Nature Trails: a 4x4 tour to hidden viewpoints
Mauritius is without a doubt an island that offers a lot of tourist attractions. It would, however, also be nice to discover another side of Mauritius and get to know the beauty of its nature, in places that are not the usual tourist attractions. This is just what the company Nature Trails offers.
The tour
At 7:30 am the scout Alain is already waiting for me in front of the Merville Hotel with his dark green Land Cruiser. After picking up two more guests from the Maritim in Balaclava, we drive straight to our first viewpoint. Near Pamplemousses, on top of a small hill, you have a view over a valley with little white houses and different agricultural fields, surrounded by the northernmost mountain range. Here Alain explains the tour to us with his map and tells us what we can expect. The priority is the panorama, and he says that by the end of the tour you will have seen 90% of the island.
After enough time to enjoy the view and take pictures, we head off to the second viewpoint. Here we have a similar panorama, just a little higher and with a better view towards the coast. The valley and the mountains are still visible, and in the distance you can even see Coin de Mire. Alain again shows us where we are on his map and impresses us with his knowledge about how the mountains were formed and why the north is so flat.
The third stop is already further up the mountain, even if you did not notice that you were climbing. From here you can almost touch the mountains, and you have a good view of the second-highest mountain, Pieter Both, which looks as if a big stone ball is balancing on top of it.
At the fourth stop you find yourself on a higher plateau. Here I learn that the tour is really exclusive, because most of the viewpoints are on private grounds that the average person cannot enter.
After this we take a break with a family from Curepipe, who host us with a traditional Mauritian lunch. The atmosphere is comfortable, and the host does his best to make sure everyone feels welcome.
After a good meal we drive to the second-last point, from where you can see a secret waterfall. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit it had been reduced to a trickle because of a water shortage.
The last stop is 715 m above sea level and the most impressive one. To get there you drive up a steep, rocky road to a meadow with Java deer. A few metres higher is a station with radio towers for the police, and from here you have a breathtaking outlook. You can see as far as Le Morne Brabant and the island Île aux Bénitiers off the coast. All in all you can see a large part of the west coast from here. On one side you see the beauty of nature, and on the other side big towns like Quatre Bornes, Curepipe, Rose Hill and Port Louis.
At the end of the trip Alain once again shows us on his map where we were and what we saw. The promised 90% was not too much: we were able to see almost the whole coastline apart from the south east.
More tours and contact
Nature Trails also offers other tours, for example an Island Highlights tour to the main tourist sights and a two-day programme that combines the land excursion with a catamaran trip in the north. The company was founded by the German businesswoman Hannelore Riesel, who discovered all the viewpoints by hiking with Alain. She wanted to share these experiences with other tourists, and so the company was born.
The tours run in small groups with the company’s 4x4 vehicles, a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Nissan Pathfinder. Alain speaks English, French and German, and lunch is included. Prices are given on request, so contact Hannelore in advance.
Naturetrails Mauritius Ltd.
Hannelore Riesel
159 D Avenue Boundary, Quatre Bornes
Tel. (Mauritius): (+230) 5 250 7406 or (+230) 466 80 72
E-mail: info@naturetrails-mauritius.com
Website: www.naturetrails-mauritius.com