Pamplemousse Botantical Gardens

It looked like it was going to be an overcast day, so we had a chat with the concierge of the hotel and arranged a half day to the Botanical Gardens and Grand Baie. This is a great way to do excursions in Mauritius and can be done at a moment’s notice. In previous visits to Mauritius to the south we had hired a car and saw all the highlights in that part of the island. We had never stayed in the North before so had decided prior to travelling that we would do this.

The famous Botanical Gardens of Pamplemouse.

The entrance fee is about £4 per person and then if you want a guide it is £2.50pp. It is one of the first Botanical Gardens and is 300 years old - we spent about 2 hours here though you could spend longer. It’s famous for the giant water lilies but there are 650 varieties of plants. There is also a pen with giant tortoises in too.

We then went on to Grand Baie - this had lots of shops and a small market. There were bars and restaurants plus plenty of shops and it had really grown since we were last here. We bought a few souvenirs and some cashmere scarves (for the evening at the hotel). We then returned back to sunshine at the hotel - well worth doing, a very enjoyable day.