Port Louis

Port Louis is the vibrant capital of Mauritius and a very important port city of the Indian Ocean. The city was founded by the French in 1735 as a supply halt for their ships travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. Named after King Louis XV, Port Louis is one of the busiest city of the country and also its financial capital. The city is dominated by the Citadelle that is situated atop Port-Louis mountain range. Tourists can never get enough of Port Louis. Discovering the city can be an enriching cultural experience. The Chinatown has a fascinating atmosphere and where the Chinese culture had been kept alive. Spicy aromas waft out through the small restaurants, engulfing the whole area, thus lending it a mystic aura. Chinatown is also home to the Jummah Mosque that was built in 1853 and has intricate fabulous teak doors and decorations. Tourists also visit Chinatown to pay their respects to the Père Laval's shrine that is supposed to have healing powers.

Black River George

This 6,574 hectare park, proclaimed in 1994, protects much of the remaining native forests of Mauritius and provides opportunities for the visitor to enjoy spectacular natural scenery and some of the unique endemic plants and bird life. The National Park is easily reached from Vacoas or Curepipe, via La Marie and Mare aux Vacoas. At le Petrin a visitor information center has been set up with picnic facilities. A boardwalk provides access to the typical dwarf forest of the region and a fenced conservation management area (from which invasive non - native plants have been removed) protects a sample of the remaining healthland. There is also a number of longer walking trails, including one to the island's highest point, Black River Peak (828 m).

Pamplemonsses Garden

Pierre Poivre created Pamplemonsses garden in 1767 in the Estate of the French Governor Mahe de Labourdonnais. His Chateau known as 'Mon Plaisir', which was built in 1735, can still be admired there. The garden has a collection of indigenous and exotic plants, including the giant Victoria Amazonica water lilies, many species of palm trees especially the unique talipot palm, said to flower once every sixty years and then die.