Champe Mars Racecourse

Mauritius has a busy horse-racing programme from around May to the end of November with 24 to 26 race days, most of them on Saturdays at the Champ de Mars racecourse in Port Louis. It is in a striking setting with a backdrop of gaunt mountains like a natural amphitheatre. The big race is the Derby, held at the end of August.Admission to the central area is usually free and you get the chance to mix with thousands of betting crazy locals.

Tickets are required to enter the grandstands on one side but entry to the arena surrounded by the track is free.

You can visit Rodrigues Island almost any time of the year the climate here is pleasantly warm and somewhat drier than that of Mauritius. The island is prone to periodic cyclones, sometimes quite severe, between the months of November to May. Most of the precipitation takes place during the months of February and March. Average temperature during winters is 15ºC in the winters while it is around 30ºC in the summers.

This house is the Mauritius governor's residence, now used by the military. Unfortunately the house is open to the public only two days a year, in March and October.

Le Reduit, which means 'refuge', was built in 1778 by the French governor Barthelemy David, who succeeded Mahe de La Bourdonnais. You can still walk around the gardens. The grounds are open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to noon.

In the Port Louis district, no fewer than 66 national monuments have been designated. The Rum Warehouse Building near Immigration Square was deproclaimed and dismantled but a new national monument, the old wooden home of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, has been added to the list. While some of the Port Louis monuments are buildings, such as the General Post Office, Fort Adelaide, Line Barracks, Trou Fanfaron Police Station near the Port Louis waterfront, and Government House, others are statues and tombs. There are 62 other national monuments throughout the country.

Robert Edward hart (1891-1954) was a renowned Mauritius poet, appreciated by the French and English alike. He wrote in French and translations of his poetry are hard to find. He lived out the last 13years of his life at Le Nef, a coral beach cottage about 500m east along the shore from the Souillac Bus Park. It was taken over by public in 1967 the bedroom and kitchens have been maintained. On display are copies and originals of Hart’s letters, plays, speeches and poetry, as well as his spectacles, pith helmet and fiddle.