COVID-19 TRAVEL UPDATE (AS @ 15 January 2021)
The Mauritian Government has decided on Friday, 15th January, to extend the current quarantine conditions until 31st March for all international arrivals. This is only for long stays over 14 days.
The Holiday Factory envisages that short term leisure travel (less than 14 days) may be allowed only from June 2021
WELCOME TO MAURITIUS
Friendly, inviting and relentlessly beautiful – welcome to Mauritius! Beaches, temples, lagoons, rainforests, reefs, waterfalls, shopping, dining… Mauritius has it all. For the adventurous and active, the array of options is endless; from scuba diving and snorkelling to sailing and deep sea fishing, or water-skiing and parasailing, kite surfing and yoga, quad biking and horse riding – you name it, Mauritius has got it.
HISTORY
Mauritius was a Dutch colony in the 1600’s until it was occupied by the French in the 1700’s and then it became a British Colony in the 1800’s. It gained independence from Britain in the late 1960’s after almost 200 years, and finally became a Republic in 1992.
LANGUAGE & CULTURE
Due to its multicultural diversity, Mauritius boasts a number of spoken languages. With immigrants from Africa, India, France, the UK and China, there is a vast mixture of cultures, languages and traditions. Both English and French are generally accepted as the official languages (with French being the most dominant), and Creole being the most commonly used language on the street.
CLIMATE
The island is blessed with a tropical climate and is a fantastic year-round destination. Temperatures range from the low to mid-20s°C in the cooler months (April to October), up to the late 20s°C and early 30s°C during the gorgeous summer months from November to March.
TIME DIFFERENCE
Mauritius is 2 hours ahead of South Africa
CURRENCY
The monetary unit is the Mauritian Rupee (Rs) which is divided into 100 cents. Major currencies such as US Dollars and Euros, and even South African Rands, are accepted in most hotels and by many vendors. You don’t need to schlepp to get forex before you travel to Mauritius, you can literally convert Rands to Rupees on arrival at the airport or simply draw local currency at an ATM.
WHAT TO DO IN MAURITIUS
Mauritius has an impressive array of activities available – from exhilarating zip lining to cultural temple visits. Of course, it’s also very important to factor in plenty of time to soak up the sun around your hotel pool. If you are looking for more than the beach, look at what is in store for you:
WHAT TO PACK
TRAVEL TIPS