Mauritius

General information

Mauritius is the group of the Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean, 800 km. east of Madagascar. The country consists of the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agalega and Cargados- Carajos. Mauritius was formed as a result of increased volcanic activity. Here you can see craters of extinct volcanoes. The landscape of Mauritius is mountainous. In the center of the island is situated an elevated plateau (the highest point - the peak of Riviere Noire - 828 m) and three low mountain ranges. Most of the island is flat, the north and the east are occupied by fields of crops. Along the coast stretches a broad band of white sandy beaches slashed by small bays.
The total area of the country is 2045 sq. km., 1865 sq. km. of the island of Mauritius, 105.7 sq. km. - of the island of Rodrigues.
Mauritius is one of the places that can be called a paradise. Once the writer Mark Twain called it Paradise and it continues to prove this name.

Climate

The climate of the island is tropical- marine; you can swim all year round. The summer is from November to April when it is hot; the temperature is +25 - +30 ° C. In the winter which lasts from May to October the temperature does not fall below +23 - +25 ° C. The level of humidity is considerable. Rains can fall all year round but not for a long time. On different coasts may be different weather at the same time. From May to September the weather is sunnier in the south and south-west of the island. From September to April - it's cooler because of the winds in the eastern part of the island.

Beaches

The beaches in Mauritius are not separated from the «outside world» as they are state-owned. Don't be alarmed because of this as they are protected by the hotel security.

Each hotel carefully watches over its segment of the beach: cleaning the sand from the algae after tides and storms, in the morning giving the impression that the sand was not just cleaned but sieved.

Population

In Mauritius live about 1.2 million people. Multi-ethnic population of the country consists of Creoles, Indians, Chinese and Europeans.
Unusual ethnic and cultural diversity of people who came to the island over the centuries from all continents and countries of around the world- Europe, Asia, and Madagascar. They brought with them their customs, language, religion they are trying to comply with- for example the numerous religious holidays celebrated throughout the year.

Nature

The nature of the island will exceeds all your expectations to see a paradise. It is often after a brief rain that in the deep blue sky suddenly several rainbows appears- this phenomenon can be observed only in Mauritius. On this small island are growing more than 80 types of palms, 60 kinds of mangoes, huge baobabs, a paradise tree with heavy ripe fruits (according to a popular belief if such a fruit falls on the head of somebody he goes straight to the heaven). The coconuts and bananas growing everywhere in Mauritius might be a surprising fact for the Europeans, the pineapples are almost considered as weeds. This land is inhabited by friendly boa constrictors, rare species of lizards and countless flocks of Palle-en-Queue birds which have become the symbol of the local airlines. Till the end of the XIX century in the island lived the funny bird of DODO- well known from the book «Alice in Wonderland». It looks like a common chicken with a big beak. It cannot fly and even runs with great difficulty. Dodo now lives on the island as a souvenir and is protected as a trademark of Mauritius.

Currency of Mauritius

The currency of Mauritius is the Mauritian Rupee (MRU). 1 $ = 28 MRU. It can be exchanged in the banks and most of the hotels. The foreign currency exchange is not limited, the exchange can be made at any bank or in the exchange offices of the hotels (the commissions are higher). The exchange of rupees into foreign currency can be done only at the airport when leaving the country. Credit cards and traveler's checks are accepted in almost all the hotels, shops and travel agencies. Also almost everywhere are installed ATMs.

Health Care

The sanitary and epidemiological situation in Mauritius is calm. Nevertheless, it is recommended to use water from a bottle. In the sea you have to be careful. Let the big predators are not present, the claws and spines of many sea creatures can leave painful wounds. In the outer reef contours there are fairly strong currents so leaving the lagoons should be carried out only when accompanied by local instructors. In the open sea it is allowed fishing of bigger species only by specially equipped motor boats. The underwater fishing and lifting of objects from the bottom of the sea is prohibited or possible only by a special permission of the local authorities. Special vaccinations for travelling to the country are not required.