maurice Van Nassau, head of the Dutch Republic. They introduced sugar cane, rice and tobacco, and also bought the first slaves. They abandoned Mauritius in 1710. In 1715, the French arrived, and ruled until they were defeated by the British in 1815. Independence was gained in 1968.

    The largest town in the south is Mahebourg, a few minutes from the airport. The Sunday waterfront market was in full swing when we arrived, as was a noisy celebration of Liverpool's recent Premier League victory by the Liverpool Mauritius Fan Club. Just off the coast is the tiny island of Mouchoir Rouge, named after the "red handkerchief" that was waved as a signal to the boatman for those who wanted to go to or return from the island, not because of the red roofed house.

    Our final stop before boarding our flight to Cape Town was the Pyramids of Plaine Magnien. Initially believed to be built by an ancient civilization, recent accounts have confirmed they were built by sugar cane workers who decided to neatly pile the volcanic rocks they cleared when planting the sugar cane. That's not as exciting 😐

    * Farewell from Mauritius, in Mauritian Creole - also known as "Morisyen," it's a French-based language spoken in Mauritius. Primarily a spoken language, it's the most commonly used language on the island and is spoken by almost everyone.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    11

    Heading down the east coast

    31 Mayıs, Mauritius ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    We had an early breakfast and were on the road by 9am. As it's Saturday the roads aren't quite so busy, so we made good progress.

    We visited 2 aviation monuments today, the first to commemorate the first flight from Reunion to Mauritius in 1933, which landed near the beach at Mon Choisy. The second monument was for the crash of South African Airlines Flight 295, which suffered an onboard fire and crashed into the sea off the east coast in 1987.

    We took the inland route today and stopped at the former railway station at Mapou (with plans for a railway museum on the site). Mauritius had a railway network with 250km of track, from the 1860s until 1964, initially built to support the sugar industry. After almost 50 years absence, in an attempt to ease traffic congestion, rail returned to the island in 2020 with a light rail system, but with only 25km of track and 19 stations, from Port Louis to Curepipe.

    We drove through a number of villages, and visited a former sugar mill at Belle Mare, which is in remarkably good condition considering it closed in 1875. We reached our east coast accommodation at Trou d'Eau Douce just after lunchtime. Time to walk to the local supermarket for supplies and enjoy a leisurely afternoon on the rooftop deck.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    112

    Northern beaches

    30 Mayıs, Mauritius ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    We're staying in Grand Baie for another night, so today was a leisurely tour of the beaches on the north coast.

    The north coast road hugs the coast and looks on the map like it will have fabulous ocean views all the way. This turned out not to be the case, with private residences and resorts monopolising the sea views, and the general public getting just an occasional glimpse. There are a number of public beaches, but finding the access point can be rather challenging!

    But when you do get there, the views are idyllic.

    We began the day at possibly the smallest beach on the island, Pereybere Beach.

    The search for a cache took us next to Bain Boeuf, with access to the beach down a narrow walkway, opening up to a beautiful bay. I'm not sure how many public visitors this one gets, as there is no parking in the vicinity... but where there's a cache, there's a way 😁

    Our journey continued to Cap Malheureux (Unlucky Cape) - named as a reminder of the British invaders defeat of the French occupation at this point in 1810. The distinctive red roof of the Notre Dame Auxilliatrice church dominates the bay.

    At Anse La Raie Beach we walked out to one of the islands at low tide to grab a cache, then continued to Calodyne Beach, a popular local picnic spot.

    On the way back to Grand Baie we stopped for a walk in the Daruty Forest, then had a late lunch at the most popular Greek restaurant in town, "The Trojan Horse (The Greeks are Inside)".    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    112

    From Dodo Island to Port Louis

    29 Mayıs, Mauritius ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    We toured the backstreets of Flic en Flac picking up a few caches, including one at the Manguiers Roundabout (colloquially known as Dodo Island) - it's a public art installation of life-size dodo statues, inaugurated in 2013 to raise awareness about environmental protection, particularly the dodo's story. It's not mentioned in any tourist guides, but there is a cache there!

    We spent most of the day in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. It's a nightmare to drive in the city centre, with heavy traffic, narrow roads and hoards of pedestrians and scooters going in all directions, so we parked the car at the Citadel Fort, above the city centre, and walked the city for a few hours.

