Mauritius

Currency

Bank rates beat the hotel desks by a wide margin and there are branches in every town. Cards work almost everywhere. Keep some cash for markets, street food and the buses.

ATMs & cards

MCB, SBM and Absa machines are everywhere and reliable. Withdrawal fees are modest. Decline conversion as always.

Machines are everywhere and reliable, fees are modest, and cards work almost everywhere. Keep some cash for markets and buses.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

One of the safest countries in Africa and comfortable to move around independently. Petty theft from beaches and parked cars is the main issue. The sea inside the lagoon is calm, but the passes through the reef have strong currents, and cyclone season runs January to March.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Routine vaccinations up to date
• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid for longer stays

Getting treated

Good, and unusually so for the region. Public hospitals treat emergencies free of charge including for visitors, and the private clinics — Wellkin, Fortis Darné — are modern and reasonably priced. No malaria.

Tap water is treated and generally safe, though many visitors stick to bottled. Dengue and chikungunya occur in outbreaks. Stonefish are present on the reef — do not walk barefoot in shallow water.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

The food is the real surprise — Creole, Indian, Chinese and French all at once. Street dholl puri is the national snack and costs almost nothing. Rougaille and vindaye are the dishes to look for, and the rum is very good.

Getting around

• Rental car — the practical choice; the island is small, the roads are good, and driving is on the left
• Bus — very cheap and covers the whole island, but slow and stops early in the evening
• Taxi by the day — common for touring, agreed in advance, and often good value shared
• Metro Express — the tram line between Port Louis and Curepipe, useful if you are staying inland
• Airport: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (MRU) in the south-east, about an hour from the north-west beaches

Must-see

Things to do

• Hike Le Morne for the view over the lagoon
• Walk in Black River Gorges among the endemic forest
• Snorkel or dive Blue Bay marine park
• Eat your way through Port Louis market at lunchtime
• Drive the south coast, which is wilder and far less developed

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

French

• HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
• PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
• Thank youMercimer-SEE
• Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
• Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
• How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
• The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
• Cheers!Santé !son-TAY

Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.

Religion

Hindu majority, with Christian and Muslim communities

Around 48% Hindu, 32% Christian and 17% Muslim, living together with unusual ease. Public holidays cover all three calendars, which is why there seem to be so many.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet with bonjour or a handshake; the island is formal in small ways
• Dress modestly when visiting temples and mosques, and remove shoes
• Try to speak a little French — it is understood everywhere even though Creole is the everyday language
• Ask before photographing people at markets or on the beach

Don't

• Do not sunbathe topless outside a resort beach — it is not the norm here
• Do not enter a Hindu temple during a ceremony without being invited
• Do not walk on or collect coral, and do not buy shells sold at the roadside
• Do not assume everything runs to the clock; the pace is deliberately unhurried