Secretly located in the western part of the Indian Ocean and to the east of Madagascar is the Mascareno archipelago. The archipelago is named Pedro Macarenas, a Portuguese explorer and browser. He discovered the most famous of the 3 islands, Mauricio, with the meeting and the Rodrigues Islands are the other two. He discovered it about 500 years ago and decided to visit Mauricio for our honeymoon. Not only do we follow their steps, but those of the Dutch, French and British people who came here. The exploration was limited, but we saw what we could in our short time on the island of Mauricio.
We found Mauricio a curious and fascinating place to visit, a shelter kissed by the sun and the most hospitable. Mauricio not only offered us an escape from the tropical beach, but the island also taught us part of its history. He has clearly had a problematic past, but now he is thriving and is one of the most prosperous economies in Africa. Mauricio was uninhabited and deserted during most of his existence until 16th century when Dutch settlers first arrived. During the next 4 centuries, the Dutch, the French and the British turned to colonize the island. I suppose the island was an important position, first of all, for explorers who discover previously unknown parts of the world and, secondly, for Indian trade with European companies.
Mauricio is a pear -shaped volcanic island that has more than 350 km coast. Much of the island is surrounded by coral reef that protects shallow lagoons and white sand beaches. Mauricio is recognized as a paradise of honey honey with its virgin beaches, palm trees, turquoise waters and sumptuous resorts. We were lucky to stay at the Heritage Awali resort. This provided us with a base to explore the southwest corner and the west coast of the island easily. With more time and perhaps with a little more fearsome spirit, we could have ventured along the south coast and on the east side of the island.
Dutch occupation (1598-1710)
Our trip did not cover much, if any, of the island previously occupied by the Dutch. The Dutch arrived by chance and landed in Grand Port (southeast corner of the island) in 1598, although the colonization did not start completely until 1638. If we had been a little more adventurous and we had gone to that corner of the island, we would have seen evidence of its time on the island. The Dutch influence is still substantial in the fact that they brought the sugar cane to the island, something that looks wherever you go. The Frederik Hendrik Museum, and the Dutch landing monument of the first Ferney landing would have provided a valuable education of the Dutch occupation. The Dutch appointed Mauricio Island in honor of Maurice de Nassau, the prince of Orange and Stadtholder (a term that we had not found before, but refers to the leader in the Netherlands, especially in the 16th century) of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
French occupation (1715-1810)
We learned about the French occupation through visits to the Botanical Garden and Port Louis. When the French arrived in 1715, they appointed the island ‘isle of France’ and the governor was François Mahé de la Bourdonnais. We learned about him both in the Botanical Garden and in the city of Port Louis. The French established the city of Port Louis as a naval base and ship construction center. Governor François built much of the country we saw or explored on this trip: Port Louis, the Government’s house in Port Louis and Chateau de Mon Plaisir in the Botanical Garden. Towards the end of the 17th Century the island was claimed by the French crown whose administrative authority saw a greater amount of African slaves bought and sugar cane established as a prosperous industry.
British occupation (1814-1968)
The British acquired the island during the Napoleonic wars. They restored the name of Mauricio and unusually allowed customs, laws and language to remain French. Most of our education about British occupation came from our trip to the Martello Tower Museum. There we witnessed the red coats, muskets and cannons site.
The visit to Eureka Mansion also helped our learning process. This house was built by a British man. In 1835, the British caused the abolition of slavery that brought many changes to the island. As a result, many contracted workers from China, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique and Southeast Asia arrived on the island.
There were other sites that could have shown us more in British domain if we had had time to visit them. One is the Aapravasi Ghat Museum, where we would have learned about contracted workers during the nineteenth century. A visit to the Cavendish Bridge (built by the British), Maheburg looks like a sensible trip.
We trust that these blogs have given an idea of the short and fascinating history of this island. Our day trips showed that Mauricio is a beautiful fusion of religion, food, color, flavors, people and languages. For colors, see the seven chamarel lands. When he was traveling on the island, it was difficult to distinguish the lie from the earth, and Mauricio is still classified as a development nation. Ancient and worn buildings mixed with the modern ones and, to our way of thinking, ugly and new.
It is remarkable that in a corner there is a church and the next corner, a mosque. The religious statues sit next to the roads or near the beaches. The Sacred Lake in Grand Basin gives the visitor an idea of Hinduism. An important pilgrimage site, the lake is surrounded by statues of its gods.
Mauricio is not all beaches and cocktails (no matter how much we enjoy that lifestyle), it is much more than that. It is where rivers and waterfalls flow and new acquaintances are made about daring or threwer activities in cities. We expel from our comfort zones and we have created memories of your life. Nature is something really wonderful and enjoyed. According to TripAdvisor data, Mauricio is the place for the honeymoon in 2025 **! We certainly do not argue with that. We will leave you with the words of the American writer and adventurer Mark Twain, “Mauricio was made first and then the sky, and the sky was copied after Mauricio.”
** Mauricio was recently voted by TripAdvisor Data as the fate of honeymoon by 2025 (https://tripadvisor.medioom.com/2025-01-09-tripAdvisor-reveals-2025s-must-visit-destinations-top-pt-picks-from-travelers-cornering-the-warld).
