Things to do in Mauritius during the weekends

if you have a car why not spend a day around the National Park Area there are several well known places that are good to visit.

BOIS CHERI -  visit the tea factory and see perhaps how tea is made and also in your ticket price you can go to the restaurant area and sample most if not all of the varieties of tea. There is a shop as well to buy the teas you like.

GRAND BASSIN (GANGA TILAO) near to Bois Cheri is the sacred lake with numerous religious icons including two huge figures on the entrance to the site. It is a lake with nice walking area around and a temple onto of a hill which when reached gives good views of the area. Very often you will see a number of wild monkeys around the site.

ALEXANDER FALLS  not as spectacular as other waterfalls but it is free to visit and there is a small walk to see the falls and there is a small wooden platform that gives also good views of the area as well.

BLACK RIVER GORGE VIEWPOINT  a small walk to this viewpoint gives a panoramic cliff-top view of the Black River Gorge and the coastline between Tamarin and Le Morne.

RUMERIE DE CHAMAREL on the outskirts of the village on the road to Plaine Champagne (black river gorge viewpoint) there is a small fully operating Rum Factory where you can see how Rum is made as well as tasting the various products of the factory also a shop should you wish to buy some of the varieties of Rum.

CURIOSITY CORNER  in Chamarel opposite the entrance to the coloured earth is also worth a visit if you have children as the exhibits show many strange things that the mind leads you to believe.

CHAMAREL COLOURED EARTH  one of the jewels of the island to visit and you will see the most spectacular waterfall in Mauritius on the way to the coloured earth.  The coloured earth is indeed a strange site as it a result of the ancient volcanic activity  and the colouring is due to the different metals etc.  There is a  small enclosure with some giant tortoise as well.  A small cafe overlooks the coloured earth and a souvenir boutique is also there.

VALLEY DES COULOURS  situated on the edge of the park is similar to Chamarel but with a difference.  There is more than one waterfall but not too big but you can get close up for photographs. The coloured earth area has been claimed to have 23 colours as opposed to Chamarel 7.  There is a nice return on the hill and several good viewpoints on the circular walk around.  For the adventurous there are zip-line routes as well as the option to visit the site by QUAD BIKE.  There are more animals and a playground for the children