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Mauritius - March 2015
| Ever since we learned about this small island nation in the Indian Ocean, we wanted to visit! Just off the coast of Madagascar, Mauritius is known for its beautiful beaches and lagoons. But it is also very mountainous with rain forests, waterfalls and unique wildlife. In fact, the island is widely known as the only home of the dodo, which, along with several other birds, was made extinct by human activities shortly after the island's settlement. Established as a Dutch colony in 1638, it was also under both French and British control before gaining its independence in 1968. Mauritius is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the largest religion. |
| A little jet-lagged so we were able to catch a beautiful sunrise on the first day! |
| An amazing beach and a rainbow just for us! |
| La Vanille Nature Park and its tortoise sanctuary |
| Meet Domino, the oldest tortoise at the sanctuary... he was born in 1910! All the tortoises have numbers engraved on their shells. After learning that Domino was #61, we searched all around until we found him! |
| Domino on the right -- we decided the other tortoise must be his wife! |
| Giving D a little love |
| Port Louis |
| The Mauritius Institute and the Dodo Museum |