Authentic Experiences in Mauritius

When I go abroad, I want to fully immerse myself into the culture. Whether it be speaking to local people, trying the food or seeing the sights, it is a top priority for me. Despite booking with Kuoni, I actually found my Mauritius experience to be one of my most authentic yet. I had visited the island way back when I was a teenager. Needless to say, I did not dive into the culture then; I mostly drank cocktails and sat by the pool! This time though I was determined to do it differently and had multiple authentic experiences in Mauritius. Here are some of my stories and suggestions for you. Whilst the island is prime for a beach holiday, the culture is rich, beautiful and deserves to be explored.

Learning about the History

Mauritius has a very unique history. On our first day exploring, our guide, Pravesh, told us his culture’s rich history. He said that Mauritius has been colonised four times; by Arabic, Dutch, French and English settlers. The story goes that the Arabic explorers found Mauritius, but did not do much when they were there. Shortly after, the Dutch arrived. They had very little interest in colonising it and instead cut down the ebony wood to sell and wiped out the indigenous populations of dodo.

The French shortly came next and turned it into a more recognisable colony. They brought over their slaves, most of whom originated from Africa. This is where their language, Creole, comes from as it is a mixture of French and African languages. After a while, the English invaded and eventually landed in Cap Malheureux, which translates as the “Unlucky Cape”, so-named as it is where the English took over the island. The English settlers invited people in India to come over, which is where the large Hindu influence on Mauritius comes from.

To say that the island is a melting pot of cultures is an understatement. In fact, the Mauritian flag has four colours to symbolise the mixing of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. I loved hearing about the history and the influences it had on the local people who we met.

Local People at Work

One of the best authentic experiences in Mauritius had to be going off-piste and seeing what the locals did for work. On multiple tours, we visited small businesses and factories, which held tours for visitors.

On our first day, our guide Pravesh took us to a tea factory. I had never seen a tea factory and I was curious to see what was going on. We saw local people picking the tea leaves at the plantation. It looked like tiring work and I could not get over how quick they were. These leaves were then brought to the factory and left to ferment, before being crushed and placed into tea bags that we know.

Later in the week, we then went to a biscuit factory with another guide, Akshay. The biscuit factory was really hot. In the midday sun and with the fires running, the place looked like a difficult environment to work in. The process of making the biscuits was fascinating and they tasted great too, especially the chocolate ones.

The workplaces we saw looked so different to the ones we were used to. Akshay was about our age and told us about the work on the island. He told us that being a tour guide is one of the best-paid jobs on the island and that pay was significantly lower than on the mainland. When we were in the ebony forest, our guide there told us a similar thing.

Outside of the factories, most of the locals work within the tourism industry. It became clear early on that these were the most lucrative jobs on the island and that much of the culture was shifting to supporting this.

Religious Experiences

After meeting the local people in Mauritius, it was clear that religion played a major part of their lives. Pravesh was a Hindu and his family would frequently visit the Ganga Talao, otherwise known as the Sacred Lake. This location is important to Hindus and actually has had water from the Ganges placed into it. He told us that he would go on pilgrimages here when he was younger and has even done so with his family.

The first thing we saw at the lake was a statue of Durga, a major goddess in Hinduism. Pravesh told us a bit about the history of the various Gods and I found it fascinating hearing the different stories.

At the lake is a large temple, dedicated to the God Shiva. There were plenty of fish and ducks in the lake, which were fed by the locals. There were also lots of statues of the various Hindu deities. Pravesh took us inside and said that, as we were newlyweds, he would like us to be blessed. I wanted to double check that this was a culturally okay thing to do and that it would not cause offence before I did it. He reassured me and said that it would only be seen as a positive thing.

We lined up and the priest blessed us both, placing red paint upon our foreheads. Whilst Jack and I are not religious in any way, we did see the importance of the blessing. Pravesh was clearly very happy that we did it and it was important to me to ensure that our guide saw that we wanted to get to know his culture more. Plus, it was a unique and memorable experience held by Jack and I, bringing us one step closer to understanding Mauritius more.

Food and Drink

One of the best authentic experiences in Mauritius, if not anywhere, is the food. Our hotel, the Lagoon Attitude, actually ran authentic cooking classes. They also ran a scheme where you could go to a local person’s house to eat, though we did not get much information on this. I think that could have been one of the best authentic experiences in Mauritius.

They did have an incredible restaurant, called Kot Nou, that specialised in local food. You could order a series of tapas that featured all of the main local dishes. We got on really well with their chief waitress, who was an incredible host. She recommended the local foods to us on our first evening and made our experience special. We spent time talking to her about her job and life on the island and learned a lot. Since that first evening, we went back every lunchtime and always had a warm welcome. It was a highlight of our time there, especially their spicy chicken!

Whilst we did get authentic food in the hotel, it was not what the locals were eating. We were taken to Karay Mario, a restaurant that specialised in authentic Mauritian cuisine that the locals would eat. We sat down and ordered our food. I went for a fish curry and Jack went for a chicken curry. They came with rice and a selection of different chutneys and dips. The food was incredible, but also very hot. It was purposefully basic and showed how simplicity could be made into amazing food. Definitely a culinary experience I won’t forget.

Eco-Tourism and Wildlife

Eco-tourism is a major drive in Mauritius. This is not surprising as they have a unique biodiversity not found anywhere else (see my blogpost on wildlife in Mauritius). As lovers of the natural world, we made sure that we visited all of these special places. Another priority was speaking to the local people who ensured that these places were kept safe.

In the ebony forest, our guide was a local boy who had just left school. He showed us around and had superb knowledge. The forest was uniquely Mauritian, with the ebony trees not found anywhere else. He also pointed out different wildlife and their ecological vulnerability, including a mascarene paradise flycatcher.

Another experience was on Île aux Aigrettes. Once more the guides were locals, who had dedicated their careers to conservation. The island was made from coral and was unlike anywhere else we had been. The animals there were also rare and indigenous to the island. Pink pigeons and Mauritian foddies both had healthy populations and we had not seen them anywhere else. The island also boasted a museum which spoke about the natural history of the island.

Lastly, the Pamplemousse Gardens was another authentic experience in Mauritius. The garden was used and loved by locals and Pravesh knew them inside out. He took us through the winding paths and pointed out local plant species. I was amazed by his knowledge that he had acquired while living on the island.

Final Points

To this day, I don’t think I have had anything similar to the authentic experiences in Mauritius. I arrived knowing literally nothing about the island, especially its history or culture. The only thing I did know was that there used to be dodos there. However, I left having a great understanding of the country and the local people. More importantly though, I gained an insight into how local people feel and cope with the changing world. A common theme was that locals liked tourism to an extent as it brings them money. However, the country is changing more quickly than they can keep up with, which could ultimately destroy the culture they know.

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Authentic Experiences in Mauritius