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Country name: Mauritius - Mascareignes Islands Mauritius consists of Rodrigues Island, St Brandon, Agalega Island, Diego Garcia and Iles Aux Aigrettes are all Mauritius dependencies.
Capital: Port Louis
How to get there?
Mauritius’ international airport is the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport based in the south east of the island near the village of Mahebourg and Port Louis being its capital. Several airlines offer international flights to and from Mauritius including: Air Mauritius, Air Europe, Air France, Air Zimbabwe, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Condor, South African Airways and Emirates Airlines. Visas and passports: Visitors must have a valid passport and a return or onward ticket. Tourist or visitor visas are normally granted for a period of two to four weeks upon arrival. Mauritius without passport French Residents can now enter Mauritius without a passport. Visitors from Commonwealth countries, the European Union, Japan, Scandinavia, and the United States do not require a visa, all over nationalities do. All visitors must have a minimum of six months prior to expiry on their passport, a return ticket, and proof of funds.
It is recommended that visitors check with their airline, local Mauritian Embassy or their travel agent regarding visa requirements prior to flying to Mauritius. Visas can be extended upon request at the Passport and Immigration Office, Sterling House, 11-19 Lislet Geoffrey Street, Port-Louis,Tel: (230) 210-9312 to 210-9317 Fax (230)210-9322. Currency: Rupee which is divided in 100 cents. Notes are in 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000. Coins are 1, 5 and 10 Rs and 20 and 50 Cent pieces.
Credit Cards: Major credit cards are accepted in hotels and restaurants. Traveler’s Cheques: In any currency can be exchanged in Mauritius.
Transport:
Buses:
The buses system in Mauritius is relatively cheap and regular. Only recommended for a sightseeing trip or experience the true local lifestyle. Some bus driver will not stop if you carry too much equipment or might charge you extra as you will consume more room. If they do stop always use the back door to avoid accidents or injury with locals who can get very angry. And beware the smells can be quiet strong when the heat is on. All bring your deodorant in case someone really needs it beside yourself. Taxis:
If you need to take a taxi, always ask your hotel reception or a local to find out the price of the taxi journey, the time, and the distance. Some taxi drivers may charge higher fares unless you are prepared and know what to negotiate.
The approximate cost for travel to areas of the island from the airport is as follows:
· Airport to South & North approx Rs3000 · Airport to East Rs1000 · Airport to West Rs1500
Public Holidays:
New Year 01/02 Jan,
Chinese Spring Festival: 22 Jan,
Slavery Abolition: 01Feb,
Haipoosam Cavadee: 05 Feb
Maha Shivaratee 18 Feb
Public Holidays: New Year 01/02 Jan, Chinese Spring Festival: 22 Jan, Slavery Abolition: 01Feb, Haipoosam Cavadee: 05 Feb Maha Shivaratee 18 Feb Ugadi: 21 Mar Labour Day: 01 May L'Assomption: 15 Aug Ganesh Chaturti: 19 Sep Arr. 1st Indentured Labourers: 02 Nov Divali: 12 Nov Eid-Ul-Fitr: 14 Nov or on 15 Nov depending on the moon Christmas: 25 Dec National Holiday: Independence Day: 12 March (1968) Government type: parliamentary democracy Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Constitution: Mauritius’ constitution was signed on 12 March 1968 and amended 12 March 1992. The legal system is based on the French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Customs: Travellers over 18 years of age may import the following duty-free items: 250 grams of tobacco (including cigars and cigarettes), 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine, ale or beer, 250ml of Eau de Toilette, and perfume not exceeding 100 ml. The following items require an Import Permit from the Ministry of Agriculture prior arrival: plants, plant material, including cuttings, flowers, bulbs, fresh fruits, vegetables and seeds; imported animals; and animal products. For animal related products a health certificate from the country of origin is also required. Passengers are not permitted to bring sugarcane (whole or in part), soil micro-organisms or invertebrate animals into Mauritius. Drug trafficking is illegal and carries very heavy penalties. Firearms and ammunition need import permits and must be declared on arrival.
Climate: Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May).
Terrain: Consists of a small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau (lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m & highest point: Mont Piton 828 m). Tide: information can be found at: http://metservice.intnet.mu/tide.htm Natural Resources: arable land, fish. Arable land: 49.02%, permanent crops: 2.94%, other: 48.04% (2005). Environmental issues: water pollution, degradation of coral reefs. Population: 1,268,835 (July 2008 est. world bank) with an age structure 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 149,486/female 147,621), 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 430,288/female 431,753), 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 31,939/female 49,740) (2006 est.). Ethnics groups: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, and Franco-Mauritian 2%. Religion: Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, and unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census).
