Nature parks

Casela Nature Parks

Casela Nature Parks (formerly Casela Nature & Leisure Park) is located in the western part of Mauritius at Cascavelle, between Flic en Flac and Tamarin. The park covers about 350 hectares and offers much more than the old bird park: an African safari area, a big cat area, a large walk-through aviary and a kids’ park with a petting farm and rides. Tickets and activities can be booked online in advance, which is recommended for the big cat experiences.

Duration: Plan for several hours, depending on how many activities you book. The park recommends arriving between 9:00 am and noon, and at least 45 minutes before your first activity.

Opening hours: Casela is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, including public holidays. It is closed on 25 December and 1 January.

Food: Several restaurants and snack points are spread over the park. Outside food is not allowed, but water bottles and baby food are fine.

African safari

On the safari you can watch giraffes, zebras, impalas, ostriches and white rhinoceroses with the mountains of the west coast in the background. The Safari Bus takes about 35 minutes and leaves every 20 minutes. If you prefer a quieter tour, there is the electric Safari Eco Rider, and you can also book a Safari Private Jeep with a guide. Another option is a one-hour Eco Quad tour through the safari area (the driver must be at least 16 years old and 1.35 m tall). Early risers can have breakfast with the giraffes before the park opens.

Predator Kingdom: big cats up close

Casela’s big cat area is run together with its partner Safari Adventures. Lions, cheetahs, servals and caracals live here, and with a ranger you can get close to them: there are Lion Interaction, Cheetah, Serval and Caracal Interaction, a Big Cats Drive Thru and Big Cats Feeding. There is also a camel ride.

Lion Interaction: With a ranger and a guide you can get close to the lions. Lion Interaction and the Walk with the Lions are only open to guests aged 15 and over who are at least 1.50 m tall. You need a digital copy of your ID card or passport, and phones and cameras are not allowed during the encounter, as only the park’s photographers may take pictures.

Walk with the Lions: A ranger and a guide accompany you on the walk and tell you about the behaviour of the lions. Sessions start at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm. All Predator Kingdom activities are closed on Sundays, but you can still see the animals.

Close contact with the wild cats is a very special experience and a rare chance that you will probably never get again, so we recommend it.

Bird Kingdom and Pangia Kids Park

The Bird Kingdom is a walk-through aviary with birds from five continents, from South American macaws to African turacos and Asian parakeets. It is open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and there are bird interaction sessions from 10:30 am and from 2:00 pm.

The Pangia Kids Park is the place for families: a petting farm (with a petting farm train), a 12-hole mini-golf course, bumper cars, a 4D cinema, a small merry-go-round, a tortoise pen and the Tulawaka, a 760-metre summer toboggan with a view of the west coast.

Casela Nature Parks
Royal Road, Cascavelle – Mauritius
Phone: +230 401 6500
Email: booking@caselaparks.com
Website: caselaparks.com
Google Maps: Casela Nature Parks

La Vanille Nature Park

La Vanille Nature Park, formerly known as the La Vanille Crocodile Farm, is truly a special place to visit. It is located in the south of the island (Rivière des Anguilles) and started in 1985 as a small crocodile farm on the grounds of a former vanilla plantation. It covers about 5.5 hectares of tropical forest that you explore on your own along the paths. More than 2,000 Nile crocodiles live here, and the park lists feeding times at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm. The park also keeps Aldabra giant tortoises, which it describes as the largest captive herd in the world, as well as lemurs from Madagascar and iguanas. Included in the entrance fee are a mini-farm where small visitors can watch and touch animals, the Insectarium, the “Lost Land of the Dodo” exhibition and a fossil museum. For an extra fee you can book small-group animal encounters with the keepers in advance, as places are limited.

A visit takes about 2 to 3 hours. There is a restaurant on the grounds, and parking is free.

Entrance fees
Visitors from abroad: adults Rs 975, children (3 to 12 years) Rs 685
Residents: adults Rs 450, children (3 to 12 years) Rs 295

Opening hours: daily, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, including public holidays (closed on 25 December and 1 January). The park recommends arriving before 3:00 pm.

