Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO MAURITIUS

Area

2,040 sq km (788 sq miles)

Population

1.266 million (2020)

Population density

648.2 per sq km

Capital

Port Louis

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz. UK-type three-pin plugs are commonly used in hotels

Passport & Visas

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

Currency information:

Mauritian Rupee (MUR; symbol Rp) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of Rp2,000, 1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50 and 25. Coins are in denominations of Rp10, 5 and 1.

Credit cards:

MasterCard and Visa are the most widely accepted by most banks, hotels, restaurants, and tourist shops followed by American Express and Diners Club. ATMs are widespread.

ATM:

ATMs are widespread.

Banking hours:

Mon-Thurs 0915-1515, Fri 0915-1530, Sat 0915-1115 (except for State Bank of Mauritius). Banks are also open to coincide with the arrival and departure of international flights at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport.

Currency exchange:

Available in banks and at bureaux de change. Mauritius Commercial Bank is reputed to have the quickest service.

Clothing

Tropical lightweights, with warmer wear for evenings and winter months. Rainwear IS advisable all year round. In the summer months, sun-care products and a hat are advisable and long sleeves and trousers to help prevent insect bites.

Telephone:

There are no area codes. There are a limited number of public telephone booths, mainly at the airport and in major hotels. Mauritius Telecom (www.mauritiustelecom.com) offers a good, reliable service and payphones are found in their customer service centres in towns around the island.

Mobile phone:

Roaming agreements with international mobile phone companies are available and coverage extends over the entire island. Local mobile calls are the same as the price of landline calls, so it’s worth buying a local SIM card for your handset if you plan to make more than a few phone calls on the island.

Internet:

There are Internet cafés in both main towns and tourist centres such as Grand Baie and Port Louis. Most hotels offer wireless Internet access.

Post:

Airmail to Western Europe usually takes seven days; by sea, mail takes four to six weeks.

Post office hours:

Generally, Mon-Fri 0815-1115 and 1200-1600, Sat 0815-1145.

Media:

Mauritius has a free press, which means the media is full of colourful debate. The main language is French, but all the languages are represented in a variety of media, from Chinese newspapers to Bollywood movies. Some UK newspapers are available in their international editions at larger resorts and at big price mark ups.

Press:

• Of the 10 daily newspapers, two are published in Chinese and the remainder in French.
• L'Express, Le Mauricien and Le Matinal have the highest circulation.
• News on Sunday is the weekly English-language newspaper.

Television:

• MBC (Mauritius Broadcasting Company) is state run and operates three channels.
• MCA (Mauritius College of the Air) tends to have more English-language programmes.
• Most hotels and resorts have satellite TVs.

Radio:

• MBC stations include Radio Maurice 1 and 2, Kool FM, Taal FM and One World FM.
• Other stations include Top FM, Radio One and Radio Plus.

Food:

Standards of cuisine, whether French, Creole, Indian, Chinese, or English, are generally very high, but fruit, meat, vegetables and even fresh seafood are often imported.

Specialities:

• Achard: Relish of pickled vegetables with mustard
• Fish vindaye: Curried fish with mustard, garlic, ginger and onion. It is served with rice and pickled vegetables
• Rougaille: Popular Creople tomato stew with meat or fish, garlic, onion and thyme
• Mine fristes: Soy sauce fried noodles with spring onions and chili
• Manioc goujons: Deep-fried cassava chips served as a street snack
• Mazavaroo: Hot finely chopped chillies or chilli paste served with almost every meal
• Daube de poulet: Fried chicken stewed with tomato, onion and spices
• Bol renverse: Layer of rice followed by pork, chicken or fish, then vegetables all topped with a fried egg or omelette
• Camarons: Freshwater prawns in hot sauces.
• Dholl purri: Wheat pancake stuffed with ground peas and served with curry.
• Gateaux piments: Lentil and chilli fritters
• Venison (in season).
• Octopus

Tipping:

10% - 15% is usual in most hotels and restaurants. Taxi driver US$2 .00 – US$ 5.00. Porters/bell boys US$3 per bag.

Regional drinks:

Rum

Beer – (Phoenix, a local larger)

Alouda: Almond-flavoured ice milk drink)

Fresh coconut milk

Weather & Climate

Mauritius has a tropical maritime climate, with relatively little seasonal variation in temperatures, and generally pleasant and sunny on the coast year-round. Winter, from May to October is warm and dry. Summer from November to April is hot, humid, and rainy. Cyclones occur between January and March. Sea breezes blow all year, especially on the east coast, and the inland central plateau around Curepipe is cooler and rainy year-round.

Port Louis: (approx)

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES

As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information. We suggest that you drink plenty of bottled water to prevent dehydration. Due to the extreme proximity to the Equator, the sun is extremely fierce. Please ensure that you always wear high factor sun cream and a T-shirt especially when snorkelling, and protective shoes against the coral under water. After swimming, please wash out your ears with water to remove plankton and sea salt as a build up could cause infection. The coral reefs can be very sharp so please take care. We recommend snorkelling and swimming in groups of two or more.

Public medical facilities are numerous and of a high standard and there are several inexpensive private clinics, mostly staffed by doctors educated in the west.

Insurance

It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance from your travel agent. Health plans only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance; however, they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased.