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The
peak summer season and best time to dive is October to April.
The remainder of the year is good but the visibility and temperature
drop somewhat. But if you visit in summer, make sure to check
the weather as this is the time when tropical storms are the most
active in this part of the world. Cyclones can last for over a
week !!!
The sea is calmer and warmer on the west coast throughout the
year. The east coast is blown over by the Trade Winds which makes
it colder and rougher. The east coast however, has some of the
best dive sites in Mauritius.
Sites include cliffs, caverns, reefs, pinnacles and wrecks. Many
species of marine life inhabit Mauritius' waters, including sharks,
barracuda, tuna, red-snapper, rays, eels, bass, whales, dolphins,
turtles, over a hundred species of coral, octopus, crabs, squid,
lobsters, gorgonias, lionfish, angelfish, parrotfish, grouper,
seargent-major fish, ancientship wrecks, cliff faces, caverns,
coral reefs and much more. |
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Dive
Services
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Dive
Mauritius
nolansports@intnet.mu
http://www.divemauritius.com/
We are the only diving operation in Mauritius to offer such a
wide variety of techniques and equipment. We have Inspiration
Rebreathers, underwater cameras, Gavin underwater scooters and
a full range of ScubaPro equipment for rental and use by our clientele. |
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Traveler
Tips
Airport
Mauritius is well serviced by a number of main airlines.
Air Mauritius has weekly flights to and from many European
cities as well as to and from the major African cities including
Antananarivo, Cape Town, Durban, Maputo, Harare, Johannesburg,
and Nairobi. In addition, there are flights to and from
Bombay, Delhi, Chennai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur,
Melbourne, Perth and Singapore. British Airways, Air France,
Singapore Airlines and South African Airways operate weekly
flights. A prime destination, Mauritius is only some 12
hours flight from Europe and about 4.5 hours from Johannesburg,
South Africa.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam is the internatinal airport which
is located at Plaisance near the town of Mahebourg in the
south of the island. It would be a good idea to change some
money into Mauritian currencies immediately on arrival.
Flic-en Flacq in the southeast is one hour from the airport
by car, Port Louis the Capital 1Hr, Grand Baie and Perebere
in the north 1.5 Hrs, Le Morne in the southeast 1.5 Hrs,
Belle Mare and Palmar in the east 1.2 Hrs, and Mahebourg
in the south 20 mins. Depending on your destination, transfer
cost varies from 300 to 900 Mauritian rupees.
Flights
Air
Mauritius
1 weekly flight from Milan
1 weekly flight from Chennai
2 weekly flights from Dar Es Salaam
Minimum of 21 weekly flights from Reunion (Gillot)
Minimum of 5 weekly flights from Reunion
(Pierrefonds)
minimumof 21 weekly flights from Rodrigues
3 weekly flights from London (Heathrow)
1 weekly flight from Manchester
1 weekly flight from Brussels and London
15 weekly flights from Paris (CDG)
1 weekly flight from Frankfurt
1 weekly flight from Munich
1 weekly flight from Geneva
1 weekly flight from Vienna
1 weekly flight from Rome (Fiumicino)
1 weekly flight from Johannesburg
2 weekly flights from Johannesburg and Durban
1 weekly flight from Cape Town
1 weekly flight from Melbourne
1 weekly flight from Perth
3 weekly flights from Mumbai
2 weekly flight from Delhi
1 weekly flight from Singapore
2 weekly flights from Hong Kong
5 weekly flights from Antananarivo
2 weekly flights from Narobi
4 weekly flights from Seychelles
Air
France: 6 weekly flights from Paris (Charles de Gaulle)
Air
Austral: Daily flights from Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island
British
Airways: 2 weekly flights from
London (Gatwick) and Narobi, 2 weekly flight from London
(Gatwick)
Condor: 1 weekly flight from Frankfurt, 1 weekly flight
from Munich
South
African Airways: 3 weekly flights
from Johannesburg, 1 weekly flight from Durban and Johannesburg,
1 weekly flight from Cape Town and Durban
Air
Seychelles: 2 weekly flights from
Seychelles
Singapore
Airlines: 1 weekly flights from
Singapore, 1 weekly flights from Johannesburg
Air Zimbabwe: 1 weekly flight from Harare
Air Madagascar: 2 weekly flights from Antananarivo
Entry
A valid passport and a return or onward ticket is a must
for travellers entering Mauritius. Visas are not required
by those from a Commonwealth country, Japan, South Africa,
the USA, the EU and the Scandinavian countries. Those that
do require a visa can usually obtain one for three months,
and they are renewable on request. Mauritian Embassies and
High Commissions issue visas free of charge. Passengers
in transit require no visas but they must continue their
journey within 72 hours of checking in.
