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.
La Vallee des Couleurs Reserve, spread over 450 acres of land, is a nature park that houses various species of flora and fauna. It is also a place to enjoy a selection of nature trips and fun activities. Facilities include Kids Garden, Cafeteria and the restaurant.
Nature lovers are bound to like this place with natural landscapes, including plateaus, mountains, valleys, craters and crater-lakes.
The visit to this park starts with an exhibition room which provides an outline of the different places to visit in the park.
Waterfall
There are four wonderful waterfalls namely, Cascade Vacoas, Cascade Bois de Natte, Cascade Cheveux d’Ange, and Cascade Chamouzé.
The 23 Coloured Earth
The 23 Coloured Earth is the result of the volcanic eruption of the Bassin Blanc. The mineral and chemical composition of the molten rock changes progressively producing different colors of the soil.
Zipline
Ziplines offer a birds-eye view of the park. There are different packages ranging from 500 meters to 1600 meters. Professional guides are available.
Nepalese bridge
Nepalese bridge is a 350 meter long bridge suspended at a height of 80 to 100 metres above the forest canopy. You get a panoramic view of the south of the island from this bridge.
Mountain Luge Kart
Mountain Luge Kart provides a thrilling experience to the riders as they manage their speed and regulate their experience.
Rock Garden is inspired by the ZEN gardens of Japan. Flowers and plants are grown on rocks of different sizes and shapes. The environment contains rocks, trees, shrubs, flowers, grass, sand, corals, cobbles and pebbles that blend with the musical tunes of cascading water entering a tranquil pond.
The park is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 and the entrance fee is Euro 9 per adult and 5 per child (6-11). More than 20 quads and buggies are available for 1 or 2 hours to explore the park.
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.
The Botanic Garden, formally known as Sir Seewoosagur Botanic Garden, is one of the most visited attractions in Mauritius.
National Botanical Garden
The garden is located in the proximity of Port-Louis. The botanical garden was first opened nearly 300 years ago. It is populated with more 650 varieties of plants including the famous Baobabs. There are also 85 different varieties of palm trees brought from different corners of the world. The garden also contains the Palmier Bouteille, the Giant Water Lilies, dozens of medicinal plants, a large spice garden and many more. You also can enjoy the smells of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, camphor, lemon, eucalyptus, sandalwood, and others.
Lilli Pond
There is a 200-year-old Buddha-tree and the crosstree, with leaves shaped like a cross. You can visit the Java Deer reserve and the giant Aldabra tortoise park.
National Botanical Garden
Castle of Mon Plaisir, built by the British in the middle of the 19th century, which is a historical monument, is also found in the gardens.
The garden covers an area of around 25,110 hectares (62,040 acres). Entrance fee to the garden is $8 per adult and children under the age of five are admitted free of charge. Guides are available at the entrance of the garden. A guide will cost 1 euro/hour per person. The payment for the guides is made at the entrance of the botanical garden.
The garden management request the visitors to refrain from feeding the animals both aquatic and terrestrial, plucking flowers, fruits or any other plant, lighting fires, swimming and fishing, throwing coins in ponds or on water lilies, consuming alcoholic drinks and smoke, and climbing on the trees, monuments, buildings and structures.
Saint Gabriel church is located at the heart of Rodrigues Island and has one of the largest Port Louis diocese congregations. The religious building serves as a cathedral of the Catholic Church’s Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues. About 32.7% of the Mauritian population adheres to Christianity and Christian beliefs. Christianity was introduced in Mauritius with the arrival of the Dutch.
Saint Gabriel Church
The parish of Saint Gabriel, the largest in Rodrigues, includes 33 villages. Placed at the heart of this parish territory, the newly renovated cathedral is a place of worship for more than twelve thousand parishioners.
It is also the seat of the bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Rodrigues. Hundreds of people from all parts of the island gather here every Sunday for the Mass.
Hardworking local volunteers hoisted sand, stone and corals from all parts of the island to build this church, which was completed on 10th December 1939.
There are 2,000 feet of stalactites and stalagmites, which decorate the cave of more than 1000 meters long. The cave is located in the village of Petite Butte. The relief and the tints of the vault are the principal charms that fill one with wonder.Usually guides will accompany you with electric torch, as there is no artificial light inside the cave. The last visit is at 3 p.m. It is advisable for you to carry your own torch as well in case you get lost in the trail.
Caverne Patate
The tourists are allowed to go inside the cave on their own, without taking the help of a guide, but a guided tour is recommended if you’re interested in knowing more about the cave and the various formations inside it. Some places in the cave could be slippery and require some tricky maneuvering. This is where the guide can help you to get through the slippery parts. You may want to wear shoes with good grip and take a light jacket.
Caverne Patate
Literally translating to ‘Sweet Potato Cave’, it is now famous as the longest limestone cave not just in Rodrigues, but in the entirety of Mauritius as well. A visit to the Caverne Patate is a visit to a place that is as old as time itself.
Rodrigues island is home to quite a few caves and caverns which were used in the ancient times by pirates to hoard their treasure.
You need a permit issued by your hotel in Rodrigues or by the “Terres” office in Port-Mathurin to access the cave. As for the natural site, it is accessible 4 times a day: 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. Helmets are mandatory during the visit. Torches are also supplied with helmets at the entrance.
François Leguat Giant Tortoise Reserve is located in Anse Quitor in the Southern coast of Rodrigues island. It is a nature reserve of 20 hectares rich in flora and fauna and spectacular caves. The reserve with the introduction of endemic plants, shrubs and trees, along with protected animal species looks what it was 300 years ago.
The reserve first opened in August 2007as a part of the project La Vanille Reserve in Mauritius. It is named after the 18th century settler François Leguat, who recorded much of the island’s natural flora and fauna before it went extinct.
The reserve is only a few hundred meters from the Rodrigues airport and is right beside Anse Quitor Nature Reserve.
François Leguat Caves
There is a 2km-long walkway through the reserve, surrounded by emerging forest and some very rare plants, along with the luxuriant greenery. On your walk you will come across the giant tortoises which were once present in large numbers. The reserve is now home to over 3000 tortoises and 300,000 plants. The tortoises are well protected and are under careful surveillance now. The tortoises played a crucial role in the health of the island’s indigenous vegetation and ecosystems. Their movements and grazing rejuvenated the vegetation. They also caused the dispersal and germination of the seeds of many plants.
François Leguat Museum
There is also the 500 meters long “Grande Caverne” where your guide will point out the weirdly-shaped stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is well-equipped with lights, handrails, and walkways.
There is also a museum, several education centres,information areas,restaurant, and souvenir shop onsite. The reserve offers guided tours every day at 9.30 a.m, 10.30 a.m, 1.30 p.m, and 2.30 pm.
