Mauritius – See? No Sea! Part-1

An Island vacation? We have all been there, done that. Or that is what I thought. More so, since it was my third visit to Mauritius.

I had received my itinerary days in advance. A sense of déjà vu kept me from going through it. I was all set for the utter predictability of an Island holiday – lazing around on the beach, sipping a fruity cocktail, indulging in some seafood fine-dining, beer by the poolside, gazing at the sunset, a spot of water sports around the island and admiring colourful fish with a snorkel stuck in my mouth.

After landing at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, and checking into an idyllic resort (aren’t they all, in these beach destinations?), I spent a predictable lazy evening at the spa. That night, I browsed through my itinerary. There were some words in it that seemed out of place, but I was too sleepy to pay much attention to them. Before retiring, I just made a mental note of the time I needed to leave in the morning.

A menacing-looking iguana in La Vanille Reserve des Mascareignes - Travelure ©
A menacing-looking iguana in La Vanille Reserve des Mascareignes

Of Reptiles, Amphibians, and more

My transport was punctual, and I got into it with my camera gear. Soon, we were cruising down a narrow, yet smooth tarred road. I leaned forward and checked with my driver about our destination. “La Vanille Reserve des Mascareignes…” he said. I must confess, for me, French is Greek. I again leaned back to sink deeper into my seat and left myself at his mercy.

From abolition of slavery to the world wars, these 100+ year old tortoises have seen it all - Travelure ©
From abolition of slavery to the world wars, these 100+ year old tortoises have seen it all

We pulled into a car park and the only entrance was through a ticketed-turnstile. Since I was there on the Mauritius Tourism invitation, all the tickets were pre-purchased. So, getting in was not much of an issue. Once inside, I waited for the guide. It surprised me that the guide came dressed in safari attire. This is when my senses hit a red alert!

A part of the private collection of bugs, beetles, and butterflies by Mauritian scientist, Jacques Siedlecki - Travelure ©
A part of the private collection of bugs, beetles, and butterflies by Mauritian scientist, Jacques Siedlecki

For the next couple of hours, I went around a well-landscaped nature reserve where I got photographed with a baby crocodile, fed a few fish to full-sized crocodiles, walked amidst many 100-year-old tortoises, patted a month-old turtle, posed with colourful, yet menacing-looking iguanas, and visited a private collection of bugs, beetles, butterflies and more – in fact, over 25,000 of them – by Mauritian scientist, Jacques Siedlecki! Even the restaurant here served a ‘crocodile platter’, which was interesting as the texture of crocodile meat is like chicken!

Even the statues and installations in La Vanille Reserve des Mascareignes are true to the theme - crocodiles! - Travelure ©
Even the statues and installations in La Vanille Reserve des Mascareignes are true to the theme – crocodiles!

Adventure like no other

For lunch, they drove me off to La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park. This private estate sprawled over a few hundred hectares of hill terrain and scenic waterfalls. It offered a multitude of adventure activities that spell fun for the entire family. I whizzed down the world’s third longest zip line – 1.5 kms long – that offered a stunning view of 23-coloured sands (volcanic lava), waterfalls and the Indian ocean on the horizon.

Beyond La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park lies the Indian Ocean - A view from the 3rd longest zip-line in the world! - Travelure ©
Beyond La Vallee Des Couleurs Nature Park lies the Indian Ocean – A view from the 3rd longest zip-line in the world!

I had just about recovered from this exciting adventure when the guide shoved a helmet towards me and told me to go out into a parking lot. Over two dozen quad bikes were crowding it. They asked me to get on to one and await instructions. These instructions were enough for a ride. Except, during the actual ride, this powerful hunk handled differently from any bike or automobile I had ever been on. The terrain was undulating and unpredictable. And this doubled the thrill!

Right vehicle for a wrong terrain! - Travelure ©
Right vehicle for a wrong terrain!

It was only my first day in Mauritius and I had already clocked many ‘firsts’! That night, I paid a great deal of attention to the rest of my itinerary. While it talked of many on-sea and in-sea activities, what fascinated me was the vast variety of unique experiences available on land!

Over the next few days, my list of interesting encounters grew. A lion safari like no other, a plantation experience, and Hall of Illusions. All that, coming up next week!

Pin it to stay grounded!

Comments

comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here