Unveiling the Amazing History and the Gorgeous Geography of South Mauritius

If you want to dig deep into the history of Mauritius, South Mauritius is the definite place to be. Blessed with geographical marvels ranging from the heritage Le Morne Hills, to the spectacular seven-coloured-earths to the volcano sites, this part of Mauritius caters to every palette and does every bit to feed a curious mind.

You can either choose to wonder at the marvels presented by the place or you can steer your inquisitiveness and work up the grey cells to delve deeper into the history of the place to find out more. Surprisingly, the absence of famous beaches in this part does not disappoint you, because the place has so much more in store for your mind to take in.

Road Trip across the Gorgeous South of Mauritius

En-route South Mauritius from Flic-en-Flac! Eager to Witness the Historical and Geographical Marvels . . .Yayyyyy!!!

The Early Morning Drive Down South, was Acres and Acres of Sugarcane Plantations on both sides of the road!

It was a bright sunny day. We had Linley drive the car from our resort. The drive down south was acres and acres of sugarcane plantations on both sides of the road. We passed through arrays of Frochetia Biotania, purple periwinkles sprouting from the grounds, sunkissed pearly white beaches and perfectly preened cozy villages.

Trou-Aux-Cerfs, The World Famous Volcanic Site

Our first stop was Trou-Aux-Cerfs, the world famous volcano site in the heart of Curepipe. The dormant volcanic crater stands 605 m above sea-level, with a diameter of 300 m and depth of 100 m. One interesting fact of Trou-Aux-Cerfs is that contrary to other volcanic sites, this place is surrounded by a wide area of lush green forests consisting of indigenous plant species and giant palm trees.

Trou-Aux-Cerfs – The World Famous Volcanic Site in the heart of Curepipe!

The View-Point gave us a Good 360 degrees view of the Island!

In the center of the crater is a pristine blue lake. We climbed up to the view point to have a good long look of the crater. Since the sky was clear and blue, we could also enjoy a 360 degrees view of the entire Mauritius Island from the view-point.

Grand Bassin, the Holy Temple in the Heart of Mauritius

Situated amidst a picturesque landscape and touted as the most sacred Hindu place in Mauritius, lies Grand Bassin or the ‘Ganga Talao’. Ganga Talao is a large lake formed out of a crater and emanates peace and tranquility. Magnamanious Hindu Deities adorned the place. We took a walk along the lake, surrounded by many colourful idols listening to the legendary tales spun around them.

The Magnamanious Maa-Durga Statue at Grand Basin!

The 108 feet Mangal Mahadev Statue at Ganga Talao (Grand Basin)!

The mighty 108 feet Mangal Mahadev Statue is the third highest Shiva statue in the world. A Durga statue that shares the same land, and stands at a staggering 108 ft. has recently been inaugurated.

La-Vanille Nature Park

Welcome to La-Vanille Nature Park!

Our next stop was the idyllic and stunning park of lush green tropical vegetation spanning an area of 5 hectares. Harbouring a haven of zoological marvels, this green park nestled in the shades of giant palms and bamboo trees are a sight to behold. We purchased tickets at the counter and set out to explore the nature’s zoological paradise. Trying to make sense of the Park Map that we were provided at the gates, we proceeded inwards. We met a host of tenrecs, eels, iguanas, wild boars, java deers and turtles on our way.

While Touring the Nature Park, you will Encounter a Herd of Java Deers Lazying in ‘Their Space’!

The Park loves everything ‘King-Size’! This is one ‘Big Lizard’!

And then you encounter some ‘Majestic African Roofed Turtles’. . .

Some Cute Pandas will give you a Cute Stare. . .

An African Bat taking its regular nap! Not my Favourite Animal. . .

But the main highlight of the nature park were the Nile crocodiles and the giant giant tortoises. We spent quite some time playing with and feeding the giant tortoises; man, they are so friendly!

The Nile Crocodiles Feasting on their Lunch!

Man, Look at those ‘Giant Turtles’!!! They remind me of the Dinosaur Era. . .

Me, Trying to be Friends with the ‘Giant Turtle’

While Maddy already seems to have developed the ‘Bond of Friendship’ with the ‘Giant Turtles’!

