As much as we love to stay at the resort, we were also excited to see the capital and other nearby attractions. There were many interesting places near our accommodation that we don’t want to miss during our trip.
Having a day to spend, we visited some important sites in the Northwestern part of the island. We covered three districts which included the capital Port Louis, Pamplemousses and Riviere du Rempart districts. These districts are adjacent to each other which made it easy to travel from point A to point B.
PORT LOUIS
View from Fort Adelaide
Our primary purpose of visit in the capital was to see the The Natural History Museum and have a glimpse of the original skeleton of the last Dodo. Unfortunately luck was not on our side. The museum was temporarily closed for renovation. Instead we went on and visited other popular sites in Port Louis.
Fort Adelaide/ Citadel
One of the highlights in the city is the Citadel, more popularly known as Fort Adelaide. The fortress was built from 1834 to 1840 to guard the harbor and the city. Standing on top of the hill, it provides panoramic view of the capital as well as the coast.
For those who want to see a birds eye view of the place, the Citadel has the perfect vantage point with panoramic views of the entire city. The Citadel is open to all visitors with no entrance fee.
The canons are still in placed
Le Caudan Waterfront
The Caudan Waterfront is a popular commercial district in the capital. This picturesque peninsula houses different establishments like banks, luxury hotels, various shops, restaurants, entertainment centers and museums.
Prior to our trip to Mauritius, I already knew that Le Caudan is one of the most Instragrammable place in the capital. I saw quite a number of photos in Instagram featuring the picturesque waterfront. Of course I don’t want to miss the opportunity to see it for myself. Derick and I loved the place. Both locals and tourist enjoy hanging out at the waterfront. There are also quite a number of things you can do in this place.
Umbrella Square
The Blue Penny Museum showcase island’s colonial and maritime history. One of its priced collection are the 1847 Blue Penny and Red Penny stamps.
Central Market
PAMPLEMOUSSES
Giant Water Lilies
The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden is the oldest botanical garden in the southern hemisphere. It houses a number of assorted plant collections as well as few tortoises and deers.
For me, the most interesting part of our visit in this garden are the trees planted by world leaders. I was literally awed when I saw Nelson Mandela’s tree. If you get the chance to visit this garden, try to look for the rows of trees planted by popular and influential people from different countries.
Kuan Fu Tea Factory
Visiting the tea factory was not really in our itinerary, however our tour driver insisted that we need to see it. The tea factory tour orients visitors about how this local tea brand process their products using state-of-the-art machines. We had free tea tasting and their tea tasted really good. Unfortunately it is a bit pricey for me so we did not bought any, except for the miniature Kuan Fu Tea mascot.
RIVIERE DU REMPART
Cap Malheureux is a village north of Mauritius. The name Cap Malheureux means ‘Cape of Bad Luck’ which was given after the French were defeated by the British who invaded and took over the island.
Notre Dame Auxiliatrice de Cap Malheureux
Cap Malhuereux is not only known for its significant history during the battle of the French and the British but also most visitors come to see the beautiful red-colored-roof of the Notre Dame Church.
The Cap Malheureux Bay
Grand Baie
Finally our last stop was in Grand Baie. Frankly the beach is beautiful, however it was very commercialized. The bay is more of a marina and docking area of water vessels. The place, for me, was overrated for there was not much one can do here other than shopping and eating. Different kinds of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants can be found in Grand Baie including vendors along the beach area.
Cap Malheureux and the Le Caudan Waterfront is such a haven for shutterbugs. What a great tour of North Mauritius… 🙂
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Hi Johnny… thanks for dropping by. I’ll be posting a couple of more of the tours we took while we were in Mauritius. You might find some of these places quite interesting… 🙂
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Ganda nga nung beach kaso andami nakaparada
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Oo nga public beach kasi sya. Along the bay are resorts at maraming turista. Yang mga nakadaong na boats ginagamit ng locals para mag alok ng island hopping.
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Sayang, madami ding magandang beach diyan ano? Mas afordable kesa Maldives?
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Oo marami. Pati sa accommodation maraming choices. Yes way cheaper than Maldives. Ibang klase naman kasi ang beach ng Maldives.
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Balita ko super high end destination din daw ng Mauritius dati kaso sa dami ng nagsuluputang supply, nagmura na lahat, baka ganyan din mangyari sa Maldives soon
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Yes, kahit sa Travel Channel yun ang sinasabi sa old videos nila. Kaya at first parang intimidating magbook. Thanks to Booking. com hahaha maraming options, from there you meron kang reference na. Pero marami pa din ang ultra luxury resorts.
