Month: December 2015

La Vanille Crocodile park is found near the south of the island near Riviere des Anguilles one of the most famous rivers in Mauritius. As the climate is perfect there are other species that share their habitat with the crocodiles. The crocodile park has many exotic animals and species from around the world and does not just house crocodiles.
Cost of entry for La Vanille Crocodile Park.
The nature reserve us opened daily from 9.30 am – 6pm, there is a large car park on site
The entrance fees are as follows:
Rate Adult Child (3-12 years)
Weekday Rs. 270 (around £4.50) Rs. 150 (around £3)
Weekend Rs. 185 (around £4) Rs. 180 (around £3.50)
With the entrance fee you will get a guide of the park to help you find your way around.
It’s very easy to spend a whole day there are there is much to see (with or without children) so take advantage and have lunch in their beautiful restaurant that has amazing views of the nature reserve. At one time you could feed and even sit on the giant tortoises but I’m not sure if that is still allowed. Next to the giant enclosure there is an adventure playground for children. As La Vanille Crocodile Park is situated in the South it still remains untouched so all the beauty you see is natural and has not been interfered with by man.
There is a gift shop that you can visit to purchase souvenirs; there are also items such as handbags, hats, belts and wallets that have been made by using crocodile skin. If you visited the restaurant you would have also had the chance to try some crocodile meat, as the meat comes from farmed crocodile they have not consumed human meat. You may want to ask them what they consume as it is rumoured that they are fed stray dog meat, so ask questions before trying this delicacy.

Grand Bassin also called Ganga Talao by the Hindu population of the island is a beautiful volcano whose crater has been replaced by a natural lake, the water of which is considered as sacred by the Hindus. Located in Savanne, the volcano is at 1800 feet above sea level. It offers a beautiful view of the forests bordering the rims of the volcano and is a common place for prayers today.

Trou aux cerfs, the spitting image of a perfect volcano, is found on the central plateau of the island in Curepipe. It is a monogenetic volcano with a central vent; it has a diameter of 350m at the surface and a crater that is about 80m deep. It is easily accessible and offers a breathtaking view of the island and sometimes when the weather is clear, the coast of the island of La Reunion can even be seen.

The little island of Mauritius was formed when a big shield volcano erupted some 10 million years ago during the Pliocene period. It is believed that Mauritius was created by three main volcanic eruptions (The Ancient Series, The Early Series and the Recent Series) interspaced by calm periods. These series of volcanic activities gave rise to the number of mountains, gorges and valleys that can be seen all over the island. The ranges of Port Louis – Moka and some scattered isolated mountains are believed to be the leftover (walls of the caldera) of the huge volcano that initially created Mauritius. The last volcanic eruptions are thought to have been during the last 600, 000 to 700,000 B.P. and involved mainly about 20 volcanoes found along the North-North-East and South-South-West axis of the island; the last volcanic eruption can be dated to about 20,000 years ago by the L’escalier crater at Nouvelle Decouverte.

There are four main famous volcanoes in Mauritius that are thought to have been active during the past 700,000 years: Trou aux cerfs, Trou Kanaka, Bassin Blanc and Grand Bassin.

Trou aux cerfs, the spitting image of a perfect volcano, is found on the central plateau of the island in Curepipe. It is a monogenetic volcano with a central vent; it has a diameter of 350m at the surface and a crater that is about 80m deep. It is easily accessible and offers a breathtaking view of the island and sometimes when the weather is clear, the coast of the island of La Reunion can even be seen. The crater acts as a catchment area where the Grand River North West and the Tatamaka rivers have their sources.

Grand Bassin also called Ganga Talao by the Hindu population of the island is a beautiful volcano whose crater has been replaced by a natural lake, the water of which is considered as sacred by the Hindus. Located in Savanne, the volcano is at 1800 feet above sea level, irregular in shape and sound techniques have revealed the depth to be about 55-60 feet deep. It offers a beautiful view of the forests bordering the rims of the volcano and is a common place for prayers today.

Basin Blanc is found further south and is a type of funnel shaped crater about half a mile in diameter that is filled with water. Here again, the borders are rich in plants and trees and it is a great place to view some endemic birds of Mauritius such as white tailed tropic bird, Mauritius bulbul, Mauritius cuckoo shrike.

