DESTINATIONS ACTIVE MAURITIUS INDIAN OCEAN
OF THE BEST ACTIVEOPTIONS
Golf: Tee off at hotels including the Constance Belle Mare Plage, which has two courses; Heritage Awali and Heritage Le Telfair, which share a course (pictured); Tamarina Boutique Hotel, which adjoins Tamarina Golf Club;
and Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, with its Golf Academy, driving range and putting green.
Kitesurfing: The south-west coast between Le Morne Peninsula and Tamarin is great for surfing and kitesurfing. Good bases include St Regis Mauritius, which offers kitesurfing lessons, and Lux Le Morne hotel, which hosts a kitesurfing festival in July.
Diving: The west coast is the best bet. Properties with dive centres include The Oberoi, which offers beginners introductory sessions and Padi open-water courses for more advanced divers.
Submarine: Even non-swimmers can make like Jacques Cousteau with Blue Marine, which offers 40-minute Safari Submarine and 30-minute Sub-scooter excursions. Clients can also take guided ‘undersea walks’ in shallow lagoons using solar-powered helmets with Solar Under Sea Walk.
Canyoning: Vertical World offers
canyoning adventures for all abilities. Trips fuse elements such as hiking, climbing and jumping into pools and rivers in locations such as Black River and Chamarel Falls, where clients do a 90m abseil into the pool below.
island’s versatility to agents, and support its drive to get more visitors exploring beyond the beaches and family-friendly resorts, from its rich culture and cuisine to active options in the lush mountainous interior.
◗ DUE SOUTH First we headed to the island’s more secluded south coast and one of my favourite hotels, Shanti Maurice. This luxury hideaway, which offers 61 suites and villas, is home to one of the best spas on the island, and features activities such as yoga and meditation. We loved the Grandma’s Kitchen onsite cooking classes and the jet lag-busting tipples served up at the recently opened Rum Shed. Our next base was the nearby Heritage Le Telfair, with its stunning colonial stylings, Seven Colours Spa, excellent golf club and sprawling Frédérica Nature Reserve. One way of exploring the latter is on a ‘wellness walk’ led by a yoga therapist, while a new Segway adventure traverses the resort’s stunning Domaine de Bel Ombre estate. If such sedate options wouldn’t cut it for clients, they could
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LEFT Frédérica Nature Reserve
follow our example – we tore around Frédérica on quad bikes and buggies as if we were in a demolition derby. Then it was time to stretch our
legs rather than rev our engines, with an easy scenic hike up Le Morne peak, followed by a poignant visit to the monument of the abolition of slavery at the base. Rain put paid to our planned
adventure activities around Tamarind Falls, although we got a tempting taster during a presentation from Vertical World, a one-stop-shop for adventurous clients. As well as rock climbing and canyoning, it offers hikes ranging from the accessible – Black River Peak and the circular Maccabee Trail – to the relatively tough Pieter Both.
◗ GO WEST Two nights in the west coast resort of Flic en Flac staying at the Sofitel L’Impérial Resort & Spa gave us the opportunity to take a scenic drive inland to Chamarel, in the Black River district, an increasingly popular element in multi-centre Mauritius breaks for operators such as Hayes & Jarvis and Sunset Faraway Holidays. At an altitude of several hundred
TOP TIP Find out more about the range of activities on
offer at tourism-
mauritius.mu
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