{"id":84152,"date":"2023-10-13T16:08:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mylifestylemax.com\/?p=84152"},"modified":"2023-10-13T16:08:03","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:08:03","slug":"discovering-the-rich-culture-and-natural-beauty-of-northern-mauritius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mylifestylemax.com\/travel\/discovering-the-rich-culture-and-natural-beauty-of-northern-mauritius\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovering the rich culture and natural beauty of northern Mauritius"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Northern soul of Mauritius: Immerse yourself in the fascinating culture and natural beauty at the &#8216;top&#8217; of this charming, sunny Indian Ocean country<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mauritius is in the Indian Ocean, 1,200 miles off the south-east coast of Africa\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Laura Millar visits and is stunned by the incredible scenery&#8230;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0\u00a0I spent 17 years photographing the same family of grizzly bears<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We&#8217;re an hour out to sea on a catamaran, whisking us from Grand Baie, a harbour town on Mauritius\u2019s northern coast, to the tiny islet of Ilot Gabriel, when a man on deck swivels his head so sharply he almost drops his rum punch.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Dolphins!\u2019 he shouts excitedly.<\/p>\n<p>The captain is duly consulted and it transpires, even more excitingly, that the pointed dorsal fin coursing through the water is attached to a small humpback whale. And then there are three, keeping pace with the boat, delighting all on board with flicks of their tails and \u2013 so swears the guy with the rum punch \u2013 a full flip up out of the sea (suffice to say, he was the only one to observe this).<\/p>\n<p>However, spotting them is enough to cheer up the 30 passengers aboard the good ship Wahoo \u2013 named after a local fish \u2013 who up until this point have been in lowish spirits thanks to a squall that has been whipping up the waves.<\/p>\n<p>As we approach our destination, rounding the hulking, volcanic nature reserve of Coin de Mire, whose cliffs rise impressively out of the sea, the clouds start to clear. And by the time we drop anchor in sight of both Ilot Gabriel and its neighbour, unimaginatively called Flat Island, the sun is shining fiercely.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/09\/76272189-12604603-image-m-2_1696666780555.jpg\" height=\"359\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Verdant: Laura Millar explores the northern part of Mauritius. Above is Grand Baie, a harbour town on the country&#8217;s northern coast<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/14\/76276465-12604603-image-a-1_1696685981039.jpg\" height=\"453\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Laura travels on a catamaran from Grand Baie to the tiny islet of Ilot Gabriel (pictured). &#8216;Within minutes I\u2019ve renamed it Instagram Island, thanks to the frantic photo-snapping,&#8217; she says<\/p>\n<p>We are disgorged by dinghy on to Gabriel\u2019s dazzling white sands, fringed with the kind of palm trees and clear aquamarine water you normally only see on adverts. Within minutes I\u2019ve renamed it Instagram Island, thanks to the frantic photo-snapping.<\/p>\n<p>Women are draping themselves prettily, if riskily, across rocks, or posing with oversized straw hats in the water. But who wouldn\u2019t, when the scenery is as incredible as this?<\/p>\n<p>Mauritius is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, 1,200 miles off the south-east coast of Africa. It has changed hands regularly over the centuries, falling at various times under Dutch, French and, finally, British rule, until its independence in 1968. Along with the islands of Rodrigues and Reunion, it forms the Mascarenhas Archipelago, so-named by the Portuguese who were here before the Dutch.<\/p>\n<p>Combined, these colonisers have left various legacies, not least in language \u2013 French is most widely spoken, alongside English and local Creole \u2013 and in food.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/09\/76272191-12604603-image-a-3_1696666816504.jpg\" height=\"357\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Laura checks into Veranda Grand Baie (pictured),\u00a0a &#8216;charming&#8217; property with 95 rooms spread around its gardens<\/p>\n<p>First, let me make clear what you won\u2019t be consuming: dodo. The hapless, flightless bird, now a symbol of the island that you\u2019ll find on everything from bottles of local rum to boxes of matches, was eaten to extinction by the Dutch in the 1600s. Thankfully you\u2019ll find much more delicious fare these days, a fusion of Indian and African with roots coming from labourers who were brought here to work on sugarcane plantations, as well as French and even Chinese.