Mauritius travel guide

About 68% of Mauritius' population is of Indian descent, so there are plenty of colourful Hindu temples here and there. The Siva Soopramaniar Kovil La Luicie temple, just outside the small settlement of Belle Rose, isn't any different from all the other Hindu temples, just one out of many.

The bay at Tamarin is a feeding ground for dolphins and sometimes humpback whales with babies too. Usually, it's the smaller spinner dolphin in schools of 20-60, but there can be up to several hundreds. If bottle-noses show up, the spinners take off. Local boatmen offer trips where you either just watch from the small motorboat or they drop you with fins and mask close to a school. The dolphins swim slow enough to follow them and the curious ones can get real close (no touching of course). Due to sensible regulation, it’s only permitted to go in the morning. Go as early as possible (preferred 6 am) to escape the crowds, for in high season there can be as many as 50 boats slowly following the dolphins. Some tour operators offer the dolphin swimming as part of a half day trip with island visit to Ile aux Benitiers and some snorkelling.

Tourism in Mauritius is dominated by gated luxury resorts, so spots with a bit of independent travel vibe are few and far between - but the small fisher settlement of Tamarin is one of them. The beautiful public beach sits on a backdrop of jagged mountains at a bay full of dolphins. There are surf shops, cheap food stands, and probably the closest you get to backpacker accommodation on Mauritius.

A bit south of the luxury resort strip in Palmar lies the budget vacation village of Trou d'Eau Douce. Here is a fine selection of guesthouses and smaller hotels along with some anonymous looking but great restaurants. Palms line the narrow white beach which enfold the aquamarine lagoon. Boats and catamarans lie for anchor in the shallow clear water, if they are not doing tours or going to nearby Ile aux Cerfs - a picture perfect paradise island off the coast.