Mauritius...Journey of a lifetime!

We were stationed at hotel ‘Tarisa Resort and Spa’, not very far from Mont Choisy Beach. This beach arguably is one of the best beaches of Mauritius and had everything to offer that an individual would look for — Serene beaches, clean surroundings and not too crowded. Water sports happened in pockets which in most cases were complimentary from the hotel. Most of the rooms in the hotel overlooked the sprawling pool. You could take a relaxing plunge in the pool or laze around it. The hotel had all the luxuries that one would be looking for — Spa, Sauna and what not.

The trip we chose was for 5 nights 6 days and had plans of covering the whole of Mauritius. Typical Mauritian tours are designed based on the directions you are headed spanning across the island.

We planned our day to have 3 days of guided tour and the rest 2 for what we willed. The first day of our landing was of course left for relaxing after the long flight journey. While we prepared for the typical touristy stuff for the days that looked ahead of us, we made the most of the ‘free’ days in exploring the beautiful Mont Choisy Beach. We walked miles together getting lost in the chemistry between the setting sun and the sea, mesmerized by the confluence of the changing colors and breeze of closeness growing between us.

We were then headed towards the south of Mauritius which included a trip to Trou aux Cerf, a massive volcanic crater.

It was followed by our journey to the Grand Bassin, home to a Hindu Temple and a surrounding sacred lake. This is where we have the 13th and the only ‘Jyotirlinga’ outside of India. It certainly felt ethereal when one is in the benign presence of such divinity.

We were then taken to the La Vallée des Couleurs National Park which was the land of the Chamarel Waterfall and the 7 Colored Earth. While few decided to zipline their way through and few to test the power of the quad bike, we decided to be on our foot and enjoy the nature in its full glory. It was quite a walk to the 7 colored earth but at the end it was all worth it. We were greeted by wildlife on our way to the destination and stopped enroute in awe of the Chamarel. The view there was breathtaking!

With this we ended the first day of guided tour. As we retired into our rooms we had so much to talk about and yet so tired with the entire day’s event. While we sunk into our cozy beds with a glass of the sparkling nectar, we toasted to the journey of our lives that we had just begun.

Day 3 was outlined around the north of Mauritius. We started with picturesque Cap Malheureux Church. Etymologically speaking, the name meant ‘Cape of bad luck’ as coined by the French, but this place looked no less than a fabled locale straight out of a fairy tale. A beautiful red and white church overlooking the blue sea, the green sprawling gardens and the lone standing bell tower, all added to the beauty of the place.

We were then off to the ancient Fort Adelaide. This fort is at a height and you get a birds eye view of the entire city. While the fort talks about many warriors, the single battle you have is to get the picture of a lifetime and the weapon of your choice is the camera in your hand.

We had a quick stop at the iconic Marie Reine de la Paix which is featured in many films including Bollywood. This celebrity is an open church with a view to die for. A definite stop for all bollywood enthusiasts.

We were then transported to the country’s capital Port Louis. The city had a french touch to its building possibly from its colonial lineage. It was beautiful to see the roads and the cleanliness. We then wandered into the Caudan Water Front, a commercial development in Port Louis. It has some amazing shops and casinos. While we refrained from gambling all our money in, we did try our luck with the slot machines, alas with no luck. Lip smacking snacks and refreshments kept us going in the warm sun.

Finally was the last day of our guided tour. It was a trip to the mast famous island of Mauritius — Ile Aux Cerf. This was the reason most of the people had come to this bay. A beautiful island with full day of fun and activities in the sea. Typical activities included para gliding, deep sea walking, snorkeling, etc. There were some motor boats that took you to the base of a waterfall and was definitely a view of a lifetime. The day was meant to be adventurous and went by just like that.

Lunch was served on the island itself while you had the opportunity to treat yourself with the delicious Mauritian rum.

Evening we decided to try on some local cuisine and wander around the local markets. While it was a delight to relish upon the amazing Dholl Puri, we was equally surprised to see the local markets as well. Definitely a must try if you want to break yourself from the shackles of being a tourist into doing things the ‘local’ way.

Oh yes.. we did try their local bus!

And went to their local beach as well :) :)

The next day was when we decided to be on the sea for the entire day. That’s when we decided with the seven island tours — a signature deal to make you go around 7 islands along with barbecue lunch, unlimited Mauritian rum and some more scintillating Sega dance performance. This was the highlight when we were so drunk that we didn’t even remember how we came back to our hotels. We did click some amazing pics though — see for yourself :P

And with all smiles and cheers we embarked on our last part of our journey — the journey to the airport covering all the important landmark on our way. We saw some amazing landscape and a lot of vegetation.

As the journey was about to end, reality suddenly struck me crying out loud for the end of an amazing dream. A dream of convenience, a dream of royalty, a dream of beauty! I might forget a lot about the trip but the feeling stays.

This was my first journey with my wife and we loved it!

Frequent searches leading to this page:-