Central Mauritius

The central part of Mauritius is the most populated area with major cities and excellent connectivity to the rest of island. It has a lot of historical, cultural and modern sites to explore. Topographically the central part is the highest part of Mauritius so you will find the cities surrounded by peaks and lush forests. There are plenty of options for each kind of a traveller. You may go hiking, exploring, religious trip, or shopping. Here are a few places located in the central island which we explored on our trip to Mauritius:

Trois Mamelles

Trois Mamelles is a rugged mountain in Mauritius that lies in the central part. We could get a clear glimpse of it on our way to tamarind falls from Flic en Flac. Our road trip was a delightful adventure. At the back we found the ocean at the west coast visible. To our right was the Trois Mamelles peak and to our left vast stretches of field. The drive was fun only because of the view. The roads were not that good yet but, construction was going on at several places.

Tamarind Waterfall/ 7 cascades Viewpoint

This is a beautiful cascading waterfall in Henrietta, some 17 km away from Flic en Flac. It was quite far but the route was amazing. Sugarcane fields on both sides of the road, mountains beyond the fields and beautiful countryside views. It took us about 40 minutes to arrive at the viewpoint. But, the ride was lovely. The viewpoint is a little off of the main road and you would need to ask around a bit if you are on your own. You get a complete view of the waterfall with the seven cascades from this viewpoint. The surrounding area is a dense forest and hilly all around. You get amazing views from the viewpoint.  In the dry months, the waterfall is very thin and can hardly be identified but in summers, it is in full glory.

If you want to experience the waterfall from up close, you have an option to go hiking. The hiking route starts 2 km away from the viewpoint just opposite to a temple by the road. There are guides at the start of the trek and will push you for hiring one saying it cannot be visited without a guide as per government rules. But to tell you, there are very few, about 2-3 people here, also, there are no signboards in this area so it is difficult to verify. Also, there are no signs indicating the hike start point so it really can be confusing if you are on your own. We suggest if you really want to go hiking, hire a guide to take you. It will definitely be a good experience. We skipped it because we were not sure about it.

Trou Aux Cerf

How often do you get a chance to see an actual volcano without being scared? If you are in Mauritius, you have such an opportunity. The island of Mauritius was a result of a volcano erupting some 70,000 years ago. The crater of that volcano is now a popular tourist site located near Curepipe and is called Trou Aux Cerf. The volcano has been dormant ever since and is surrounded by dense vegetation on all sides. The crater is at a height of approximately 600m with a lake at the centre. You can enjoy panoramic views of the crater, the nearby settlements and three of the mountain peaks- The Rempart, the Mamalles, and the Moka range from the top. The view is surreal so ensure to take a breath and admire the scenery around.

Quatre Bornes Market Fair

There is a trend of setting up market fairs in various parts of Mauritius. Such market fairs spread over a 2-3 square kilometres area with hundreds of shops by local vendors selling everything. It is great cultural experience and also an opportunity to shop your heart out. Since, one of us is a shopping buff, we had to explore this market. It is more convenient to visit Quatre Bornes from Port Louis as there is a direct metro line connecting both places. It takes about 20-25 minutes one way and the ticket price is 45MUR one way. The market fair is just opposite to the metro station making it super accessible.

Vendors are allocated days on which they can set up their shops. You might find a different vendor on a different day at the same spot. There is a paid parking available. A municipal food court is also available nearby where you can have authentic Mauritian cuisine at affordable prices. Apart from this market you may take the same metro to Vacoas and explore some of the popular shopping malls in this area.