    Citadel Fort, also known as Fort Adelaide, was built from 1830 to 1840. It symbolises the start of Indian immigration and the end of slavery and was constructed amid tensions from the French Revolution of 1830 and the recent British takeover of Mauritius. The British built the fort to guard against potential French attacks and local revolts, but it was never used for that reason. The Fort is still intact and allows a 360-degree view of Port Louis. From the fort you can view the Champ de Mars Racecourse, the oldest racecourse in the Southern Hemisphere and the second-oldest in the world (founded in 1812,) and where Mauritius declared its independence in 1968.

    Our accommodation for the night is at Grand Baie, 15km north of Port Louis along the M2 - one of three motorways on the island where the speed limit is 110km/h. Unfortunately the good progress is disrupted by a series of roundabouts, mostly less than 1 kilometre apart! (the first 6 were 600m apart, the longest uninterrupted stretch was 4km)    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    124

    The long way to Flic en Flac

    28 Mayıs, Mauritius ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    We only had 25km to travel today if we went the direct route up the coast, so we travelled the inland scenic route, first stop Black River Gorges National Park, the largest national park in Mauritius. The park was busy with tourists and school groups, but the drizzly weather dictated that it wasn't the day for a long walk today, so we satisfied ourselves with one cache and a short hike along the muddy Black River Peak Trail.

    Next detour was to Grand Bassin, a crater lake in the mountains, and a major Hindu pilgrimage site. There is no township or houses, just a large collection of temples spread over many hectares, including a 33m statue of Shiva, the tallest statue in Mauritius.

    The surprise of the day was the city of Curepipe, located on the central plateau, 560m above sea level. It has a population of 75,000 and because of it's altitude is known for its cooler and rainier climate, which we certainly experienced today. We visited the Botanic Gardens and the Trou aux Cerfs volcanic crater, with heavy traffic throughout.

    Final destination for the day was Flic en Flac, a beach tourism hotspot and home to many luxury hotels and resorts. It is the longest beach in Mauritius and has a line of food trucks along the beach front. Many are permanent and have built quite a reputation, so we weren't surprised when there was a line-up when we purchased our octopus roti for dinner 😋    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa
    1

    7 Coloured Earth

    27 Mayıs, Mauritius ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    As we arrived late last night, we had no supplies for breakfast, so we walked into town and had an omelette and coffee at a local bakery/cafe.

    After a quick supermarket visit, we headed off for the day towards the Chamarel 7 Coloured Earth Geopark. It is a relatively small area of sand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours and has become one of Mauritius' main tourist attractions since the 1960s.

    In the same park is Chamarel Waterfall, the tallest single drop waterfall in Mauritius.

    Heading towards the south coast, we stopped at Maconde Viewpoint, a small outcrop with views over the Indian Ocean. It is believed that the name Maconde originates from the slavery period, where runaway slaves from the Makonde tribe of Mozambique came to seek refuge. 

    Our final stop was Le Morne, one of the most popular beaches in Mauritius, but also home to the Le Morne Brabant, a 550m monolith located at the southwestern corner of the island. It is seen as a symbol of the resistance to slavery, as it was used as a refuge by slaves after escaping their masters. Legend has it that when slavery was abolished, the slaves falsely belived the approaching police (who were going to inform them that they were free men), were going to recapture them, and jumped to their deaths rather than be recaptured. At the base of the Le Morne Brabant is the International Slave Route Monument.

    The coast off Le Morne Brabant is often cited as the location of an underwater waterfall, which you can't see from the land... but it may be visible from one of the seaplane tours offered nearby.    Okumaya devam et

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  • Darren and JanetMauritius and West Africa

    Mauritius by night

    26 Mayıs, Mauritius ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    The day began yesterday with a flight to Dubai, a few hours in transit, then a 6 hour flight on an A380 to Mauritius.

    It's one of the few airports (perhaps the only one?) where the country is listed as the destination on the departure boards, not the city or airport name - the international airport, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, is 50km from the capital and is usually referred to as Mauritius International Airport.

    We arrived at 5pm, picked up our hire car and drove in the drizzly rain to our accommodation on the west coast. The drive took us about 90 minutes as the roads were poorly lit with large drop-offs, and the many street dogs had no road sense!

    We had some difficulties finding the apartment, as Google Maps took us to the wrong area. Fortunately some friendly locals were setting up for a party in the front yard and were happy to help us get back on track.    Okumaya devam et

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