Things to do in Mauritius

Mauritius measures about 65 kilometres by 45 and lies 2,000 kilometres off Africa's south-east coast. Road trips between bases stay under 100 kilometres. The first choice for tours in Mauritius is which coast to sleep on.

Coast by coast

• North. Grand Baie, Pereybere and Trou aux Biches form the resort shore. Inland, helicopters lift off from Triolet, and the botanical garden at Pamplemousses is known for its giant water lilies.
• West. Flic en Flac and Tamarin are the dry coast, with about 780 millimetres of rain a year. Dolphins come into Tamarin Bay in the early morning.
• South-west. Le Morne's monolith rises 556 metres, and UNESCO lists the landscape because escaped slaves sheltered on it. Chamarel's coloured earths lie inland, next to the Black River Gorges, which shelter much of the island's last native forest.
• South-east and east. Ile des Deux Cocos, a private island, sits close to Blue Bay Marine Park, by Mahebourg. Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce front the east lagoon, with Ile aux Cerfs offshore. The east is the wet side, close to 2,000 millimetres a year.

What the island sells

Helicopters lead the offer. Flights lift off from Chamarel, Bel Ombre and Triolet and run from ten minutes to over an hour. The underwater waterfall off Le Morne is sand and silt carried over the shelf edge, an illusion best seen from the air.

A full-day catamaran cruise looks for dolphins in Tamarin Bay and stops at Ile aux Benitiers. A four-hour guided hike descends the 7 Cascades at Tamarind Falls. Driver-guides run private days in the north and south-west.

Shared or private

Shared helicopter seats are sold per person. A private flight is priced by the aircraft, so the cabin splits one fee.

Practical

• Weather. Coastal highs run 28 to 31C from December to March and 24 to 26C in July and August. Winter nights drop to 16 to 18C, and the plateau runs one to four degrees cooler.
• Cyclones. The season runs from November to May, mostly January to March. February and March are the wettest months, October the driest.
• Getting around. Traffic keeps left. The airport sits at Plaine Magnien in the south-east, 48 kilometres by road from Port Louis.
• Money. The Mauritian rupee. Cards work widely, but carry cash for markets. Tipping is optional; some upmarket restaurants add 10 to 15 per cent.
• Sea. Wear reef shoes in the lagoon: stonefish, lionfish and urchins all hurt. All beaches are public, but in front of hotels you may only walk below the high-water mark.