Le Morne Brabant is a spectacular peninsula on the South Western tip of the island. The main feature of this World Heritage Site is a rugged basaltic peak that gained notoriety in the 18th and 19th centuries for providing shelter to refugees who hid in its protected caves and on its 556-metre summit. Today this visually striking peninsula is a popular tourist attraction.

Travellers can learn about the history of Mauritius through paintings, sketches, stamps, maps, photographs, models or a travel guide of Mauritius. Covering the colonial periods of Mauritius, settlement, early maritime explorations, the story of the postal service on the island (including the rare one-penny and two-pence stamps) and the local legend of Paul and Virginie, this museum is perhaps the most enlightening and enjoyable one on the island. Visits can even be themed according to your interests.

After the British defeated the French in 1810, Colonel Edward Alured Draper introduced horse racing to promote goodwill with the island’s French population. The Mauritius Turf Club was founded in 1812 with the Champ de Mars Racecourse inaugurated on 25 June that year. Today horseracing is one of the most popular pastimes in Mauritius, attracting more than 20,000 spectators per week.

Founded in 1892, Bois Chéri was the first tea plantation in Mauritius. A tour through the factory and grounds here provides insight into the role of tea in Mauritian history, and gives guests a fantastic view of the island. A visit is not complete without sampling some of the plantation’s flavoured teas while soaking up spectacular island panoramas.

The old immigration depot is an important historical site, marking the place where indentured labourers from India passed through on their way to their plantations across the Commonwealth. More than 70 per cent of Mauritius’s current population are descended from indentured labourers who arrived through the depot, and while only three original structures of the building remain, it has become a symbol of Mauritian identity, earning a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
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This small, picturesque fishing village on the northernmost tip of Mauritius is not only an important historical site, it offers breathtaking views of neighbouring islands. Cape Misfortune, as the name translates in English, is where the British defeated the French, and it’s where you’ll find perhaps the island’s most famous church. The islands off the coast are also worth exploring. There’s Flat Island, famous for its lighthouse, Gunner’s Quoin, Gabriel Island and Round Island, which features a wildlife sanctuary with birds, boa constrictors and native lizards.
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