Baka matagal pa bago mangyari yan sa Maldives.
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Grabe ang booking.com lalo na kung genius member ka 😂😂😂😂
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Yes. Husband is a genius member. 🙂
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🤣
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I’m so in love with your photos! I can’t wait to travel soon! Sayang, commercialized na ung beach. Pero super ganda pa rin and would still love to visit this place someday.
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Hi Karen… Thanks for the compliment and for also dropping by and commenting here. Grand Baie beach was ok. May iba pa namang beach na pwedeng puntahan sa Mauritius. Hope you do get to see this place soon 🙂
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You’ve really highlighted this area of the world well here. I never knew it was so rich in culture until reading your post. Your photos a beautiful too!
Mauritius— automatically on the bucket list now. Thanks!
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Hi Louise… Thanks for dropping by. You’re definitely right in saying that this island nation is rich in culture. Hope you get to see it in the flesh soon 🙂
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Mauritius has never been on my radar, but after reading your post, I can see why it’s popular with travelers. Top on my list would be the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden. Those giant waterlilies are gorgeous, and I like turtles. What’s the best time of year to visit?
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Hi Nancie, In my opinio the best time to go to Mauritius is around February and March. As a country located in the southern hemisphere, their summer is around December. But there are less tourists around February and March and the weather is really nice. You can read some of my other articles about Mauritius in my blog site. I’ll be adding adding a couple of more in the next few weeks. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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Looks like such a beautiful part of the country. I think I would be in awe to see the trees planted by world leaders too. I would love to visit Mauritius sometime and would really enjoy all these cultural sites 🙂
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Hi Suzy. Thanks for dropping by. I really do hope you get to see this island paradise soon. 🙂
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Your photos are stunning! You’ve really made Mauritius sound wonderful, and the Botanical Gardens look amazing! Will definitely be checking out Mandela’s tree if we ever make it out there!
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Thanks for the compliment. The botanical garden in Mauritius is really lovely. Do check it out once you’re there 🙂
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I can’t believe how gorgeous and colourful it is there! Even a bright red church roof 🙂
I think that the botanical gardens sound amazing, I’d love wandering between the trees planted by world leaders too and with all those giant waterlilies and tortoises, you must have felt so teeny!
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Mauritius is such a gorgeous country. It definitely is a good embodiment of the term “island paradise”. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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I always try and go to natural history museums when I visit somewhere. And those water lillies are to BIG! I just want to jump in them.
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Hi Retha… I think the botanical garden’s security will not allow you to jump on the water lillies but you can always take tons and tons of selfies with it… 🙂 The next time my husband and I are in Mauritius we will definitely not miss the chance of going to their Museum of Natural History and get to see one of the last surviving skeletal remains of the Dodo, the national bird of Mauritius. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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You probably think I’m really dumb but I never expected so many tall buildings on the island of Mauritius. It looks like a great place to visit, and I always try to get to museums when I visit a city.
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Hi Suzannah… franky speaking, I was also surprised myself when I got to see all those tall buildings in Port Louis. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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I am seriously thinking of going to Mauritius with my girls and the Botanical garden with its huge lilies is something I don’t want to miss at all. Thanks for sharing these lovely tips about a destination that can offer more than clear waters!
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Thanks for the compliment. Hope you and your girls enjoy Mauritius as much as my husband and I did. 🙂
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I’d heard of Mauritius but I had no idea it was so beautiful. Love this overview you provided. I think the waterfront and the tea factory look like must see activities for me 🙂
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Hi Sherrie… Mauritius is indeed such a beautiiful place to visit. Hope you get to see it soon. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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Omg those tortoise!! Your pictures of the animals are amazing
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They’re actually much more amazing up close and personal. If you do get the chance to visit Mauritius, don’t miss the Botanical Gardens. By the way, you’ll see more tortoises in Chamerel, Seven Colored Earth, which by the way is going to be one of the topics discussed in my next article. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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[…] Exploring Northwestern Attractions and the Catamaran Cruise to Ile aux Cerfs, Let us take an in-depth tour of the southern part of […]
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[…] This tour covered the interesting sites of Port Louis, Pamplemousses and Riviere du Rempart districts. Read Mauritius: Exploring Northwestern Attractions […]
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Hi, Can I know how to you travel around? Did you join a day tour, or you rented a car, or you took public transport? Thanks in advance.
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Hi Priscilla. We actually hired a taxi driver for this tour. We booked it from the resort we stayed in. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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