Travel with children
Mauritius is the ideal destination for a full-fledged family vacation. The island features a wide array of activities for children to have wonderful memories to cherish back home. Whether you are looking for sports and leisure activities, nature outings or pedagogical tours to enjoy with your family, the island is full of options: museums, leisure parks, nature reserves and water activities. Various activities and entertainment are also available for different age groups at the Kids’ clubs in most hotels. With these, children will be sure to bring back unforgettable experiences from their holidays in Mauritius.
Kids & Teens Club
Most hotels in Mauritius offer a myriad of activities for the youngest in order to entertain them and keep them busy during the time the family will be spending in the resort. The Kids’ Clubs offer pedagogical and sports activities inside the hotel or at the beach. Painting or cooking workshops are also regularly organised in some hotels, and they will even have the opportunity to learn the Mauritian Sega during dance classes!
The museums
The best way to learn about a country in a limited time is obviously to visit its museums. This activity will be appreciated by both children and their parents. On the list of places to go, there are the Natural History Museum in Port Louis, where you will learn more about the legendary extinct Dodo, and the Blue Penny Museum, also in the capital city, with its famous Blue Penny stamps that have travelled the world; there is also the Photography Museum which traces the history of photography in Mauritius. In the south, stop over at the Naval Museum in Mahebourg and immerse into the naval battle between the French and the British in 1810, and then, head towards Vieux Grand Port, see how the Dutch landed on the island in 1638 at the Frederick Hendrick Museum and its adjacent ruins. L'Aventure du Sucre museum in Pamplemousses is a must to understand the history of sugar in Mauritius, and take the opportunity to taste some sweet treats!
Meeting the animals of the savannah, a childhood dream!
Who has not dreamed of approaching animals of the African savannah? What about getting close to lions, tigers, giraffes and other typical species from the African fauna, or even touch them, but without taking any risks? It is possible in Mauritius! Walking with lions, feeding giraffes, driving through a reserve where you will come across rhinos, antelopes, ostriches, deer, in a completely safe context, this is what awaits you in the west of the island, where the climate recalls that of the African savannah. The activities are strictly supervised, especially for the walking with lions’ activity where a minimum age and height are required to be able to access them. Delightful experiences for young and young at hearts!
Encounter with centenary Turtles
Children are all fascinated by animals, and in Mauritius there are sites that are home to all kinds of creatures. In the south, the nature park located in Rivière des Anguilles shelters a wide variety of species, including the famous giant tortoises that became extinct and reintroduced later on in Mauritius, and which can live for nearly 150 years! Alongside endemic and native species, there are the crocodiles, introduced in Mauritius, that are as frightful as fascinating. Children will however be touched by the baby crocodiles that they may hold in their hands, just the time for a souvenir photo. They will learn more about the need to preserve the environment by seeing the Mauritian Kestrel and the Pink Pigeon, two species that came very close to extinction, just like the Mauritian Bat, one of the largest in the world and the only endemic mammal in the Mascarenes islands.
The thrill of taking heights
Ziplining is definitely an activity that will enthuse children … and parents as well! Let yourself slide over the forests and green clearings, it’s quite an adventure! There are several parks where zip lines can be accessed in the west and south, the longest in the Indian Ocean! Zip lines can be practiced by everyone, no specific sports level required. There is, however, a minimum age and size requisite for some zip lines. These thrilling activities are highly supervised and take place in a completely safe environment, just let yourself go and enjoy the magnificent landscapes around and below you.
Meet the dolphins
Another childhood dream is to encounter a dolphin in the middle of the ocean. Mauritius is a privileged habitat for dolphins, a blessing for sea lovers! To have the chance to see them, boat trips are organised very early, most of the time on the west coast, in Tamarin or Black River. It is a bliss, but above all an honour to be able to approach these mammals in their natural environment, this is why we must respect them. Just watch and be amazed, these are magical moments to immortalize!
