Situated near the Tropic of Capricorn, Mauritius has the advantage of a subtropical climate. The climate is fairly acceptable to everyone and the heat is never unbearable.

There are 2 seasons: summer (November to April), with an average temperature of 30°; and winter (May to September) with a variation of temperatures from 17° at night to 24° in mid-afternoon. In between, a pleasant period from September to November with temperatures between 25° and 28° Mauritius does not suffer from a monsoon climate.

The Cyclone season generally occurs between January to March. Tropical cyclones are a common occurrence in Mauritius and tend to disrupt the weather for only about four days per year bringing a lot of rain in the region. Visitors should be prepared to spend a few days indoors during extra-heavy rains.

The sun rises at 5.00am and sets at 7.00pm in Summer and in Winter, rises at 6.00am and sets at 6.00pm.

December through March is the best time for diving, when the waters are at their clearest; June through August is best for surfing; and October through April is excellent for big game fishing, when the large predators feed close to shore.

Culture

The Traditional Dance The Sega is a dance which originated from the ritual music of Madagascar and the mainland of Africa. Sega is one of the cultural pleasures to be enjoyed in Mauritius. The Culture Half of the population in Mauritius is Hindu and approximately a fifth is Muslim. Both religions are descendent of indentured labourers that were brought during British Colony to work in cane fields. The remaining population comprises mainly Chinese and Sino - Mauritians, Creole (descendants of African slaves) and Franco Mauritian (the original settlers of the island). The latter today still occupy many of the sugar estate and control almost all sugar plantation. The Cuisine One interesting thing of a visit to Mauritius is the variety of cuisines it offers. The most common varieties are Creole, Chinese, European and Indian. A typical Mauritian cuisine includes rougaille (a Mediterranean dish of tomatoes), Sounouk (Salted dry fish), Octopus stew, Daube de poisson and Biryani (Mauritian version). Our favorite Mauritian beverages include Alooda (a syrupsy brew of agar, milk and flavorings such as vanilla or Almond. You can also try our traditional snacks : Dholl puri (our national food), Gateaux piment, Samoussa and Baja. Notable dates in the Mauritian calendar The people of Mauritius have several events in which they celebrate each year. Here are some notable dates in the Mauritian calendar.

Maha Shivatree		Divali
Is Celebrated in honour of Lord Siva (February). Following an all all night vigil, Hindu devotees, clad in white, carry the "Kan - war" - wooden arches covered with flowers -in pilgrimage to Grand Bassin, to fetch holy water from the lake. The whole scene is reminiscent of the great rituals on the banks of the Holy Ganges in India.		The most jovial of all Hindu festivals. Celebrated in October / November, it marks the victory of Rama over Ravana and also commemorates Krishna's destruction of the Demon Narakasuran. Clay oil lamps are placed in front of very home turning the island into a fairyland of flickering lights.
Eid-Ul-Fitr		Holi
Is celebrated to mark the end of Ramadan, The Muslim holy month of fasting. Prayers are offered at mosques during the day.		This Hindi festival is as colourful as the numerous legends which inspire it. Essentially, it is a festival of revelry when men and women enjoy themselves by squirting coloured water and powder on one another. It is a time for rejoicing and exchanging greetings.
Father Pere Laval		Cavadee
In September people of all faiths flock to the shine of Father Jacques Desire Pere Laval in Ste. Croix, Port Louis. You can almost catch a glimpse of Lourdes in the fervour of the great crowds who attribute miraculous healing powers to this holy man.		Cavadee is celebrated in January / February. Along with the fire walking and sword-climbing ceremonies, Cavadee is among the most awesome Tamil events. Their bodies pierced with needles and their tongues and cheeks with skewers, devotees trance-like and in penance, trek along bearing the "Cavadee", a wooden arch covered with flowers with a pot of milk at each end of its base, to place it before the deity in the temple. At this point, despite the long hot trek, the milk should not have curdled.
Chinese Spring Festival		Ougadi
The Chinese New Year's Day (January / February), which every year falls on a different day because of the adjustment of the lunar days to solar days, is preceded by a thorough spring - cleaning of the home. No scissors or knives are used on the day. Red, symbolic of happiness, is the dominant colour. Food is piled to ensure abundance during the year, and the traditional wax cake is distributed to relatives and friends. Firecrackers are lit to ward off evil spirits.		The Telegu New Year. It is usually celebrated in March.
Ganesh Chaturthi
Is celebrated on the 4th day of the lunar month of August / September, as the birthday of Ganesha, the God of Wisdom and remover of all obstacles by Hindus of Marathi faith.

