Belle Mare
Belle Mare
Belle Mare (beach) – a.k.a. Long Beach, this popular destination (an hour’s drive east of Port Louis – 44 km.) is located on the eastern part of the island and is very easily accessible. As a result of this, Belle Mare Beach can get a little crowded on weekends. But during the week, you may have this beauty of a beach almost all to your self. Paragliding is available here, for water sports enthusiasts. There are also some resorts in this area.
Bagatelle
Bagatelle
Bagatelle – Mall of Mauritius (Bagatelle) – located just 15 minutes (10 km) south of Port Louis,.Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius is the leading shopping and retail destination in Mauritius. Its dominant presence and comprehensive retail and leisure options attract diverse shoppers from all over the island. Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius merges the world’s most desirable brands (from Guess to Hugo Boss, Armani, etc.), shopping convenience, entertainment, and everyday leisure, all in a majestic setting.
The Mall is located in the area of Bagatelle, close to the capital, Port Louis. The Mall is clearly visible next to the M1 highway, with easy and convenient access directly from the highway. Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius hosts the widest selection of specialty stores in Mauritius – there are 130 shops – thus offering the most comprehensive and compelling lifestyle shopping experience on the island.
CAR RENTALS
CAR RENTALS
CAR RENTALS – the following car rental agencies operate in Mauritius (including Port Louis):
Avis: +230 427 6312/ 427 6368
Budget: +230 467 9700
Europcar: +230 263 7948
Hertz: +230 604 3021
Aapravasi Ghat
Aapravasi Ghat
Aapravasi Ghat (ex-DWC Building, 1 Quay Street, Port-Louis) –– the Aapravasi Ghat (a Hindi term for “Immigration Depot” is the remains of such a site (from where modern indentured labor diaspora emerged). The Depot was built in 1849 to receive indentured laborers from India, Eastern Africa, Madagascar, China and Southeast Asia to work on the island’s sugar estates as part of the ‘Great Experiment’. This experiment was initiated by the British Government, after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834, to demonstrate the superiority of ‘free’ over slave labor in its plantation colonies.
The success of the ‘Great Experiment’ in Mauritius led to its adoption by other colonial powers from the 1840s, resulting in a world-wide migration of more than two million indentured laborers, of which Mauritius received almost half a million. This site, located near the Caudan Waterfront, is now protected as a national monument, under the Mauritian national heritage legislation. Aapravasi Ghat is the “Ellis Island” of Mauritius’ Indian community, in particular. Admission: free. Hours: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (Monday-Saturday)(closed on Sundays and public holidays).
About Mauritius
Mauritius
The island republic of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean (2,000 km. off the southeast coast of Africa) was uninhabited when the first European explorers (the Portuguese) first pass through it in 1507. When a Dutch squadron visited it in 1598, they gave the island its present name (in honor of Prince Maurice van Nassau), and officially made a colony in 1638 (launching sugar cane agriculture there). With that settlement being unprofitable, the Dutch abandoned Mauritius in 1710. Five years later, the French (having already established a colony in the Indian Ocean island of Reunion – 226 km. west of Mauritius) established its own colony there, and changed the island’s name from Mauritius to “Isle de France”.
The French proceeded to build a more prosperous sugar-based economy, along with establishing the naval base of Port Louis (now the island’s capital), as well as shipbuilding facilities. Since Mauritius became an important stop for international commercial ships going through the Indian Ocean, there was a struggle between the French and the British for control of that area. That result was a British takeover of the island (changing its name back to Mauritius). Mauritius, whose population increased during French rule when they brought in contingents of slaves from various East African countries (which was 85% of the local residents by 1777), would see an even larger increase in its population when the British brought in contingents of indentured servants from India (to work the island’s sugar fields). Latter waves of free Indians were brought in by the British authorities to work in the armed forces, and police. Other Indians became traders, businessmen and merchants.
British rule continued in Mauritius until the island was declared independent in 1968 (becoming a republic within the Commonwealth in 1992). Nowadays, Indo-Mauritians (locals of Indian descent) are the majority of the island’s population (around 68%). Creoles (locals of African descent) are about 25% of the population, while other ethnic groups – ranging from descendants of Chinese immigrants, to French-Mauritians and Anglo-Mauritians – form the rest of the island’s population (explaining the country’s current multi-ethnic composition).
English and French are generally accepted as the official languages of Mauritius and as the languages of government administration, courts, and business. The constitution of Mauritius is written in English, while some laws, such as the Civil Code, are in French. Along with English and French, Mauritian Creole (a French-based dialect), as well as various Indian (from Hindi to Tamil) and Chinese languages (Cantonese, Mandarin), form the rest of the tongues spoken in Mauritius.
Mauritius’ current economy is based on tourism, textiles, sugar, and financial services (the latter making Mauritius the “Bermuda of the Indian Ocean”). Mauritius has a wide range of natural and man-made attractions, boasts a tropical climate with warm turquoise blue waters, attractive beaches, tropical fauna and flora complemented by a multi-ethnic and cultural population that is friendly and welcoming. Currently, over a million tourists visit Mauritius – with large numbers arriving from UK, France, India, and even the nearby island of Reunion. In recent times more visitors are coming in from emerging tourism markets like China. Tourism currently makes up 14% of the island’s GDP.
