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General
Information
 Mauritius covers an
area of 1,865 sq. km. (720 sq.
mi.), about the size of Rhode
Island, and is located about 500
miles east of Madagascar, in the
Indian Ocean.
Rugged mountains cover more than
75% of the country. The vegetation
is diverse and rich comprising
tropical and subtropical species,
from mango and palms to hardwoods.
About half the country is still
covered with primary forests.
 The peak summer season
and best time to dive is October
to April. The remainder of the
year is good but the visibility
and temperature drop somewhat.
But if you visit in summer, make
sure to check the weather as this
is the time when tropical storms
are the most active in this part
of the world. Cyclones can last
for over a week !!!
The sea is calmer and warmer on
the west coast throughout the
year. The east coast is blown
over by the Trade Winds which
makes it colder and rougher. The
east coast however, has some of
the best dive sites in Mauritius.
Sites include cliffs, caverns,
reefs, pinnacles and wrecks. Many
species of marine life inhabit
Mauritius' waters, including sharks,
barracuda, tuna, red-snapper,
rays, eels, bass, whales, dolphins,
turtles, over a hundred species
of coral, octopus, crabs, squid,
lobsters, gorgonias, lionfish,
angelfish, parrotfish, grouper,
seargent-major fish, ancientship
wrecks, cliff faces, caverns,
coral reefs and much more.
Getting
There
Mauritius is well serviced by a
number of main airlines. Air Mauritius
has weekly flights to and from many
European cities as well as to and
from the major African cities including
Antananarivo, Cape Town, Durban,
Maputo, Harare, Johannesburg, and
Nairobi. In addition, there are
flights to and from Bombay, Delhi,
Chennai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala
Lumpur, Melbourne, Perth and Singapore.
British Airways, Air France, Singapore
Airlines and South African Airways
operate weekly flights. A prime
destination, Mauritius is only some
12 hours flight from Europe and
about 4.5 hours from Johannesburg,
South Africa.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam is the
internatinal airport which is located
at Plaisance near the town of Mahebourg
in the south of the island. It would
be a good idea to change some money
into Mauritian currencies immediately
on arrival. Flic-en Flacq in the
southeast is one hour from the airport
by car, Port Louis the Capital 1Hr,
Grand Baie and Perebere in the north
1.5 Hrs, Le Morne in the southeast
1.5 Hrs, Belle Mare and Palmar in
the east 1.2 Hrs, and Mahebourg
in the south 20 mins. Depending
on your destination, transfer cost
varies from 300 to 900 Mauritian
rupees.
Flights
Air
Mauritius
1 weekly flight from Milan
1 weekly flight from Chennai
2 weekly flights from Dar Es Salaam
Minimum of 21 weekly flights from
Reunion (Gillot)
Minimum of 5 weekly flights from
Reunion
(Pierrefonds)
minimumof 21 weekly flights from
Rodrigues
3 weekly flights from London (Heathrow)
1 weekly flight from Manchester
1 weekly flight from Brussels and
London
15 weekly flights from Paris (CDG)
1 weekly flight from Frankfurt
1 weekly flight from Munich
1 weekly flight from Geneva
1 weekly flight from Vienna
1 weekly flight from Rome (Fiumicino)
1 weekly flight from Johannesburg
2 weekly flights from Johannesburg
and Durban
1 weekly flight from Cape Town
1 weekly flight from Melbourne
1 weekly flight from Perth
3 weekly flights from Mumbai
2 weekly flight from Delhi
1 weekly flight from Singapore
2 weekly flights from Hong Kong
5 weekly flights from Antananarivo
2 weekly flights from Narobi
4 weekly flights from Seychelles
Air
France: 6 weekly flights from
Paris (Charles de Gaulle)
Air
Austral: Daily flights from
Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island
British
Airways: 2 weekly flights from
London (Gatwick) and Narobi, 2 weekly
flight from London (Gatwick)
Condor: 1 weekly flight from Frankfurt,
1 weekly flight from Munich
South
African Airways: 3 weekly flights
from Johannesburg, 1 weekly flight
from Durban and Johannesburg, 1
weekly flight from Cape Town and
Durban
Air
Seychelles: 2 weekly flights
from Seychelles
Singapore
Airlines: 1 weekly flights from
Singapore, 1 weekly flights from
Johannesburg
Air Zimbabwe: 1 weekly flight from
Harare
Air Madagascar: 2 weekly flights
from Antananarivo
Entry
A valid passport and a return or
onward ticket is a must for travellers
entering Mauritius. Visas are not
required by those from a Commonwealth
country, Japan, South Africa, the
USA, the EU and the Scandinavian
countries. Those that do require
a visa can usually obtain one for
three months, and they are renewable
on request. Mauritian Embassies
and High Commissions issue visas
free of charge. Passengers in transit
require no visas but they must continue
their journey within 72 hours of
checking in.
