Submerged within the azure Indian Ocean, an atmospheric melody I’m imagining became orchestrated utilizing mermaids fills my ears as we slowly waft via the water coming near the website of the Star Hope shipwreck. It’s considered one of the dozens of ships scuttled off the coast of Mauritius to create “5-star fish resorts,” says our submarine captain, Samuel.
It’s now not every day you discover yourself at 35 meters underneath sea degree, exploring the depths of the ocean in a submarine. In fact, it simply is a rarity, with simply 12 tourist subs in the international and the Blue Safari Submarine tour I’m on is the handiest one inside the Indian Ocean. It’s a peaceful and dreamy feeling inside the small 10-seater vessel, in which the whole thing is solid in an ordinary blue mild as the color absorption modifications the deeper we move. I spend most of the 45-minute ride with my eyes glued to the porthole, taking in the real-life tropical aquarium as patterned fish dart inside and outside of softly waving coral, wonderful schools of shiny silver trevally flash by, and graceful sea turtles gently go with the flow beyond.
Back on the surface, the reality of my environment is no much less stunning as we change submarine for speedboat and drift again to the postcard-ideal white sandy shore, sandwiched between turquoise water and jungle-protected volcanic mountains. Our morning beneath the ocean is just one of many experiences that make a ride to Mauritius unforgettable. Located off the coast of Africa, this tiny island country is well-known for its 330 kilometers of shoreline broken up with the aid of seashores, lagoons, and reef, and deservedly called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It’s captivating; four hundred-year-vintage human histories have created a cultural melting pot where Creole, Indian, French, British and Asian effects permeate the whole thing from the delicacies to the architecture, to create a tantalizing area very own.
“Mauritius was made first, after which heaven; and … heaven became copied after Mauritius,” – Mark Twain
To get a feel of Mauritius, far from the pristine beaches, we assignment to the capital, Port Louis. We wander beyond 18th-century French colonial homes within the old town and spot the stately white Government House, earlier than ducking into the bustling crucial market, jammed with stalls and people. Pyramids of pineapples, mounds of chilies, and bundles of bananas are sold along with everything from dried vanilla beans to clothing to homewares.
Skipping the tempting road meals– think Creole curries, sugarcane juice, preserved pineapples, and samosas – we pressure back down the island’s west coast for half of an hour to our steeply-priced digs, Maradiva Villas Resort and Spa. Located near Flic-en-Flac on a secluded beachfront inside the Black River area of the island’s southwest, Maradiva is every other slice of paradise. The 5-superstar, villa-only inn is owned through a Mauritian circle of relatives and is the simplest, certainly one of its type on the island. Dotted among 10 hectares of lush gardens, each of the 65 decadent villas has a personal plunge pool and daybed, outside front room region, and a massive lavatory the dimensions of a small condominium.
