Ten Interesting Facts about Mauritius

Introduction

Listing ten interesting facts about Mauritius is easy. This small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is not only incredibly beautiful, but also famous for many unusual attractions, plants, animals, and fascinating history. The more you read about it, the more you discover.

Some of the most interesting facts about Mauritius include its renowned Post Office stamps, a famous quote from Mark Twain who visited the island many years ago, the presence of stonefish (the world’s most poisonous fish), and the Seven Colored Earth, an amazing geological formation.

Check out my list of the most interesting facts about Mauritius and learn more about them. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Ten interesting Facts about Mauritius

Mauritius remained uninhabited by people for thousands of years

Because Mauritius Island was not on a major sea route, it was discovered only in the 15th century. While it is possible that the Arabs who sailed and traded along the African coast could have sighted Mauritius, there is no evidence of this in their early maps. The earliest mention of Mauritius we have is from 1500. At that time, a Portuguese explorer Diogo Diaz visited the island after his ship was diverted by a violent storm as he was going around the Cape of Good Hope. Several other Portuguese voyagers visited the island soon after. They were mostly interested in commerce and did not provide detailed accounts of the island’s fauna or other useful details.

In 1598, Mauritz van Nassau, Prince of Orange, sent a fleet of eight ships to explore the Indian Ocean. They eventually made it to the Isla do Cerne (as Mauritius was called by earlier explorers) and renamed it Mauritius after the benefactor of their voyage. In the early 17th century, Mauritius started seeing many more visitors. The island became a frequent stop for voyagers from France, Holland, Spain, and Britain. The Dutch settled in Mauritius and built a fort there.

Mauritius has very few dangerous animals, but it has the most poisonous fish in the world

Compared to other African countries, there are no dangerous snakes or large predators in Mauritius that could pose a threat to people. No lions, tigers, or leopards live (or have ever lived) on this island. You will not encounter pythons, black mambas, or other venomous snakes common in Africa, either.

Among the potential threats, which are very rare, we can list stonefish, sea urchins, and venomous spiders or scorpions. The stonefish is the world’s most poisonous fish, which camouflages itself very well at the bottom of the ocean. You need to wear protective shoes. However, the likelihood of you stepping on this fish in Mauritius is extremely low (so don’t worry about it). After traveling to many other African countries, I find the lack of dangerous animals to be one of the most interesting facts about Mauritius.

Mauritius is home to the Mare aux Songes (Pond of Dreams), the most productive paleontological site in the whole Indian Ocean

The Mare aux Sanges is located in the southwest of Mauritius. Thousands of years ago, the Mare aux Songes was a lake frequented by animals and birds. Eventually, it turned into a swamp. The first remains of the dodo were discovered there in 1865 by a British railway engineer. He found remains of about 300 dodos there. In 1885, another researcher explored the Mare aux Songes and discovered more remains of dodos and other extinct animals. Unfortunately, no more work was done on this site for over a hundred years.

However, in 2005, a team of international researchers commenced exploring this site. This led to the amazing discovery of many bones of dodos, giant tortoises (e.g., saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise, domed Mauritius giant tortoise), and other extinct animals (Mauritius owl, pink pigeon). These animals died there during a major drought 4,500 years ago.

The Post Office stamps of Mauritius are some of the most famous and sought-after in the world

Mauritius is known as “mecca” for philatelists. Two stamps issued in Mauritius back in 1847- the orange red one penny and a deep blue two pence- were the first stamps issued in the British Empire outside of Great Britain. They featured the profile of Queen Victoria. On the left margin, they had an inscription reading “Post Office”.

Most of the Post Office stamps of Mauritius were used on invitations to the Grand Ball organized by Lady Elizabeth Gomm, the wife of Sir William Maynard Gomm (the Governor of Mauritius). The surviving stamps are generally held in private collections, but some are on display in the British Library in London. The British Library also displays the original invitation to the Grand Ball.

The iconic Bordeaux cover is the only surviving cover that featured both the red one penny and a deep blue two pence. It was mailed on October 4, 1847, from Port Louis, Mauritius, by Edward Francis & Co. to a wine merchant in Bordeaux, France. The letter confirmed the sale of 30 of the 48 wine cases received earlier. Both stamps on the cover are bright and fresh. The Bordeaux cover sold in 1993 for about US$5 million, making it the most expensive philatelic item in the world until 2014. It is now held in a private collection and only occasionally displayed at major philatelic exhibitions. The iconic Bordeaux cover is definitely one of the most interesting facts about Mauritius!