La Vanille Nature Park
Rivière des Anguilles
Phone: +230 626 2503
Email: info@lavanillenaturepark.com
Website: www.lavanillenaturepark.com
Google Maps: La Vanille Nature Park

Lavilleon Adventure Park

Lavilleon Adventure Park is located in the south-west of Mauritius, right next to the Seven Coloured Earth near the mountain village of Chamarel. The highlight is a set of three ziplines and a Nepalese bridge about 85 metres above a valley. There is also archery (from 12 years); a Kids’ Corner for children aged 3 to 10 with a fishing pond, two small ziplines, a spider net and a tortoise corner; 30-minute horse rides; a light 30-minute walk through an endemic forest with more than 80 native plants; and a 5 km hiking trail to a viewpoint over the west coast.

There is no entrance fee; you pay only for the activities you choose at the reception desk, and you do not need to book in advance. The ziplines (from 6 years) cost Rs 1,300 per non-resident for one ride or Rs 1,850 for three rides. A small snack corner serves burgers, paninis and wraps. In heavy rain or strong wind all activities are put on hold.

Opening hours: daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, including Sundays and public holidays.

Directions: Enter through the Seven Coloured Earth entrance and follow the signs to the car park. If you only want to visit Lavilleon Adventure Park, you do not need to pay at the Seven Coloured Earth entrance.

Lavilleon Adventure Park
Route Terres des Sept Couleurs, Chamarel
Phone (on site): +230 483 4227
Email: info@lavilleonadventurepark.com
Website: lavilleonadventurepark.com
Google Maps: Lavilleon Adventure Park

Black River Gorges National Park

Black River Gorges National Park is the largest national park in Mauritius. It was proclaimed in 1994, lies in the south-west of the island and covers 6,754 hectares, which is approximately 3.5% of the total land area of Mauritius.

The park is home to a large number of endemic plants and animals, and its forest is one of the rarest in the world. Of the nearly 700 plant species occurring in Mauritius, 311 can be found in the national park, such as the Trochetia, the Chinese guava, the dodo tree, the Tree of Travellers, verbena, ox tongue and colourful plants like orchids and anthuria.

Conservation is actively pursued in the park, especially the protection of endangered endemic species like the Mauritius kestrel, the pink pigeon and the Mauritius parakeet. The park is also home to introduced species such as macaques, tenrecs, Java deer and wild boar, as well as native animals such as various butterflies and the Mauritian flying fox.

The park is managed by the National Parks and Conservation Service (NPCS), a government agency. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, a national NGO, is also involved in its conservation.

The main activity is hiking. The park is the largest hiking area in Mauritius, with 60 km of trails in total. Most of the trails are very well signposted and maintained, and there are hikes for every level of fitness. The main information centre is located in Le Petrin, where brochures and other information are available.

You can enter the park through several entrances, which are described below as A to D.

Entrance A

Reach it via Curepipe / Vacoas or via Grand Bassin or Petrin.

Hiking possibilities:

• Macchabees (Loop) Forest Trail (14 km return): This trail provides excellent opportunities to discover the rarest woods of Mauritius.
• Macchabees Trail (10 km one way): This trail leads up to the visitor centre in Black River and provides some spectacular viewpoints.
• Mare Longue Loop (12 km return): The loop leads to a reservoir through a primordial dwarf forest.

Entrance B

Reach it via the Royal Black River Road (Trois Bras). Take the coastal road from Port Louis towards Tamarin. After you pass through Tamarin and La Preneuse, you will come to a bend where another road branches off to the left and leads directly to the national park. There is a sign here. After about 5 minutes’ drive you cross a tiny bridge, and shortly after it, on the left side, there is a very small clear lake. It is worth stopping here briefly, and if you feel like a little dip, you should take the chance and jump into the clean but quite fresh water. To reach the national park, you drive approximately 5 more minutes. Finally you will find a large car park and a small information centre.

