The adventurous side of Mauritius

Sweat gushes from my pores and my temples throb from the heat. I lean against a tree to recuperate, looking down on a green blanket of vegetation that rolls out into the clear blue lagoon that surrounds us. "Did you know that 90 percent of tourists in Mauritius do not leave their resort?" Asks guide JeanBony, who visibly has less difficulty with the ascent. We brave the steep slopes of Le Morne, an iconic mountain on the west coast of the island. He does not wait for an answer. “I do not get that. That there are people who come all the way here and then do not go outside the walls of their hotel. There is so much more to experience."

The first direct flight from Schiphol to Mauritius - launched by KLM in October 2017 - makes this tropical island in the Indian Ocean an interesting new

destination for the Dutch market. But what can you actually do, besides sunbathing for hours on the snow-white beaches? I took a month to discover the island. Indeed, Mauritius has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world: white sand, rows of palm trees and a pool-quiet, turquoise blue sea. Yet those who look beyond the tropical view from their beach bed will discover that Mauritius has many other faces.

Although many of the native tropical forests of Mauritius have disappeared, the adventurer can easily fill a holiday full of outdoor activities in desolate nature. I didn't meet another soul like this on a kayak tour through the mangrove tunnels of Île d’Ambre, a 140-hectare protected natural area, about a fifteen minute paddle from the northeast coast of Mauritius. Birds sing to me from the sheltered foliage that hangs over the calm water, and fish jump out in front of my kayak. We dock at the small island in the lagoon of Mauritius. A short walk takes me past ancient ruins of the French settlers and through intertwined Indian fig trees that form a gate across the path. Then we paddle further across teal water to the neighboring island of Bernache for a picnic on the beach, in the shade of

tall Australian pine trees. During my quest for adventure in Mauritius, I befriend Romina Tello Soberanes from Mexico. Together with her Mauritian husband Gerald Ami, she set up Mauritius Conscious: the first travel organization to organize sustainable tours across the island. "Sustainable tourism is still in its infancy in Mauritius, but we are seeing a growing demand," she says. "Yet many tourists still ask me about the standard tours the island promotes: swimming with dolphins, a trip to Île aux Cerfs, or a boat trip around Crystal Rock. I try to explain to them that there are so many special places in Mauritius, such as the walk along seven waterfalls, ziplining or a morning stand-up paddle boarding on the Tamarind River at sunrise. "

And that's what I get to experience this trip. During an electric mountain bike tour along the south coast of the island, I see a side of Mauritius that is advertised nowhere. Winding dirt roads, with casuarina forests on one side and the deep blue

sea on the other, take me through fishing villages, where Mauritians have a beer or a game of boules in the shade of palm trees. We cycle from the town of Bel Ombre, on the south coast, to the foot of Le Morne, the mountain I previously climbed puffing and panting.

Le Morne is one of the many surprising walking tours I have taken on this trip. Although trails are often poorly marked, there is a world to discover for hikers in Mauritius. For example, after a short hike I was all alone at the top of a 150-meter-high waterfall and toiled, jumped and swam along, under and through the waterfalls and natural pools in the Tamarind Valley.

On one of my last days on the island - after more than a month it is now really time to travel on - I hike the South Coast Trail at sunset, where the sea explodes violently against the rocks. I balance over a bridge of basalt stone and look out over the rugged coast, where mist gently trickles down.

As with so many places in Mauritius, this route is not listed in travel guides. You must know it. It takes some research and the right contacts, but for adventurers this island is home to many treasures. From hiking tours through protected rainforests and mountain climbing to the highest peaks, to kayaking on rivers surrounded by colonies of bat dogs and monkeys. This is the Mauritius I got to know. A Mauritius that begs you to get out and about.