Discovering one of the lesser known secrets on Mauritius”
Ancient, enigmatic and beautifully exotic, Mauritius is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. While it is part of the African continent, it lies far away in the Indian Ocean, over 1000 km from its nearest neighbour, Madagascar (and over 2,500km from the continent).
One of my first adventures on the island was swimming with dolphins out at sea (which came highly recommended). After I’d swallowed more salty water than I’d cared to (yuck!) while practicing to use the snorkelling equipment and looking for the dolphins, I decided I’d rather stay on land for the rest of my time there. The dolphins were great to see close by, but I soon realised it wasn’t as easy or as fun for me to hang out in their home waters, as it was for them.
However, as we sailed to the dolphin watching spot, I couldn’t help but marvel at the outstanding range of mountains spread widely across the island, so much more prominent and intriguing from afar than up close. A particularly unique one had several sharp peaks, which I learned is called Trois Mamelles, and it was at that point I decided that it would be my next destination once back on shore.
Trois Mamelles, or Three Breasts (named so because of its 3 peaks), is one of the best kept secrets of this age-old island. It is free to access and just about half an hour from the capital Port Louis. For whatever reason, it is less known and hiked by tourists, and is also less developed, yet is boasts one of the most beautiful views from above. I spent a glorious half day scaling the mountainside and valleys, following Ashley, our experienced guide and enjoyed immersing myself in nature’s largely undisturbed ecosystem.
The 3 outstanding peaks are named Mount Adam, Mount Benitier, and Mount Calebasses and weren’t as difficult to navigate as they looked (though it did involve getting on all fours at various points). It took us about 2 slowed down hours to hike the trails to each peak, and we made sure to spend time enjoying the fresh mountain air, diversity of flora and fauna including assortment of birds, as the breath taking panoramic views of greenery everywhere, on the mountain, far beyond and across the vast island.
At the end of the fulfilling adventure, Ashley saved the best for last and took a detour to indulge us in the bonus secret, a waterfall hidden in an out of the way cove, a for us to while away the rest of the time, making this one of the most memorable times I spent on the island.
Lovely views