Telephones

Basic telephony was introduced in Mauritius in 1883. Today, Mauritius Telecom operates nearly 360,000 fixed telephone lines and provides good service. Its subsidiary Cellplus Mobile Communications is the cellular phone service provider.

Pay phones are available at customer service centres in all the towns of the island. Roaming agreements are available with international mobile phone companies.

Public telephone booths are present at the airport and in major hotels. There are no internal area codes for telephones in Mauritius. The cost of landline calls and local mobile calls is the same, so it makes sense to have a mobile phone with a local card, especially if you are going to do business on the island.

Internet

Internet access is good in the country and there are several service providers. Each service provider uses a different technology to provide Internet access. While MTML uses CDMA 2000, Nomad makes use of WiMax and Emtel uses HSDPA (3.5G). However Mauritius Telecom retains the monopoly and provides dial-up & AMDSL services for existing telephone lines. There are plenty of Internet cafes, so you can have access to e-mail in most places.

Postal Service                        

The government owned Mauritius Postal Service is known as "The Mauritius Post Ltd". Post offices are present in all towns.  Airmail to Western Europe generally takes around seven days.

Opening Times

- Monday-Friday: 08:15 am to 11:15 pm and 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
- Saturdays: 08:15 am to11:45 am 

The island country of Mauritius is situated in the southern hemisphere just above the Tropic of Capricorn. The climate is typically tropical with only two seasons which are the reverse of the climate occurring in the northern hemisphere.

It has a warm dry winter from May to November with the time from June to August being the coolest; and a hot, wet, humid summer from November to May with December to February being the hottest months. Mauritius witnesses cyclonic weather from December until March.

The west coast receives more rain and is more humid than the east coast. The west coast is also hotter, while the east coast is windier. The driest month is October.Temperatures are quite constant during the whole year, averaging 27ºC in summer and 20ºC in winter, and peak to 31ºC in the summer.

Click here to view the current weather conditions in Mauritius. 

The currency of Mauritius is the Mauritian Rupee (MUR), which is further divided into 100 cents (cs). Credit cards are normally accepted by banks and most hotels, restaurants and tourist shops.

Click here to view the current exchange rate from OANDA.com - The Currency Site.

Average Costs (approximate guide only)

- Accommodation - Low/ Mid/ Deluxe (Rs 2,000/ Rs 2,000-10,000/ Rs 10,000)
- Meal Prices - Cheap/ Mid/ Deluxe (Rs 150/ Rs 150-250/ Rs 250+)- Cup of Coffee - Rs 30.00
- Small Bottle of Beer Rs - 50.00
- Sandwich - Rs 45.00
- Litre of Bottled Water - Rs 15.00
- Souvenir T-shirt - Rs 200.00
- Street Snack (dahl puris) - Rs 7.00
- Scuba Dive (including gear) - Rs 1000.00

Banking Hours

- Monday to Thursday: 9.15 am to 3.15 pm
- Friday: 9.15 am to 3.30 pm
- Saturday: 9.15 am to 11.15 am (Some banks only).

Population: 1,250,882 (July 2007 est.)
Total Area: 2,040 sq km
Capital: Port Louis
Time Zone: UTC +4 hours

Click here to view the current time in Port Louis.

English is the official language of Mauritius and all government documents are drafted in English. In addition, French is used as the language of instruction in the Mauritian educational system. Most of the local population speaks French and the language dominates the print as well as broadcast media.  English films and television programmes are also dubbed in French. Corporate and business affairs also use French as the language of preference.

Mauritian Creole, also called Morisyen, is a widely spoken language and has a resemblance to the French style of pronunciation. However, there are marked differences in the two languages as Creole does not have some of the consonants which French uses. The language also borrows vocabulary from Portuguese and English.

Ethnically, nearly 69 percent of the population is of Indian descent. Hence a number of Indian languages such as Bhojpuri, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi and Punjabi are also spoken in Mauritius. Dialects of the Chinese language such as Cantonese, Hakka and Mandarin are also spoken in the country. 

Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census).

British, Australian, Canadian, USA and Other EU countries (except Bulgaria and Romania who obtain a two-week visa on arrival) do not require visas for holidays to Mauritius.

Travellers should allow 1 month to obtain a visa if required. There is no cost for a tourist visa. All visitors are allowed to stay no longer than 3 months and must have a valid passport, visa, return or onward passage tickets, and adequate funds.

