Mauritius – An Indian Ocean Paradise
Welcome to our two-part feature about Mauritius, the beautiful island holiday destination in the Indian Ocean. In the articles to follow we’ve tried to answer as many questions as possible, but if you don’t see what you need, please contact us and our Indian Ocean experts are on hand to help you.
Where is Mauritius?
Mauritius, known as Moris by its citizens, is a gem of an island in the Indian Ocean situated around 600 miles (1100 km) east of Madagascar and around 1500 miles (2400 km) from the east coast of Africa. Whilst the island is located in the Indian Ocean, it’s an African island nation.
Mauritius is in the southern hemisphere – so the seasons are the direct opposite of those in Europe. It’s about 20° below the equator, just above the Tropic of Capricorn.
One of the Mascarene islands, Mauritius boasts a rich and diverse history. Occupied first by the Dutch, then the French, followed by the British, the country declared independence on March 12th 1968, and became a republic on March 12th 1992, removing the late Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
Consistently ranked as the most peaceful country in Africa, Mauritius is stable politically, safe to visit and has experienced huge growth since independence in 1968. In 2020, Mauritius was classed as a high-income country. Due to Covid-19, however, it’s now an upper middle-income country with per capita income of over $10,000 per year.
How long is the flight to Mauritius?
Direct flights from the UK are around 12 hours and operated by BA and Air Mauritius, from either London Gatwick or London Heathrow.
Multiple carriers fly with one stop, including Emirates via Dubai; Air France via Paris; Turkish Airlines via Instanbul; Saudia via Riyadh; Lufthansa via Dusseldorf and more.
How big is Mauritius?
Nearly 40 miles (65km) long and 30 miles (48km) wide, the island has around 100 miles (160km) of coastline, surrounded by coral reef.
The capital is Port Louis (pronounced ‘lewis’) which is in the north west quadrant. The international airport – named after Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam who transitioned to independence – is located near Mahebourg (pronounced ‘my-boor’) in the south east quadrant.
Travel time from Mahebourg to Port Louis is approximately 45 minutes. Travel time from the North of the island to the South is approximately one and a half hours.
Is Mauritius safe?
Each year the Ministry for Tourism conducts a survey for inbound tourism with security and tourists’ perception of safety being analysed.
In 2023, the survey for inbound tourism found:
96.0% of tourists rated the level of security in hotels as excellent
90.3% of tourists rated the security of taxi services as excellent
88.8% of tourists rated the security on beaches as excellent
83.5% of tourists rated the security in public places as excellent
90% of tourists rated the security in cultural and heritage sites as excellent
Overall, the level of security was perceived as excellent by 89.6% of tourists surveyed.
Is Mauritius just for honeymooners?
Around 150,000 British tourists travel to Mauritius each year. Of the total number of tourists from all nations, around 63% of visitors in 2023 were couples without children.
Whilst the island is definitely a romantic destination with spectacular sunsets and white sandy beaches, it’s not just for honeymooners. In 2023, only 2.4% of visitors listed the main purpose of their visit as honeymoon. Around 17% of visitors in 2023 were couples with children while another 14% travelled with friends or family.
Due to its reputation for safety, Mauritius is becoming more popular with lone travellers. 4% of visitors in 2023 travelled alone.
What’s the population of Mauritius?
Mauritius has an estimated population of 1.3 million, which equates to 0.02% of the world’s population. 40.2% of the population are urban, with 155,000 residents of the capital Port Louis and its boroughs and districts.
It’s incredibly multi-cultural and is generally a very peaceful and friendly community. At the last census, carried out in 2022, approximately 66% of the population were Indo-Mauritian, descended from the indentured labourers who came to the island after the abolition of slavery. Indo-Mauritians are a mix of Hindu, Muslim and Christians.
28% of the population are Mauritian Creoles, who descend from the Africans and include the mixed-race communities. Many Mauritian Creoles are Christian. Around 3% of the population is Sino-Mauritian, descending from the Chinese and the remaining 3% is a mixture of expatriates, predominantly English and French.
Known as Ile Maurice by the French, the island has a thriving digital nomad community, though they’re not counted in the population statistics.
A cultural melting pot, there’s a mix of religions and traditions that can be seen in the island’s numerous temples, churches, mosques and pagodas. Festivals such as Diwali, Eid, Holi, Chinese New Year and Christmas are celebrated with equal enthusiasm and excitement, demonstrating the deep cultural inclusivity.
What languages are spoken in Mauritius?
There is no ‘official’ language in Mauritius as a whole, though the official language of the Mauritian Assembly – as written in the Constitution – is English, with members also permitted to address the Assembly in French.
Mauritian Creole is what’s known as the lingua franca – the language that’s adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different. Over 80% of the population speak Mauritian Creole as their first language. French and English are spoken by nearly everyone – particularly in the hospitality industry – with Tamil, Bhojpuri, Hindu-Urdu, Chinese, Arabic and Telugu languages also spoken. Most Mauritians are bilingual, with many being trilingual or quadrilingual.
In shops, Europeans are most often addressed in French first, then English.
What’s the weather like in Mauritius?
There are only two seasons in Mauritius – summer and winter. Summer runs from November until April and winter from May to the end of October. January and February are the warmest months with average daily temperatures of around 30°C (88°F). February is generally the wettest month with average rainfall of 253mm. February and March are generally the most humid at around 80-82% humidity.
July and August are the coolest months with average daily temperatures of around 24°C (75°F). Temperatures differ across the island, with coastal temperatures generally being 2-3°C warmer than inland temperatures.
Night time temperatures during winter can fall to around 19°C and it’s very common to see Mauritians wrapped up in jumpers, bodywarmers and even woolly hats while the Europeans are still wandering around in shorts and t-shirts!
When is cyclone season in Mauritius?
Cyclone season is over the summer months and the period covers from November to 15th May, though they are most common from January to March. They don’t happen every year, some years there may be none, while in other years there may be two or more.
Local fishermen say that cyclones can happen any time after the water temperature hits 29°C. In 2024, the water temperature reached 29°C at the end of the first week of January and Category IV Tropical Cyclone Belal reached the region on 15th January, causing significant damage with flooding and high winds that reached up to 148km/h.
Is Mauritius safe in a cyclone?
Cyclones are a feature of Mauritian weather and things usually get back to normal pretty quickly. The weather can be affected for a couple of days either side of a cyclone, with grey skies, generally unsettled weather and gusts of wind being the norm.
The government issues weather warnings and communicates the severity levels through their Emergency Alert App which can be found on Google Play and the AppStore.
It’s quite rare that cyclones make landfall, they’re usually several hundred kilometres away, but the island gets affected by high winds, torrential rainfall and flooding. There can be some damage to buildings, trees falling and erosion of beaches. Residents and holidaymakers are expected to follow Government guidelines and stay indoors when told to do so.
In our second instalment of ‘all things Mauritius,’ we’ll tell you where to get the best exchange rates on the island, some Mauritian dishes not to miss and what activities you might like to consider for your Indian Ocean island holiday. Read more here.
If you’re considering Mauritius as the destination for your next holiday, please contact Emma who’ll be delighted to help you.