Hiking possibilities:

• Macchabees Trail (10 km one way): This trail leads up to the information centre in Petrin and provides some spectacular viewpoints. You can also shorten the hike by walking only the roughly 1½ hours to the first viewpoint, which has a beautiful view over the highlands and the west coast of Mauritius. Treat yourself to a little break and try to spot some of the park’s endemic birds.
• Parakeet Trail (8 km one way): You can start it either at the Black River information centre or from the Plaine Champagne Road, which branches off at Chamarel. From Black River it leads to the waterfall in the Plaine Champagne.

Entrances C and D

Reach them from Case Noyale via Chamarel and from Chemin Grenier via Les Mares. Both entrances are connected by the Plaine Champagne Road, from where the trails in this region start.

Hiking possibilities:

• Black River Peak Trail (9 km return): This path starts from the Plaine Champagne Road, which continues from Chamarel, approximately 500 m after the Black River Gorges viewpoint. It takes you to the highest peak of Mauritius, 828 m above sea level. Most parts of the trail are quite easy but involve some slightly strenuous ascents.
• Savanna Trail (6 km return): This trail is rather simple and provides wonderful views of the south of Mauritius.
• Bel Ombre (18 km return): This trail brings you to the southern park border. It is ideally suited to watching native birds and bats. It can also be used as a one-way path to the village of Bel Ombre, a distance of 14 km. From there you can take a bus or taxi to get back.

Visitor centres and contact

The national park has two information centres for visitors: one in Petrin (entrance A) and one in Black River (entrance B). The Black River visitor centre is very simple and does not provide really good information about the park.

Petrin Visitors’ Centre: +230 464 4053

For further information, contact:

National Parks and Conservation Service (NPCS)
Head Office, Réduit
Phone: +230 464 4053 or 464 2993
Email: npcs@govmu.org
Website: npcs.govmu.org

Black River Gorges National ParkShow the map

Botanical Garden

The famous Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden is situated in Pamplemousses, in the north of Mauritius.

Right after the entrance of the garden, guides are waiting to offer a tour (Rs 75 per person, children up to 12 free). A tour is recommended because the guides make sure you do not get lost in the 33-hectare park, and of course you will hear some interesting facts about the botanical diversity.

History: Mahé de Labourdonnais lived at Mon Plaisir and created a vegetable garden, which he watered from the nearby Rivière de Pamplemousses. He cultivated a lot of different plants, and soon the harvest was big enough to cover the needs of Port Louis’ population. Later medicinal and other useful plant species were added.

In 1767 Pierre Poivre took charge of the garden and introduced spices and tropical plants. They gained a good reputation and were exported with great success, which made Mauritius a serious competitor to Holland in the spice trade. Not only spices but also ornamental plants were exported to European royal courts.

The garden describes itself as the oldest botanic garden in the Southern Hemisphere, and seeds and plants are exported to other botanical gardens around the globe.

A walk through the garden is fascinating because of its diversity. You will not find many colourful flowers, except in the Mauritian spring, which is in October/November, but the 80 different kinds of palms and more than 800 plant species in all are very impressive.

The most famous plant is probably the Amazon water lily (Victoria amazonica, formerly called Victoria regia). It is said that a child can sit on its huge leaves without sinking. The blossom opens in the late afternoon, creamy white, and turns pink on the second day.

Opening hours: daily, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Entrance fees: Mauritian citizens Rs 25 (free on Sundays and public holidays); visitors from abroad Rs 300; children under 5 free

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden
Royal Road, Pamplemousses
Phone: +230 243 9401
Email: ssrbg@intnet.mu
Website: ssrbg.govmu.org
Google Maps: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden

After your visit, have a coffee at “La Valse de Vienne”. This Viennese coffee house in the middle of Mauritius serves Black Forest cake as well as Sacher cake. Sit on the veranda and enjoy the atmosphere. To find the café, leave the garden car park and turn left. Follow that road until you have a church on your right, then turn right, and at the end of the road you will see the small coffee house.