Saint-Denis, Reunion was meant to be the final port of call on our cruise. However, the ship had to abort the stop due to intense tropical cyclone Garance, which struck the Reunion Island right as we arrived. Instead, we spent our last cruise day out at sea. We are now safely reached our disembarkation port in Port Louis, Mauritius, and are looking forward to a relaxing three day stay at our hotel in Grand Baie, a beautiful village in the north.
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| Entrance to our hotel. |
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| Relaxing in front of our hotel/appartment @ Dodo Square. |
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| Grand Baie Beach across from our hotel. |
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| A short walk to the G.B Bazaar for handicrafts. |
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| The first of many beautiful sunsets over Grand Baie. |
The next day, we visited Cap Malheureux near Grand Baie and explored the capital city of Port Louis, which is packed with many fantastic tourist attrations.
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A Hindu Temple in Cap Malheureux.
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Coindemire Island and Mahre Beach.
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| Marhe Beach @ Cap Malheureux. |
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| Overlooking the city from the top of the fort. |
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Looking out over Port Louis Harbor from fort Adelaide, with the Norwegian Dawn anchored below.
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One of the top tourist attractions in this capital city is the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden.
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| Botanical Garden. |
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| Chinese Windmill Palm Boulevard. |
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| Victory Flower and Giant Waterlily pond. |
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| Giant Waterlily. |
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| Talipot Palm, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer or double coconut. It's endemic to the Seychelles. |
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Testudo - A threatened species of tortoise, residents of the botanical gardens.
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Another resident: Chelonoidis, a tortoise family found in South America and the Galapagos Islands.
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| Sunday family's beach time at Pereybere public beach in Cap Malheureux. |
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| Our last evening in Grand Baie - Piton du Milieu in the background. |
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Grand Baie sunset.
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Mauritius departure day! To make the most of our late flight, we hired a private car and driver to take us from Grand Baie (in the north) to the airport in the southeast.This gave us a fantastic full day to explore the beautiful southern and southeastern parts of the island before our flight.
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Piton du Milieu in Pamplemousses district.
Grand Bassin Hindu Temple or Ganga Talao in Savanne distsrict, the most sacred temples in the country, located in a former volcanic crater.
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Sacred Lake in Grand Bassin, the Hindu temples's pilgrimmage site.
Sacred Lake in the background.
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Our next stop was Black River Gorges National Park where we spent the rest of the afternoon before leaving for the airport.
The Black River Gorges National Park is a protected natural area with many attractions and features including: Alexandra Falls, Chamarel Waterfalls and Seven Colored Earths...
Alexandra Falls.
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Black River Gorges national park.  |
| Black River Gorges look-out. |
Our southern road trip brought us to a spectacular area often tied to "La Pangee" - the ancient subcontinent . While we won't find "La Pangee" on any official Black River Gorges National Park maps, the geology here is deeply connected to the breakup of Gondwana and the formation of the Indian Ocean.
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| Standing here feels like witnessing the very ancient roots of the Earth! |
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| Village by the Le Morne Brabant Peninsula. |
It's time to say goodbye!... We are so glad we spent three wonderful days in Mauritius. This beautiful island nation offers an incredible mix of natural beauty, dramatic volcanic landscapes, cascading waterfalls, lush national parks, white-sand beaches, and a rich, diverse cultural heritage. Best of all, the Mauritians are incredibly friendly and welcoming. We truly had a wonderful time here.
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