Things to do in the South of Mauritius

Author: Katy Kat

Grand Bassin

Ganga Talao (also known as Grand Bassin) is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about 1800 feet above sea level. It is considered the most sacred Hindu place in Mauritius. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and other Gods including Lord Hanuman, Goddess Lakshmi, and others along the Grand Bassin. During Shivaratri, many pilgrims in Mauritius walk bare feet from their homes to the lake. Mangal Mahadev the giant Shiva Statue found in Grand Bassin is 33 m (108 ft)-tall standing with his trident at the entrance of Ganga Talao, is a faithful copy of the Shiva statue of Sursagar Lake in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. It was inaugurated in 2007 and the "Sthapan" was done during the Maha Shivratri period of 2008. It is also the highest known statue in Mauritius.

Black River Gorges National Park

Black River Gorges National Park is a national park in the hilly south-western part of Mauritius. It was proclaimed on June 15, 1994 and is managed by the National Parks and Conservation Service. It covers an area of 67.54 km² including humid upland forest, drier lowland forest and marshy heathland. Facilities for visitors include two information centres, picnic areas and 60 kilometres of trails. There are four field stations in the park which are used for research.

The park protects most of the island’s remaining rainforest although much of this has been degraded by introduced plants such as Chinese guava and privet and animals such as rusa deer and wild pigs. Several areas have been fenced off and invasive species have been eradicated from them to preserve native wildlife. Many endemic plants and animals still occur in the park including the Mauritian flying fox and all of the island’s endemic birds: Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, Mauritius parakeet, Mauritius cuckoo-shrike, Mauritius bulbul, Mauritius olive white-eye, Mauritius grey white-eye and Mauritius fody.

Chamarel – Seven Coloured Earths

The Seven Coloured Earth (Terres des Sept Couleurs in French) are a geological formation and prominent tourist attraction found in the Chamarel plain of the Rivière Noire District in south-western Mauritius. It is a relatively small area of sand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow). The main feature of the place is that since these differently coloured sands spontaneously settle in different layers, dunes acquire a surrealistic, striped colouring. This phenomenon can also be observed, on a smaller scale, if one takes a handful of sands of different colours and mixes them together, as they’ll eventually separate into a layered spectrum. Another interesting feature of Chamarel’s Coloured Earths is that the dunes seemingly never erode, in spite of Mauritius’ torrential tropical rains.

Rhumerie De Chamarel

La Rhumerie de Chamarel is one of the rare distilleries still in activity to cultivate its own sugarcane. They are carefully selected and grown exclusively for the production of the Chamarel Rums: here lies the first secret of its quality. The harvest is done by hand, without ever burning the crops, and extends between July to December. The identification of the various crops and their traceability will allow the Master Blender to select the finest lots for the White Rums and the Old Rums.

Curious Corner of Chamarel

Located just opposite the Seven Coloured Earths, Curious Corner of Chamarel is the first of its kind in Mauritius, a house of illusion and mystery sure to awaken your curiousity! Visit the Exhibit Centre and experience a world of mind bending fun, browse the many curios in the Puzzles & Things Shop and enjoy the delights on offer at The Corner Café in the garden.

The future belongs to the curious, so spend the day enjoying all that Curious Corner has to offer!

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