Economic Overview: Since its independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Companies involved in Sugar Cane are now turning their assets into IRS/RES and commercial developments. Mauritius accounts for a dozen of new projects with great ROI for international investors.
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism.
Agriculture: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Exports: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
Export partners: UK 31.9%, France 20.2%, US 11.4%, Madagascar 6.3%, Italy 5.4%
Imports: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Import partners: France 11.4%, South Africa 10.8%, India 8.8%, China 5.7%, Finland 5.5%, Bahrain 5.1%, and Germany 4.9%
WHEN TO GO?
Mauritius & Rodrigues both encounters only two distinctive seasons, The Endless Summer Season and The Wild Winter Season. Both seasons can generate extreme heat wave and cold fronts, from which torrential rains and devastating cyclones are born. Mauritius and Rodrigues are situated on the path of many tropical storms and cyclones. Time difference: 4 hours ahead of GMT in winter and 3 hours in summer (Europe) Daylight hours approximately 0500h to 1900h in summer and 0600h to 1800h in winter. Both islands have a variable humid summer season and experience a very wet winter with heavy tropical rainfalls. These two distinctive seasons have their downfalls as well as their advantages, the major downfalls of a warm summer are the flies and night flies and the winter’s one are the invading colonies of mosquitoes, both insects can be real annoying be prepared with the right insect repellant. You have been warned. During the winter season (May - November), which is the time with the most consistent swells; you must either catch an early morning session or wait for a late afternoon session and beat the wind. The wind usually drops between these two day periods: 6am -9am and by 5 pm-7pm.
During the summer season (November – May), which is the best time to tan, swim, sail, snorkel and dive all around the island. My personal recommendation would be the Grand Bay in the North of the island where you can catch some great catamaran trips to Flat Island and Le Coin de Mire. During this time of the year you will have unique turquoise waters and a real active aquatic life. You can also get the chance to catch some good swells on the SW and SE coast, together with great wind conditions for windsurfing and Kite surfing. The west coast is very dead during the summer period but again it is all up to the weather conditions and it can be a real surprise at times. So be on alert on the internet and watch the local weather channel. HOW SAFE IS MAURITIUS?
Mauritius is considered by many to be a paradise on earth and crime levels are low, but to be on the safe side simply do not leave the Rolex, diamond ring and the gold chain lying around the room or have an easy 1234 safe code on your trip. It’s amazing how many silly people do this! Keep those massive wads of Dollars out of sight and don't divulge to anyone, no matter how friendly, the amount of money you have brought along on your trip. SAFETY MUST BE ALWAYS YOUR PRIORITY WHILE ON HOLIDAY
Mauritius & Rodrigues both attracts a great amount of high rollers and this also means that both islands mainly Mauritius has a great amount of street organized crime more thieves and other outlaws. Rest assured that Mauritius has now a special Tourism Special Force Unit who patrols various locations on a daily basis and will be responding to any tourism fraud, theft or harm done on the most visited public beaches and major tourist attractions. Your responsibility is to always make sure you are safe as well as your belongings. Nether live your belongings out of your sights, or take them with you if you are leaving your car for a “Long Randonnez”, thieves won’t be scared to break into your car or villas. For those who are challenging Mother Nature’s lagoons wind and swell’s, well always study the lagoon, the wind, the swell, and the current first before throwing your wind, kite or board in the water.
Before arriving on an unknown spot, always have a quick dive and scan the seabed, so you know how shallow you will be gliding above, beware of the sharp corals and shallow sections. Once you have identified all the potential dangers, then you can give it a try. Always look out for the swells, as they tend to rise very quickly and always swim with the current if you get stuck in a strong pass. If you are kite surfing, be careful when choosing your kite size. The wind speed and direction can change rapidly, so it is recommended you do not venture to far outside the lagoons. There are a lot of fake products sold in the markets, be careful when travelling back to your country of origins where the law is more enforceable. Copyrights on DVD’s have been money making scheme for many illegal traders, again be careful at your customs, these items carry heavy penalties and fines. A lot of beach hawkers are desperate and will promise you the world, the greatest products and private islands trips. Make sure you get some kind of proof they can deliver the goods. Don’t fall into their game. Most will charge above market price just because you are a Tourist. Your best bet is to get recommended by the hotel staff or a local friend. NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE? WE CAN LINK YOU TO WORLD NOMADS World Nomads works with some of the best insurers in the world. World Nomads is the number one choice for the many of the world's leading travel companies. The latest professional travel advice on hundreds of destinations. Stay out of trouble with our free language guides for your iPod. When you buy a World Nomads policy you have the chance to donate a small amount to a sustainable travel project, the progress of which you can follow the raising of funds to completion. 100% of funds raised through Footprints go directly to the projects. See our latest projects
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