Some places call you like an old friend you haven’t met yet. Mauritius is one of those places. It whispers promises of white-sand beaches and endless turquoise horizons, yes, but also of adventure—the kind that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into the story of your own self-discovery. It’s a place where you can lose yourself, and in doing so, somehow find yourself again.
Hiking Through the Wild Heart of the Island
There’s something about walking alone through a rainforest that makes you feel utterly alive. The trails at Black River Gorges National Park wind through emerald canopies, past hidden waterfalls and birds that exist nowhere else in the world. And then there’s Le Morne Brabant—steep, challenging, magnificent. You climb, breathless, legs aching, and when you reach the top, the world spills out before you in shades of blue so surreal you could cry. And maybe you do.
Falling in Love with Local Life
The market in Port Louis is loud and colourful and smells like spices and possibilities. Vendors call out, offering ripe mangoes and sweet-smelling lychees, while the sizzle of dholl puri fills the air. You taste, you wander, you listen. The island’s history hums in its temples and colonial streets, in the rhythm of Sega music drifting through the evening air. And somehow, even in the midst of all the energy, you feel at home.
Image by Stephen Cruickshank from Pixabay
Swimming with the Wild Things
Out in the ocean, time stops. You slip beneath the surface at Blue Bay Marine Park, and suddenly you’re part of a world that existed long before you and will continue long after. Coral gardens glow neon under the waves, schools of fish swirl in slow motion, and if you’re lucky—if you’re really, really lucky—you’ll find yourself swimming beside a dolphin, its sleek body cutting through the water like poetry. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best things to do in Mauritius.
Healing in Stillness
And then, after days of movement, comes the stillness. A slow morning at a beachfront yoga retreat or a luxurious stay at an idyllic resort such as Anantara Iko Mauritius Resort & Villas, salt air filling your lungs. A massage that feels like a deep exhale. Warm herbal tea sipped in the quiet shade of a palm tree, waves rolling in the distance. This is the moment where everything makes sense—the adventure, the solitude, the delicious, unshakable joy of simply being here.
