A Visit To Port Louis, The Capital Of Mauritius
Port Louis is the capital and largest city of Mauritius. It is a small city, but with enough attractions to dedicate a part of any trip to this beautiful country bathed by the Indian Ocean. Do you dare to discover everything that this paradise offers? This is what you should not miss.
The Natural History Museum of Port Louis
The Natural History Museum is of great interest, as it houses a collection of more than 35,000 specimens of animal and plant species, as well as geological samples. Some of them are unique because they have already disappeared from the surface of the Earth. However, the skeleton of the dodo, the most famous extinct bird in Mauritius, stands out.
Another museum worth visiting is the Blue Penny Museum, where you will discover the history of the island from its origins. Among its most important objects we should mention the one and two pence stamps.
Also, near the Museum of Natural History is the Jardín de la Compañía, one of the few parks that exist in the city. It was built by the French East India Company and, despite its small size, you cannot stop strolling through this charming place.
Climb up to Fort Adelaide
It is also known as the Citadel. It was built between 1834 and 1840 in the upper part of the city. There you will find a viewpoint from which you will have great views of all of Port Louis. Therefore, do not forget your camera or mobile to immortalize all the beauty of this place.
Move to Cauden Waterfront
Cauden Waterfront is the old port of the capital of Mauritius and one of the most pleasant areas of the city. In it there is a walk full of shops where you can buy a souvenir. There are also countless restaurants and terraces where you can taste the delicious local cuisine and the famous Phoenix beer.
See the Abercrombie Tamil Temple
A little further from the urban core of Port Louis, but just as recommended, is the Abercrombie Tamil Temple, also known as the Kaylasson Temple. It is covered in all the colors of the rainbow, which gives it great beauty. To this is added the peace and tranquility that you breathe as soon as you walk through your door.
Aapravasi Ghat, the treasure of Port Louis
It is one of the most important places in Port Louis. It is a complex of buildings that served to house contract workers from other countries, such as India, instead of resorting to slavery. Today their descendants make up a good part of the island’s population.
Aapravasi Ghat is located in Trou Fanfaron, in the middle of Port Louis Bay and just behind the central market. Such is its importance in the history of the country, that it is declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Get to know the Pere Laval church
It is an important pilgrimage point, since the remains of the French missionary Pere Jacques-Desire Laval rest there, to whom many miracles are attributed, hence we are facing a kind of road to Lourdes Índico. It is also credited with the conversion to Christianity of no less than 67,000 people.
Attached to the building are a large modern church, as well as a shop with an exhibition of belongings belonging to Pere Laval. To get to this place you can take two buses named ‘Cité La Cure’ and ‘Père Laval’.
Stroll through the central market of Port Louis
It is made up of two areas : an external one where products related to handicrafts are sold and another covered with two floors. In the first we can find vegetables, fruits or spices. In the second you will see all kinds of souvenirs to take a nice memory of your stay in Port Louis.
As you may have seen, and as we already told you, Port Louis is home to places of interest that are worth seeing first-hand. If you plan to spend a vacation in the paradise that is Mauritius, be sure to visit its capital.