Customs
Passengers of 16 years of age and over may import the following
duty free: 250 grammes of tobacco (including cigars and
cigarettes), 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine, ale or
beer, one quarter litre of Eau de Toilette and a quantity
of perfume not exceeding 10 cl. A plant import permit must
be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture, prior to the
introduction of plants and plant material including cuttings,
flowers, bulbs, fresh fruits, vegetables and seeds. All
plants must be declared to Customs immediately on arrival
and are subject to examination. It is prohibited, by law,
to introduce sugar cane and parts thereof, soil micro-organisms
and invertebrate animals.
Health Requirements
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers
over 1 year of age and coming from infected areas. Infected
areas are those areas which according to the World Health
Organisation are included in the endemic zones.
There is no malaria risk in Mauritius or Rodrigues.
Traveler Tips
Business Hours
Generally from 09H00 to 16H00 each Monday to Friday and
a half-day on Saturdays. On the Central Plateau, shops are
open all day on Saturdays and half-day on Thursdays.
Because it is a free port, Mauritius has a number of commercial,
development and offshore banks in addition to the central
banks.
Shopping
Take your pick - packets of Mauritian spice, ship models,
miniature dodos in copper or wood, Mauritian recipe books,
Sega music cassettes, miniatures of island rum, anthurium
flowers, Mauritian tea, T-shirts, shells (make sure you
get a Clearance Certificate), Indian fabrics, basket work,
quilts, hand-embroidered table cloths, pottery, casual wear
and pareos. Knitwear and beachwear can be purchased at factory
prices and duty free shopping includes designerwear, diamonds
and gold jewellery.
Time
Mauritius time is 4 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and
3 hours ahead of mid-European time.
Communications
The country telephone code is +230 and there are no area
codes. Public telephone booths can be found at the airport
and larger hotels. Fax facilities are available at most
hotels. E-communication is also available.
Electricity
The power supply throughout the island is 240 volts. Most
power sockets use the British 3-pin plugs. French 2-pin
plugs are also in use all over the island. If you intend
to bring electrical appliances with you it would be a good
idea to have your own adaptor.
Dress
Beachwear is a popular form of dress in Mauritius. Otherwise,
dress is casual although most hotels do not allow guests
to wear shorts or T-shirts in the restaurants or bars in
the evenings. Between June and October, a jacket or tracksuit
top is recommended. Dress appropriately when visiting religious
shrines and remove shoes when entering mosques and temples.
Tipping
There is no hard and fast rules about tipping in Mauritius
and it is not generally expected. It is at the discretion
of the customer whether to tip or not.
Water
Tap water in Mauritius is usually safe to drink. However
you need to take precaution in case of heavy rainfall and
flooding. In such situations it is advisable to drink boiled
or bottled water.
Weather
In the central part of the island, 1968 ft. / 600 metres
above the sea level, the average maximum day-time temperature
varies from about 68 F / 20 C in August to about 79 F /
26 C in February. Along coastal areas, the temperatures
are generally higher. The western and northern regions are
warmer and relatively drier than the East and the South. |
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Worldwide
Destinations Menu | SYP Main Page
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1994 - 2008
Operators' Rates/Services Subject to Change
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