Pamplemousses botanical gardens in Mauritius are the oldest botanical gardens in the southern hemisphere

The Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens were founded in 1770. This is the first botanical garden in the southern hemisphere and the first tropical botanic garden in the world. The name “Pamplemousses” comes from the name of the citrus plant called pamplemoussier, which was introduced from Java by the Dutch settlers. There are 800 species of plants in the botanical garden, among which are 80 species of palms. The gardens cover 33 hectares.

Some of the must-see plants in the botanical gardens include the baobab tree (featured above), the sausage tree, the fish poison tree (its seeds can kill fish), water lilies, giant lilies, and all of the different types of palm trees (bottle palms, royal palms, and even a talipot palm, which blooms every 40 years and then dies!)

If you want to see the views of the botanical gardens and other interesting things in Mauritius, check out the video my daughter and I put together:

Mauritius is the only place in the world where you can find the Seven Colored Earth

This amazing geological formation, which reveals 600 million years of history, is in the southwest of the island. It comprises sand dunes of different colors, including red, purple, brown, green, blue, violet, and yellow.

These sands formed from the decomposition of volcanic rock into clay. The two main elements of soil are iron (responsible for red color and its variations) and aluminum (responsible for purple and blue color). These sands do not seem to erode despite frequent rains. The existence of this amazing geological formation is definitely one of the most interesting facts about Mauritius.

Author Mark Twain visited Mauritius and mentioned it in his travelogue

As you probably know, Mark Twain was an avid traveler. He spent over ten years traveling and living in different countries, including Europe, the Middle East, Hawaii, and India.

Mark Twain visited Mauritius back in 1896 as part of his “Following the Equator” lecture tour. He later described the trip to Mauritius in his travelogue. This travelogue is a source of a famous quote which referenced a meeting with a local person in Mauritius. According to Mark Twain, the local sentiment about their country was as follows: “Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and heaven was copied after Mauritius.”

Do you agree with this quote? I do, 100%!

It’s amazing to know that Mark Twain visited Mauritius. During those times, it was a super long trip! We estimate that it took Mark Twain about 3-4 weeks to get to the island on a steamship. He likely had to go through the Suez Canal (which was already open at that time) or around Africa. In my view, this is one of the most interesting facts about Mauritius.

Mauritius was once home to the dodo birds, which became extinct due to human intervention

For many centuries, Mauritius was a paradise for the birds and animals living there. Dodos especially thrived in this environment because they were at the end of the food chain and had no predators. They could not fly, but this was not a problem in the predator-free environment. However, in the late 16th century, the first explorers came to the island. They changed the delicate balance, leading to the extinction of dodos and other endemic species. Today, only 9 species of endemic birds remain in Mauritius, out of 18 originally present.

There are multiple reasons for the dodo’s extinction, including hunting by settlers, deforestation that led to habitat loss, and the introduction of competing species, such as monkeys, rats, and pigs. In particular, scientists believe that the introduction of pigs sealed the dodo’s fate. Pigs ate a lot of fruit, which dodos were used to eating, and fed on dodo eggs and small chicks. I had always thought that dodos went extinct because of hunting, but it turns out, there were other factors as well. This is one of the most interesting facts about Mauritius.

Mauritius boasts several waterfalls, including a unique underwater waterfall

The tallest waterfall in Mauritius is a 100-meter single-drop waterfall in Chamarel. It is fed by the waters of the Saint Denis River. The waterfall is named after Charles Antoine de Chazal de Chamarel, who lived in this area in the early 1800’s.

The underwater waterfall is not a real waterfall. It is a stunning, natural optic illusion that is created by runoff sand and silt deposits. The best way to see this incredible illusion is to take a helicopter tour. It is very expensive- prices are 200-300 euros per person for a shared 15-minute tour. It is also possible to go on a hiking tour to go up Le Morne Brabant mountain. This tour will provide a beautiful view of the coast and is much cheaper.

Mauritius was voted the world’s leading island destination multiple times

Mauritius was voted “World’s Leading Island Destination” in 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2025, Mauritius secured three major World Travel Awards, including Indian Ocean’s Leading Beach Destination, Leading Tourist Board, and Leading Wedding Destination. Back in 2023, 1.4 million tourists visited Mauritius. Top countries of visitors included France, the UK, Reunion Island, Germany, and South Africa.

The Final Word

I hope you enjoyed reading about all these interesting facts about Mauritius. I bet that you are now ready to visit this incredible country!