Swim with the dolphins
This was by far one of THE top experiences of my life…channeling my inner Michael Phelps and trying to keep up with the dolphins in the wild. I have been to countries where their “swimming with dolphins” tour would be to meet with them in a closed, confined area of a pool/ocean, where at this point, does not compare to the experience in Mauritius (in multiple aspects).
We had a private boat with the captain (Kevin-Antoine) and his his helper, who were incredible. We set out to sea at 7am sharp, and went to the deeper areas where we immediately spotted some dolphins. However this area was a little wavy, so our captain took us to another spot that he was told by cellphone had more dolphins hanging out. We sped over to that area, and to our behold, a large group of dolphins swimming in and out of the water!
Kevin-Antoine would direct the boat and give us the cue to drop into the water, as soon as the dolphins would be swimming by us…and thats where the fun started! Check out the video below to see how close I really got to these gentle mammals.
Chase waterfalls
Mauritius is full of numerous waterfalls, some easy to find, others a little bit more secret. We checked out three of them: Chamarel, Alexandrea and Rochester falls. Chamarel falls are very high, and majestic, and are also located very close to the seven coloured earths.
The drive to the Rochester falls takes you through a small village, and down an undeveloped road. We thought our GPS was lost, but we ended up in a spot where a police officer told us we would have to park the car, and walk the remaining way to the falls. A short walk through a sugar cane field brings you the falls, and depending on where you arrive, you may have to cross the river to get there. Once there, you can actually swim in the falls! And if you are lucky, may spot a local jumping from way up high into the falls!
Visit the SSR Botanical Gardens, Pamplemousses
A trip to this place will give you bragging rights to say that you visited the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere (thats a good enough reason to visit). However the real attraction to this garden, is the large bath, if you will, of lily pads (check out the drone shot below). I have never seen lily pads that large! This place is epic for greenery photoshoots!
(Dress & earrings from : L’appret midi – a cute local store in Port Louis, Mauritius)
Be a beach bum
Now if you didn’t know, Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean…which can we say is home to some of the best beaches in the world (think of islands like the Maldives, Seychelles, La Reunion and Zanzibar are found in this ocean). The beaches here are plentiful, white sand, clear water! My personal favourite beach was that of Le Morne (quiet and void of the tourists found north of the island). The famous tend to be vacation in this area, because of this winning combo= to die for beach + just a few locals and minor number of hotels here. If you don’t want to just sit and tan, Le Morne is ideal for kitesurfing! Another awesome beach is that on Ice Aux Cerfs island. For the adventurous type, stay the night on the island (check out my blog post to come on the Bubble Lodge Ile Aux Cerfs).
Bathing suit above (reversible) : http://www.akelasurf.com
Visit a highway
You must be thinking, are you crazy? No I’m not…this is not just any highway. This is Macondé point. Difficult to explain on text why it’s so beautiful, but check out our drone shot to see why it is a must do! An ideal visit is at sunset of course, but heck, any time of day is a good time to see this curvy road! You can park on the side of the highway if there’s room, and then walk up the little view point to get a panoramic view of the island, and the ocean.
Passportpholio 