Grand Bassin, known also as Ganga Talao is a lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about 600 meters above sea level.
The Hindus of Mauritius consider the Grand Bassin as a Holy lake and that the water inside the lake communicates with the waters of the holy Ganges of India.
Mangal Mahadev
The Hindu community performs a pilgrimage there every year on the Maha Sivaratri (“Siva’s Great Night”), on this day they honor the Lord Siva. Beside the lake there is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and other Gods including Hanuman and Lakshmi. Also, overlooking the lake is the statue of Mangal Mahadev (Shiva statue) which is 33 meters, making it the highest statue in Mauritius.
Hanuman
The Grand Bassin Mauritius map gives you clear directions to the sacred lake and the tourist spots nearby that you can visit. Also, don’t forget to take off your shoes while entering the Lake complex and the temples.
On this guided tour you will discover the making of teas, rum, vanilla, essential oils, and you will also stroll down the exotic gardens of the Bois Cheri tea plantation.
Domaine des Aubineaux
You will visit the Domaine des Aubineaux and its gardens. It is a colonial house built in 1872, which has been converted into a museum dedicated to the history of Mauritian Tea. In the gardens around Domaine des Aubineaux you will visit Camphor tree garden with a diversity of exotic plants as well as trees of the endemic forest, and enjoy the beautiful sight of the tea plantation.
After that you will visit Bois Chéri which is the second stop in this tour. The Bois Chéri is the first and biggest tea producer in Mauritius, operating since 1892. You will also get to see the tea production museum.
This tour will take 5 to 7 hours and includes the following:
A guide to walk you through the Domaine des Aubineaux; Visit of a colonial mansion-museum built in 1872; Photo exhibition of the 19th and 20th Century; Stroll across the garden ; Visit of La Maison des Essences; Tour across the gardens of the Domaine des Aubineaux; A guided tour of the Bois Cheri tea factory; Visit to the tea museum; Visit to the tea plantation; A tea tasting session at the chalet (tea & biscuits); A guided tour of the Saint Aubin house; Visit of the “Rum” House and Tasting; Guided tour of the Sugar Factory and Le Moulin du Domaine de Saint Aubin; Visit of the Vanilla House; Visit of the Anthurium (flowers) la greenhouses; Visit of the tropical garden and spice garden at Domaine de Saint Aubin.
You will end your tour with a special 5 course typical Mauritian lunch at the highly recommended restaurant of “Le Saint Aubin”.
The Ile aux Cerfs day tour starts with a boat transfer, in a comfortable spacious motor boat, to Ile aux Cerfs Island. The boat trip takes about 15 minutes. Once you reach Ile aux Cerfs you will be taken to the famous Ile aux Cerfs Sands Bar where you will get a complimentary refreshing fruit cocktail.
Beautiful Corals
Rest of the morning you will spend on the beach doing whatever you like. The package includes a Sun Mattress for the day to lie down or for tanning just beside the beautiful beach.
You will be able to organize parasailing during your time on the island. The parasailing offers you a breathtaking bird’s eye view of Ile aux Cerfs Island.
Snorkeling
At noon time a 3 course meal or BBQ buffet Lunch is served at the Sands Grill. Lunch time is flexible between 11:00 – 15:00.
Sands Grill, also serves lightly grilled, fried or steamed local fish, seafood, Mauritian dishes & pizza. Vegetarian menu is available upon request made at the time when you book the tour.
The Curious Corner of Chamarel is a house filled with a variety of delusional fantasies. There are 40 exhibits set over the 5,000sq meters. These exhibits will continually challenge your brain until you finish your tour in one-and-a-half hour.
Mirror Maze
Mirror Maze is a room full of mazes surrounded by some 200 mirrors showing infinite reflections, impossible corridors and mind-bending light effects to enable you to find your way out of the maze.
The Ames room
The Ames room shows 2 people standing in the same room appear much bigger or smaller than the other one. A picture moment with your partner will show who is really the taller.
The upside down room
The upside down room shows things defying the law of gravity,
The Laser music room plays music with laser beams.
Entry fee is 10 Euros per adult and 6 per child below 12 years of age.
Casela is one of the most popular leisure and attraction parks in Mauritius. The park spans over 350 hectares and is divided into 5 zones, each with its own unique characteristic. The 5 zones are Thrill Mountain, Predator Kingdom, African Safari, Pangia Birds and Rides and World of Events.
Casela Park
Thrill Mountain combines all the mountain and rope activities for thrill-seekers. There is a a 40m platform from which you can jump into the canyon. On a Zipline you can zip across breath-taking scenic valleys. In the heart of Casela Nature Parks, The Thrill Mountain provides 7 attractions.
The Canyon Swing with a pendulum swing you jump into the heart of a 75-metre deep canyon. You hang on to a rope and slide up and down the valley. Racer Doub Doub package featuring two 80m Zip Lines side by side. You can race with a friend using this package. The Zig Zag Racer packs a combo of 4 Zip Lines for an extensive zip lining experience. The Risk Factor Bridge including the Nepalese Bridge and 3 Zip Lines or the Zip Splash Tour that consists of 4 Zip Lines including one landing in a river.
