Mauritius

On the southeastern coast near Mahébourg, Blue Bay is Mauritius's finest coral reef ecosystem, protected as a marine park since 2000, with over 50 species of hard coral and 72 species of fish. Visitors snorkel above table corals, brain corals, and forests of staghorn in water so clear the seabed is visible from the surface at 15 metres.

A dramatic basalt peninsula rising 556 metres from the southwestern tip of Mauritius, Le Morne was a refuge for escaped enslaved people in the 18th and 19th centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage site of profound cultural significance. The lagoon at its base is world-famous among kite-surfers for the channel of flat water that runs alongside perfect wind conditions.

A geological curiosity in the interior of Mauritius, these undulating dunes of volcanic earth display seven distinct colours — red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple, and yellow — that never fully mix despite rain and wind. Nearby, the Chamarel waterfall drops 100 metres into a ravine in the middle of dense tropical forest.

Mauritius's only national park covers a quarter of the island's interior with dense native forest, rare endemic birds including the Mauritian kestrel and echo parakeet, and walking trails that traverse high ridges with views to both coasts. The park is the last refuge of the island's endemic wildlife after centuries of habitat destruction.

A small sandy island off the east coast, Île aux Cerfs is surrounded by one of Mauritius's finest lagoons, with shallow turquoise water ideal for watersports, parasailing, and swimming. The island's interior is shaded by ironwood trees, and private boat charters allow you to visit at quiet hours before the day-trippers arrive.

One of the oldest botanical gardens in the southern hemisphere, founded in 1736, Pamplemousses contains extraordinary specimens including the giant Victoria Amazonica water lilies whose pads can support a child's weight, and an avenue of royal palm trees planted over 200 years ago. The collection includes hundreds of palm varieties and medicinal plants from around the world.