It is recommended you check all Mauritius visa, passport and entry requirements with your relevant consulate prior to travel.

Along with Reunion and Rodrigues, Mauritius forms an archipelago which was created due to a series of underwater volcanic eruptions. These form the Mascarene group of islands. Mauritius and Rodrigues are no longer volcanically active. Studies show that they were formed 8-10 million years ago.

The Reunion Island, which is 145 kilometres southwest of Mauritius, is a territory under French control. Volcanic hotspots are found in this island. All three islands are formed on submarine ridges. Mauritius is formed around a central plateau with Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire being the highest peak at 828 metres.

Being a tropical country, there are certain precautions visitors need to take when on a visit to Mauritius. While it comes under the risk area of dengue fever also known as break bone fever, for which no vaccine is available, it should be noted that no case of dengue fever has been reported for many years now.

However, insect protection, especially against mosquitoes, must be used at all times. This is particularly true for areas where the viral illness Chikungunya, which is spread by the mosquito Aedes albopictus, is prevalent. These mosquitoes are generally prevalent in rural areas, but they are also found to be present in beach areas that tourists visit. Cases of Chikungunya have been reported in the year 2005. The disease leads to swollen joints and rashes, the effects of which last from a few weeks to several months.

However, this shouldn't put you off from making a visit to Mauritius. All you need to do is take some basic precautions such as using a good mosquito repellent, which should be reapplied if you have gone for a swim. Make sure the hotel provides insect sprays for the rooms, or better still do it yourself. An electric mosquito repellent should also do the trick. To get even more foolproof protection, try sleeping under a mosquito net. These precautionary methods will also help in keeping the malarial mosquitoes at bay.

The CDC also recommends a vaccination against Hepatitis A for all travellers going towards East Africa. This is particularly relevant after an epidemic which hit the country in 1989. A medical survey in 1991 showed that 86 percent of the population had antibodies against Hepatitis A, showing that they had been exposed to the virus.

Schistosomiasis is another disease for which there are no vaccines or tablets available. Though there is a marked reduction in the occurrence of schistosomiasis, it is recommended that bathing in fresh water bodies should be avoided.  Swimming in chlorinated water and sea water reduces the risk and is quite safe.

It is also recommended that you wear plastic shoes or slippers while walking on a beach to protect against sharp corals, stonefish and sea urchin. In extreme cases stonefish stings can also be fatal. Some species of reef fish in Mauritius are found to have neurotoxins, which you may need to guard yourself against. You are also advised not to eat peanuts or drink alcohol if you have eaten reef fish like snapper, mullet, and sea bass as the combination is not supposed to mix well.

There are some species of fish which eat toxic algae that grow on the coral reefs. The intestine and testes of these fish accumulate high concentrations of these toxins and hence eating these fish body parts should be avoided.  Symptoms due to poisoning by toxic fish include vomiting and diarrhoea and numbness in the arms and legs.

If you think that a typical Mauritian has specific traits, then you will be mistaken. This is because Mauritius is an amalgamation of different cultures. Racially you will find whites, African and Indian Mauritians.

There are also Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist Mauritians and each has a distinct style of living but all fit in together as a nation. All communities respect the traditions and customs of the other community and come together to celebrate several occasions.

March 12^th, in particular, is an important day for all Mauritians as this was the day when the late Prime Minister, Dr. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, achieved independence for Mauritius from British rule in 1968. He is revered even today as the father of Mauritius. His son, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, is the current Prime Minister of Mauritius.

The Mauritians value their freedom and make sure that their children too appreciate it. Indeed, all schools make sure that the children sing their national anthem everyday before classes commence.  

Mauritius was formed by underwater volcanic eruptions and is sheltered by natural barriers of coral reefs.  These form natural and crystal clear lagoons which have been a popular destination for tourists.

Mauritius was known to Arab traders as early as the 10^th century. However, it was only after the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas's arrival on this island that Mauritius became known to the rest of the world. Subsequent to this discovery, Mauritius was occupied by the Dutch from 1598 to 1712 and then by the French from 1715 to 1810.

Through the Treaty of Paris, Mauritius came under the rule of Great Britain. It finally became an independent country on March 12^th, 1968. On March 12^th, 1992, Mauritius became known as the Republic of Mauritius.