Mountain climbing package includes a via ferrata canyon tour that takes you through sugarcane fields, plateaus and uneven routes. High-standard safety gear as well as professional guides are available on the spot. This package takes 7 hours and costs 95 Euros per person.
You can get close to lions, cheetahs & caracals at Casela Park. A 45 minutes’ drive on rugged terrain will bring you closer to lions and other big cats and mountains. You can also take a tour in an e-bike or Segway.
Quad biking
On the Safari Quad Biking trip you will encounter deers, zebras, ostriches, African antelopes, wild boars and many more animals.
Walk with big cats
Camel rides are available at Casela World of Adventures.
Camel ride
A visit of the park includes Safari bus ride, walk thru the aviary, giraffes and pygmy hippos viewing, camels and llamas viewing, kid’s playground, avalanche mines, monkey kingdom, petting farm and tortoise pen, Tulawaka Gold Coaster, and Discovery Centre.
Mauritius government adopts a parliamentary democracy in which the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government, assisted by a Council of Ministers. The executive power rests with the Government and the legislature is carried out by the government and the national assembly.
The assembly consists of 70 members of whom 62 elected for four-year terms. The Electoral Service Commission appoints 8 members to ensure that ethnic and religious minorities are equitably represented. The president is elected for a five-year term by the Parliament.
According to the 2015 Democracy Index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Mauritius ranks 18th out of 167 countries and is the only African country with Full Democracy.
Government House, Port Louis
Judiciary Mauritius has a legal system derived from British common law and French civil law. The Constitution provides for the separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the final court of appeal of Mauritius.
Mauritius’ Courts include the Supreme Court, the Court of Rodrigues, the Intermediate Court, the Industrial Court, the District Courts, the Bail and Remand Court, the Criminal and Mediation Court and the Commercial Court.
The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice, a Senior Puisne Judge and a number of Puisne Judges as prescribed by the Parliament of Mauritius.
The Chief Justice is head of the judiciary and is appointed by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister. The Senior Puisne Judge is appointed in accordance with the advice of Chief Justice and the Puisne Judges in accordance with the advice of the Judicial and Legal service Commission.
Hinduism is the most widely practised religion. The people of Indian descent (Indo-Mauritian) follow mostly Hinduism and Islam. The Franco-Mauritians, Creoles and Sino-Mauritians follow Christianity. A minority of Sino-Mauritians also follow Buddhism and other Chinese-related religions.
The constitution prohibits discrimination on religious grounds and provides for freedom to practice or change one’s religion.
According to the 2011 census Hinduism accounts for 48.54% of the population, followed by Christianity at 32.71% (with Catholicism as the largest Christian denomination at 26.26%), followed by Islam 17.30% and Buddhism 0.18% in terms of number of adherents. Mauritius has the highest percentage of Hindus in Africa and third highest percentage of Hindus in the world after Nepal and India, respectively.
A Catholic Church
The government provides subsidies to the Roman Catholic Church, Church of England, Presbyterian Church of Mauritius, Seventh-day Adventists, Hindus, and Muslims according to their tax-exempt status and numbers in the census. Other religious groups can register to get their tax-exempt status but they will not get any subsidy. Religious public holidays are the Hindu festivals of Maha Shivaratree, Ougadi, Thaipoosam Cavadee, Ganesha Chaturthi, and Diwali; the Christian festivals of Assumption and Christmas; and the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.
A Pagoda
Maha Shivaratri, or the ‘Great Night of Siva’ is one of the biggest festivals on the island . During this annual Hindu celebration, which takes place in the months of February and March, four to nine days of ceremony and fasting lead up to an all-night vigil of Siva worship and Ganesha worship.
Among Mauritius’s Christians, 83% are Catholics (26% of the total population or 324,811). Christianity came to Mauritius with the first inhabitants, the Dutch. The French arrived in 1715 and revived Christianity. From 1723, there was a law which required all slaves coming to the island must be baptised Catholic. But this law was not followed strictly. During the 1840s and 1850s, the British tried to turn Mauritius Protestant. Today Christianity is practiced by 31.7% of the total population.
Jummah Mosque
Islam is practiced by 17.3% of the Mauritian population. Approximately 95 percent of these are Urdu speaking Sunni Muslims. Memons and the Surtees are rich merchants who came from Kutch and Surat province of Gujarat in India, while the “Hindi Calcattias” came to Mauritius as indentured labourers from Bihar. The first purpose-built mosque in Mauritius is the Camp des Lascars Mosque in around 1805. It is now officially known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Jummah Mosque in Port Louis was built in the 1850s and is often described as one of the most beautiful religious buildings in Mauritius by the Ministry of Tourism.