Customs
Passengers of 16 years of age and
over may import the following duty
free: 250 grammes of tobacco (including
cigars and cigarettes), 1 litre
of spirits, 2 litres of wine, ale
or beer, one quarter litre of Eau
de Toilette and a quantity of perfume
not exceeding 10 cl. A plant import
permit must be obtained from the
Ministry of Agriculture, prior to
the introduction of plants and plant
material including cuttings, flowers,
bulbs, fresh fruits, vegetables
and seeds. All plants must be declared
to Customs immediately on arrival
and are subject to examination.
It is prohibited, by law, to introduce
sugar cane and parts thereof, soil
micro-organisms and invertebrate
animals.
Health Requirements
A yellow fever vaccination certificate
is required for travellers over
1 year of age and coming from infected
areas. Infected areas are those
areas which according to the World
Health Organisation are included
in the endemic zones.
There is no malaria risk in Mauritius
or Rodrigues.
Travel
Tips
Business Hours
Generally from 09H00 to 16H00 each
Monday to Friday and a half-day
on Saturdays. On the Central Plateau,
shops are open all day on Saturdays
and half-day on Thursdays.
Because it is a free port, Mauritius
has a number of commercial, development
and offshore banks in addition to
the central banks.
Shopping
Take your pick - packets of Mauritian
spice, ship models, miniature dodos
in copper or wood, Mauritian recipe
books, Sega music cassettes, miniatures
of island rum, anthurium flowers,
Mauritian tea, T-shirts, shells
(make sure you get a Clearance Certificate),
Indian fabrics, basket work, quilts,
hand-embroidered table cloths, pottery,
casual wear and pareos. Knitwear
and beachwear can be purchased at
factory prices and duty free shopping
includes designerwear, diamonds
and gold jewellery.
Time
Mauritius time is 4 hours ahead
of Greenwich Mean Time and 3 hours
ahead of mid-European time.
Communications
The country telephone code is +230
and there are no area codes. Public
telephone booths can be found at
the airport and larger hotels. Fax
facilities are available at most
hotels. E-communication is also
available.
Electricity
The power supply throughout the
island is 240 volts. Most power
sockets use the British 3-pin plugs.
French 2-pin plugs are also in use
all over the island. If you intend
to bring electrical appliances with
you it would be a good idea to have
your own adaptor.
Dress
Beachwear is a popular form of dress
in Mauritius. Otherwise, dress is
casual although most hotels do not
allow guests to wear shorts or T-shirts
in the restaurants or bars in the
evenings. Between June and October,
a jacket or tracksuit top is recommended.
Dress appropriately when visiting
religious shrines and remove shoes
when entering mosques and temples.
Tipping
There is no hard and fast rules
about tipping in Mauritius and it
is not generally expected. It is
at the discretion of the customer
whether to tip or not.
Water
Tap water in Mauritius is usually
safe to drink. However you need
to take precaution in case of heavy
rainfall and flooding. In such situations
it is advisable to drink boiled
or bottled water.
Weather
In the central part of the island,
1968 ft. / 600 metres above the
sea level, the average maximum day-time
temperature varies from about 68
F / 20 C in August to about 79 F
/ 26 C in February. Along coastal
areas, the temperatures are generally
higher. The western and northern
regions are warmer and relatively
drier than the East and the South.
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