Geography

Mauritius is an island covering approximately 1,865 square kms with 330 kms of coastline almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs, a central plateau and impressive mountains.

The central plateau rises to a level of some 600 metres marked by extinct volcanic craters, crisscrossed by rivers, streams and waterfalls.

Measurements of Mauritius:
Land: 1,850 sq km
Water: 10 sq km
Total: 1,860 sq km
Coastline: 177 km

It is situated in the South West Indian Ocean (20S/57.5E) approximately 2,000 kms from Durban, 1800 kms from Mombasa, 6,000 kms from Perth and 4700 kms from Bombay.

Islands which fall within the boundaries of Mauritius are:

• Rodrigues
• Agalega Islands
• Saint Brandon

Brief History

The first people to set foot on the island of Mauritius were Arab sailors and merchants. Arabs merchant ships have been sailing the Indian Ocean for centuries. Important trading routes linked the east coast of Africa and Madagascar with the Arabian peninsula, India and Indonesia.

The Mascarenes Islands were a long way off the usual trading routes of Arab or Indian sailors. Perhaps the islands were discovered when a cyclone (hurricane) caught an Arab dhow unaware and pushed it towards Mauritius. Evidence that points to the discovery of the Mascarenes Archipelago by Arab seamen comes from copies of Portuguese maps of the early 16th century that depict a group of three small islands south east of Madagascar that bear Arabic names.

In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama succeeded in rounding the cape of Good Hope and called at various Arab-Swahili cities along the East African coast on his way northwards. It was at one of those city ports that an Arab or Indian pilot showed him the way to Goa, India. Within the next ten years, numerous Portuguese expeditions explored the Indian Ocean, visiting Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Comoros Islands.

Around 1507, the Portuguese seaman Fernandez Pereira sighted Mauritius and named it Cerne. The group of islands consisting of Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues were given the names of Mascarenes after the Portuguese captain, Pero Mascarenhas.

The Portuguese never attempted to settle on any of the Mascarene islands. They were more interested in protecting their trade routes with India and therefore established settlements along the coast of Mozambique instead.

Therefore the first Europeans to have visited Mauritius were the Portuguese at the beginning of the sixteenth century (most probably in 1510). However, the Dutch who settled in the island in 1598 named it Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau. Among other things, the Dutch introduced sugar cane and the Java deer before leaving in 1710.

During French colonial rule, from 1767 to 1810, the capital and main port, Port Louis, became an important centre for trade, privateering, and naval operations against the British. In addition, French planters established sugarcane estates and built up their fortunes at the expense of the labour of slaves brought from Africa. The French patois, or colloquial language, which evolved among these slaves and their freed descendants, referred to as Creole, has become the everyday language shared by most of the island's inhabitants. French is used in the media and literature, and the Franco-Mauritian descendants of the French settlers continue to dominate the sugar industry and economic life of modern Mauritius.

The British captured the island in 1810 and gave up sovereignty when Mauritius became independent in 1968. During this period, the French plantation aristocracy maintained its economic, and, to a certain degree, its political prominence. The British abolished slavery but provided for cheap labour on the sugar estates by bringing nearly 500,000 indentured workers from the Indian subcontinent. The political history of Mauritius in the twentieth century revolves around the gradual economic and political empowerment of the island's Indian majority.

Place of Interest

	1.	Pamplemousses Garden
	2.	Domaine Les Pailles
	3.	Eureka
	4.	Waterpark
	5.	Trou d'eau Douce
	6.	Casela Park
	7.	Chassee de Wolmar
	8.	Trou aux Cerfs
	9.	Domaine du Chasseur
	10.	Vieux Grand Port
	11.	Black River Gorges
	12.	Grand Bassin
	13.	Bois Cheri
	14.	Plaine Champagne
	15.	Mahebourg Museum
	16.	Mahebourg
	17.	Chamarel Coloured Earth
	18.	Le Morne Brabant
	19.	La Vanille Crocodile Park
	20.	St. Aubin
	21.	Rochester Falls