Trou Kanaka is also found in the south of the island and resembles a true volcano in shape with shrubs bordering the rims up into the crater.

Other volcanoes with true craters on the island are Verdun Hill, Trou Raoul, Curepipe Point, Bois Cheri, Butte Chaumon, Bar le Duc, L’escalier, Mt Piton and Forbach Hill. Some of the volcanic cones without craters are Mt Virer, Buttes aux Papayes, The Mount, Mt William, Calebasses, Mt Alma, Malherbe, Tamarin Estate, Trou de Mme Bouchet, Mt Perruche and Les Mares.

The village of Ferney in the south east of the island holds important meaning to Mauritius as it is the area where the Dutch descended when they first discovered the island in 1598. The place contains one of the few remnants of pristine forest (good quality native forest accounting for less than 2% of total forest area) on the island with a number of endemic flora and fauna and has an amazing view of the Grand Port area and South East Mountain Ranges.

The Ferney estate sugar mill lies right on the premises along with a small coffee plantation and coffee museum. The reception area provides information, maps and guides to make the visit a pleasant and educational one. There is also a restaurant specializing in Mauritian food consisting mainly of local fish, deer and boar; to remember the visit, the souvenir shop has many items such as books, bracelets etc. A visit to the valley is worthwhile; all the money obtained from this ecotourism business is used for funding other conservation and preservation projects in the forest thus allowing the survival of many endemic species.

Rochester falls is found in the south of the island at the cross point of the villages Souillac and Saint Aubin. The best feature of the falls is of its lava cliffs: years and years of erosion has led to the formation of a spectacular backdrop of rectangular blocks stuck together (they look more like aligned rectangular blocks protruding out at weird angles!). The water falls down a height of 10 metres through the rocky beds of the Savanne River in thick white foam but with gentle gurgling sounds.

A few benches have been placed under the shade of some trees so that visitors can sit down and enjoy the peaceful environment. Rochester falls is not a big business area; at times some people selling fruits and other artisanal items such as bracelets can be seen. It is a common place for the youngsters of the villages to hang around and cliff dive into the small calm pool. If you are going into the south of the island, the Rochester falls is worth a visit if only for its strange looking cliffs, you can also have a very refreshing swim as the water is very clear and calm, just be careful of the rocks!

Found in the heart of the Mauritian forest at Chamarel (which is reputed for its wonderful coloured earth) is an adventure park for all ages. Extended over an area of 12 hectares and at 350 metres above sea level, the adventure park is the place to get yourself into some serious activities or to simply enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lush green forest and the blue sea (visible through the valleys and breaks in the tree tops) making it the ideal place for nature lovers, adventure lovers and photo lovers! Activities range from simple strolling in the forest to more physical ones such as rock climbing but basically four main activities are provided.
The thousand leaves track is a track where footbridges have been placed through the trees so that the visitor can get a glimpse of the forest area from the bird’s eye point of view. The course is about 205 metres long and can be covered in an hour. It is relatively easy and accessible to all ages.
For those who just love to enjoy the forest, the park offers the visitor an amazing experience of coursing through the beautiful vegetation and identifying the different plants through a plan that is offered at the reception area. Many of the trees in the forest are indigenous to the island such as Bois Boeuf, Bois de Ronde, Bois d’Ebene. Kiosks and viewpoints have been placed at strategic points throughout the park so that the visitor can enjoy the beautiful panorama set before him to the max.

Situated in the South East of Mauritius, Le Val Nature Park is a beauty of its own. Nestled in a valley in the village of Cluny, the park is one of the main tourist attractions on the island. The park expands over 2,800 hectares with lush green patches of grass and streams flowing all over the area. Remnants of colonial houses covered in mosses from the British rule can be seen as well as chimneys that have now sprouted ferns from the old sugar factories. These buildings are now classified as national monuments given their importance in the Mauritian history. The park provides large expanses of forest amongst which are many indigenous trees making it not only a nice place to enjoy a walk but also an instructive one. There are also numerous shallow pools where beautiful freshwater fishes can be seen.