Day 3. Piton Mauritius Trail and general impressions
Start here >>>
Immediately from the start you find yourself on a path framed on the sides and top by trees (well, or a very tall and long shrub, such as bamboo). Almost all the way to the mountain you go through this “tunnel”. A visual aid on the topic "impenetrable jungle". It is almost impossible to take a step to the side almost everywhere. The trail goes along the traverse (ridge), in some places you see that the open space is literally five meters away from you, but nothing is visible because of the vegetation. Underfoot is a very difficult terrain - tree roots and stones. Clay, in the rain there will be a swamp, an additional difficulty. But I was lucky with this - it was dry. My shoes were appropriate for the moment - sneakers with a mountain slope, so there were no problems, but I stepped very carefully. The very last section (200 m) is the ascent to the final point, the top of the mountain, steep enough for help ropes to be installed. I got up without any problems, and even with a liter bottle of water (25 or more - no expenses per day) in my hand, but I strongly advise “pregnant pensioners” to go here.
The top of Little Black River Peak (828 m) is a flat area 10 meters in diameter, there is a bench. The views are fantastic in all directions! Almost the entire island is in full view. I spent an hour and a half at the top, of which 40 minutes were completely alone. Wonderful meditation. Then the way back - along the same path.
The total length of the route is 6.8 km, the height difference is 257 m. The travel time of Alltrails gives 3 hours, the taxi driver gave 4 hours, I managed it in 6.5 hours)))). I had a task to spend the whole day outdoors, and I successfully completed it)))).
How did I even get here? The first day on the beach got a little burnt (there was no sunscreen). Therefore, I was afraid to go to the beach. Yes, and on the first day I got drunk from the heart already. In addition, the first third of the track "Waterfalls of Alexandria" fascinated me. I googled Trecking Mauritius, found the Alltrails thematic application (I recommend it for finding hiking routes), chose from the tops the duration that suited me (not too long, since I had business in the morning) and not too short.
For an enthusiastic assessment, there is not enough variety of landscapes on the route. Just good.
Photo on the way to the mountain (from the mountain):
Photo from the top of the mountain:
Taxi back and forth 3000, taxi driver, the same as the first day. Discount "for a friend" 500 from 3500 (according to him) +23.5794 6662. Better car than Yash, with air conditioning. But the price is more IMHO.
According to the results, if you decide to devote a day to the nature of Mauritius, I recommend Alexandria Falls with a mandatory passage of the track and Chamarel Waterfall & Chamarel Colored Earth. Ganga Talao - Grand Bassin - optional if time and effort permit.
Before starting my exploration of Mauritius, there were doubts whether it would not be very similar to Martinique and Guadeloupe (island, volcano, rainforest) that I already knew well. Fears were not justified, fortunately - Mauritius is quite a unique and original place.
According to living creatures. The birds are really very beautiful and diverse, but I came across only in single quantities. I saw monkeys three times (4 individuals in total), beautiful, well-groomed. Twice I saw flying large bats (I think flying foxes).
Covid frenzy.
In the hotel, taxis are wearing masks. At tourist sites, although they were all outdoors, 90% wear masks. I chose the 10% side. Even on the beach, very few individuals wear masks, but not in the water.
When checking into a hotel - an express covid test, right in the room upon check-in, by Belboy. The day before departure - the covid test is already in the medical deposit. But maybe this does not apply to tourists.
I was in the territorial waters of Mauritius for work. From the end of March to the end of December. The covid frenzy kept me from leaving the boat during my stay, but together with the lack of air tickets, gave me 3 full (almost) days for tourism.
The exchange rate of local money against the dollar - official. 43 (you can’t change it anywhere without a commission), hotel 39 (taking into account the commission, on hand). The first time I changed it at an ATM - according to my impressions, the commission is not less than the hotel one. Judging by the reviews, only local money goes to Mauritius. So I didn't even try to pay in dollars.