We made a quick dash into their inhouse insetarium. We also visited the fossil museum to catch a glimpse of yesteryear’s extinct marine, aerial and mammals.

The Chamarel Village

As we descended further south into a secret valley, we could further unfurl the immaculate beauty that the island beheld. We drove through the cozy village and after a brief stop for lunch arrived at the ‘CHAMAREL WATERFALLS’. One of the most breathtaking spots on the island, Chamarel Waterfalls offers a truly magnificent view where the cascading waters hit the pool below from majestic heights.

The ‘Chamarel Waterfall’ Gushing Down from a Height Higher than the ‘Statue of Liberty’!

Cocooned between two large hills and surrounded by numerous green hillocks, the waterfall gushing down from a height higher than the statue of liberty was indeed a stunning spectacle. We clicked a few photographs and proceeded on foot to the geological wonder that lay a few meters ahead from the waterfalls, ”THE SEVEN COLOURED EARTH”.

 The Seven Coloured Earth

Nature has its own unique way of piqing our curiosity and Chamarels’s Seven Coloured Earth is one of those surreal things that will make yours run wild. The seven coloured earth of Chamarel is a world famous attraction; it is a unique volcanic geological formation resulting in seven colours of earth swirled together to create a unique feature.

The Magnificient ‘Seven Coloured Earth’. Indeed a Geographical Marvel!

How many colours can you count???

While my partner tried to dig into the chemistry behind the formation, I was busy marvelling at the geological wonder that lay before me. Swirled into separate layer of spectrum, the dunes acquired a surrealistic striped colouring. Mild sunrays falling into the beautiful patterns carved into the landmass created an effect of an earthen meringue. A treasure trove of millions of years of history, this Mauritian attraction is definitely a must see for tourists.

Le-Morne Brabant

A symbol of one the most tragic historical events and recognized as a ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO the beautiful Le-Morne Hills is located in the extreme south-western tip of the Indian Ocean of the Mauritian island. Le Morne Mountain represents marronage and its impact in Mauritius, Linley narrated. The slaves from India and Africa bought by the Europeans, who managed to escape from the shackles of slavery used this mountain as their hideout and lived in extreme harsh conditions, including lack of food, shelter and the imminent fear of getting discovered.

Le-Morne Hills – The Tragic Suicide Point of the Slaves. . .

The punishment of marronage was of profane severity that included whipping, inhumane torture and even death. When the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in 1834, a group of officials travelled to Le-Morne to inform the slaves of the good news. However, on seeing the authorities approach, the slaves went frantic for they had little reason to believe the intention of the officials; they climbed onto the top of the cliff and jumped to their deaths. The slaves chose death over facing the horrors of dehumanization in the form of slavery.

Thus today, the ballistic mountains stands as a symbol of peace and a testament to the bravery of the Maroons, their extreme sufferings and sacrifice.

Linley tried to stifle a smile as he ended the story, but didn’t quite make it. We were sipping sugarcane juice as we listened to his story. After experiencing the place for quite some time, we boarded our car for the return trip.

We Entered Inside a Sugarcame Field on our Way Back to Flic-En-Flac! We carried a Sugarcane back to India. . .

‘Us’ with Linley. . .Could have never found a better person to chaperon us around. Thanks Man!!!

We made a brief stopover at a sugarcane field and clicked a few photographs. Linley cut one sugarcane stem from the enormous field and asked us to carry it as a souvenir from Mauritius! The sun had slowly begun its departure and it was time to enjoy the remainder of the road trip back to our resort.

Parting Thoughts

The part of the drive through the Southern part of Mauritius is sure to cast a spell on the most skeptical of tourists. Evening sun rays spilled over the windows as our car glided through the villages with picture-perfect cottages, verdant greeneries, orchards ladenned with fruit and bright magenta flowers billowing in the wind.

That’s All about South Mauritius Folks! And yes we love Sunsets!!!

We tried to soak in every ounce of the beautiful experience, and we are glad we did so!

If you missed out on Part-I and Part-II of our Mauritius Blog click on the links below to read our experience:

Flic-en-Flac, Our Ultimate Base To Explore The Beautiful Island Of Mauritius!

Experience an Amazing Road Trip to the North of Mauritius