<\/p>\n<p>I get my first taste of a typical dish at my hotel, Veranda Grand Baie, a charming property with 95 rooms spread around its gardens. A recent renovation was designed to honour Creole decor, with natural, woven fabrics, lazily whirring ceiling fans, bamboo blinds and leafy plants everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>As part of a drive to connect guests more closely to Mauritian culture, there are a range of complimentary activities, including Creole language lessons. Our engaging teacher, Manisha, explains that speaking is as much about the emphasis of the words and accompanying facial expressions as it is about pronunciation.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Can you guess what \u201cene zoli 36\u201d means?\u2019 she asks her spellbound group of pupils. Blank faces. \u2018How about now?\u2019, as she repeats the phrase but outlines with her hands the kind of ridiculously curvy female physique you might have seen on the Benny Hill Show.<\/p>\n<p>They also offer cooking classes, which is how I find myself dipping balls of mashed chickpea blended with spring onion, red onion and chilli into boiling oil to make the local snack chilli bites.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/09\/09\/76328105-12604603-image-m-2_1696839698348.jpg\" height=\"421\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Above, water lilies at the Botanic Garden\u00a0located within the village of Pamplemousses<\/p>\n<p>These, and other delicious morsels, can be found for sale from many of the shacks which line the curved beach of Grand Baie, a ten-minute walk away.<\/p>\n<p>Bobbing in the harbour are small, traditional wooden fishing boats known as pirogues. At tables close to the water, fishermen casually chop up their catch of the day, ready for everyone from housewives to restaurant owners to snap up fillets of marlin, sailfish, tuna and wahoo.<\/p>\n<p>The northern end of the island is known for being busier and more developed, home to resorts, shops, restaurants and nightlife. It\u2019s also good for game-fishing, as evidenced by the many enterprises with chalk boards outside listing their most recent catches by weight and size.<\/p>\n<p>But peace and quiet can still be found here, such as at the charming fishing village of Cap Malheureux, at Mauritius\u2019 northernmost tip. Despite its unfortunate name \u2013 it means \u2018unlucky cape\u2019, which was bestowed by the French after an invading British force took them by surprise by landing there in 1810 \u2013 it\u2019s a pretty place to explore.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t miss the striking, red-roofed Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice Church or the less-crowded Bain Boeuf Public Beach, which of course features the obligatory dreamy golden sands and turquoise sea.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/76273187-12604603-image-a-42_1696669844747.jpg\" height=\"333\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Striking: Laura recommends visiting the &#8216;striking, red-roofed&#8217; Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice Church in the fishing village of Cap Malheureux\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>TRAVEL FACTS\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Doubles at Veranda Grand Baie from \u00a3240 half-board (veranda-resorts.com); London to Mauritius flights from \u00a3650 return (airmauritius.com). Catamaran trips \u00a352pp (croisieres-australes.com). More information at mymauritius.travel.<\/p>\n<p>I round off my trip with a visit to the serene Botanic Garden, located within the village of Pamplemousses.<\/p>\n<p>It was created in 1770, making it the oldest botanical garden in the Southern hemisphere, covering about 90 acres. Here you\u2019ll find a vast array of both native and non-native plants, flowers and trees, from the ebony and macadamia, to ferns and elephant\u2019s foot palms.<\/p>\n<p>Then we come on to an utterly beautiful spot.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a small lake, completely covered in giant water lilies. They flower between June and September, when you\u2019ll see pink or white blooms adorning the flat, green, coffee-table-sized circles of the lily pads.<\/p>\n<p>I gaze at them, the sunlight sparkling off the water, and a Creole phrase that I learned earlier at the hotel springs to mind: \u2018Moi ben kontent.\u2019 It roughly means: \u2018I\u2019m pretty happy right now.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>And for that, I thank Mauritius.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/travel\/article-12604603\/Northern-soul-Mauritius-Immerse-fascinating-culture-natural-beauty-charming-sunny-Indian-Ocean-country.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Northern soul of Mauritius: Immerse yourself in the fascinating culture and natural beauty at the &#8216;top&#8217; of this charming, sunny<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[653],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Discovering the rich culture and natural beauty of northern Mauritius - My LifeStyle Max<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mylifestylemax.com\/travel\/discovering-the-rich-culture-and-natural-beauty-of-northern-mauritius\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Discovering the rich culture and natural beauty of northern Mauritius - My LifeStyle Max\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Northern soul of Mauritius: Immerse yourself in the fascinating culture and natural beauty at the &#8216;top&#8217; 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