Mauritius

A sandbar island in the Flacq lagoon accessible by boat from the east coast — the clearest water in Mauritius, parasailing, water slides, and beach BBQ lunches. The quintessential Mauritius day trip, best booked through your hotel for a private boat.

A submarine sand and silt flow off Le Morne creates the illusion of an underwater waterfall when viewed from above — a helicopter flight over the peninsula and lagoon is the only way to see it properly and is genuinely extraordinary.

A geological anomaly in the Black River district — seven naturally occurring colours of volcanic soil that don't mix despite rain and erosion. Combined with the nearby Chamarel Waterfall (100m drop) and rum distillery, it makes for a perfect inland half-day.

Mauritius has one of the Indian Ocean's healthiest coral reef systems. Flic-en-Flac's Cathedral Cave dive site, Blue Bay Marine Park's snorkelling, and the whale shark dives off the west coast (Jun–Nov) are world-class. Most dive centres are PADI certified.

The island's only national park covers 6,500 hectares of endemic forest — the Mauritian flying fox, Mauritius kestrel, and pink pigeon are found here. Several hiking trails from 1km to 12km with viewpoints over the gorge and waterfall.

The 1844 covered market sells saffron, vanilla, pickles, and Creole spices alongside handcrafted textiles and model ships. The adjacent Caudan Waterfront has restaurants, galleries, and the Blue Penny Museum with Mauritius's famous 1847 stamps.