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Mauritius information
ACCOMMODATION

Hotels of Mauritius
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in Mauritius
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RESTAURANTS

Food and
Cuisine
NIGHTLIFE

Nightlife in Mauritius
EXCURSIONS

Hiking
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VISIT

Visit
Mauritius
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Mauritius
 
  

Getting There
There are several daily flights from Europe, Africa and from the neighbouring countries. To and from Europe, there is a trend to consolidate on the major cities of western Europe. Most flights are operated by national companies, namely Air Mauritius, with special agreements with the European National airlines. With the actual determination to further develop the tourism industry, private airlines are landing in Mauritius as from 2006, some more regularly than others.

Asia is regularly served but only via Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

There are also regular flights from Perth Australia but like for some private companies it is difficult for us to be specific as regards to service to and from other Australian cities as service seems to be depending on the airlines' moods.

From the American continent, the best connections are via European airports for North America and via South Africa for South American countries.

Visas

Visa Requirement Country-wise (Source: www.gov.mu)

S/No Country Requirement
1 Afghanistan Visa required prior to travel.
2 Albania Visa for two weeks on arrival.
3 Algeria prior to travel.
4 Andorra Visa required prior to travel.
5 Angola Visa required prior to travel.
6 Antigua and Barbuda No visa required.
7 Argentina No visa required.
8 Armenia Visa for sixty days on arrival.
9 Australia No visa required.
10 Austria No visa required.
11 Azerbaijan Visa for sixty days on arrival.
12 Bahamas No visa required.
13 Bahrain No visa required.
14 Bangladesh Visa required prior to travel
15 Barbados No visa required.
16 Belarus Visa required prior to travel.
17 Belgium No visa required.
18 Belize No visa required.
19 Belize Visa required prior to travel
20 Bhutan Visa required prior to travel
21 Bolivia Visa required prior to travel
22 Bosnia & Herzegovina Visa required prior to travel
23 Botswana No visa required.
24 Brazil Visa for three months on arrival.
25 Brunei Darussalam No visa required.
26 Bulgaria No visa required.
27 Burkina Faso Visa required prior to travel
28 Burundi Visa required prior to travel
29 Cambodia Visa required prior to travel
30 Cameroun Visa required prior to travel
31 Canada No visa required.
32 Cape Verde Visa required prior to travel
33 Chile Visa for three months on arrival.
34 China Visa for sixty days on arrival.
35 Colombia Visa required prior to travel
36 Comoros Visa for two weeks on arrival.
37 Congo (Brazzaville) Visa required prior to travel
38 Central African Rep. Visa required prior to travel
39 Democratic Rep. of Congo Visa required prior to travel
40 Costa Rica Visa required prior to travel
41 Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Visa required prior to travel
42 Croatia Visa required prior to travel
43 Cuba Visa required prior to travel
44 Cyprus No visa required.
45 Czech Republic
(ex Czechoslovakia)
No visa required.
46 Denmark No visa required.
47 Djibouti Visa required prior to travel
48 Dominica No visa required.
49 Dominican Republic Visa required prior to travel
50 Ecuador Visa required prior to travel
51 Egypt Visa required prior to travel
52 El Salvador Visa required prior to travel
53 Equatorial Guinea Visa required prior to travel
54 Equatorial Guinea Visa required prior to travel
55 Estonia Republic No visa required.
56 Ethiopia Visa required prior to travel
57 Fiji Visa for sixty days on arrival.
58 Finland No visa required.
59 France No visa required.
60 France Visa required prior to travel
61 Gambia No visa required.
62 Georgia Visa for sixty days on arrival.
63 Germany No visa required.
64 Germany No visa required.
65 Greece No visa required.
66 Grenada No visa required.
67 Guinea Visa required prior to travel
68 Guatemala Visa required prior to travel
69 Guyana No visa required.
70 Haiti Visa required prior to travel
71 Honduras Visa required prior to travel
72 Hong Kong No visa required for ninety days.
73 Hungary No visa required.
74 Hungary Visa for sixty days on arrival.
75 India Visa for sixty days on arrival.
76 Indonesia Visa required prior to travel
77 Iran Visa required prior to travel
78 Iraq Visa required prior to travel
79 Ireland No visa required.
80 Israel No visa required.
81 Italy No visa required.
82 Jamaica No visa required.
83 Japan No visa required.
84 Jordan Visa for sixty days on arrival.
85 Kazakhstan Visa for sixty days on arrival.
86 Kenya No visa required.
87 Kiribati No visa required.
88 Korea (South Republic) Visa up to sixteen days on arrival.
89 Korea (North) Visa required prior to travel.
90 Kuwait No visa required.
91 Kyrgyzstan Rep. Visa for sixty days on arrival.
92 Laos Visa required prior to travel.
93 Latvia No visa required.
94 Lesotho No visa required.
95 Lebanon Visa for sixty days on arrival.
96 Liberia Visa required prior to travel.
97 Libya Visa required prior to travel.
98 Liechtenstein No visa required.
99 Lithuania No visa required.
100 Luxemburg No visa required.
101 Luxemburg Visa required prior to travel
102 Macedonia
(ex Yugoslav Rep.)
Visa required prior to travel
103 Madagascar Visa for two weeks on arrival.
104 Malawi No visa required.
105 Malaysia No visa required.
106 Maldives No visa required.
107 Mali Visa required prior to travel
108 Malta No visa required.
109 Mauritania Visa required prior to travel
110 Marshall Island Visa required prior to travel
111 Mexico Visa required prior to travel
112 Micronesia Visa required prior to travel
113 Moldova Visa for sixty days on arrival.
114 Monaco No visa required.
115 Mongolia Visa required prior to travel
116 Morocco Visa required prior to travel
117 Mozambique No visa required for sixty days in a calendar year.
Not more than thirty days is granted on each trip.
118 Myanmar (Burma) Visa required prior to travel
119 Namibia Not more than sixty days on each visit.
Not more than sixty days on each visit.
120 Nauru No visa required.
121 Nepal Visa required prior to travel
122 Netherlands No visa required.
123 New Zealand No visa required.
124 Nicaragua Visa required prior to travel
125 Niger Visa required prior to travel
126 Nigeria Prior to travel.
127 Norway No visa required.
128 Oman No visa required.
129 Pakistan Visa required prior to travel
130 Palau Visa required prior to travel
131 Palestinian State Visa required prior to travel
132 Panama Visa required prior to travel
133 Papua New Guinea No visa required.
134 Paraguay Visa for three months on arrival.
135 Peru Visa required prior to travel
136 Philippines Visa required prior to travel
137 Poland No visa required.
138 Portugal No visa required.
139 Qatar No visa required.
140 Reunion Island No visa required.
141 Romania No visa required.
142 Rwanda Visa required prior to travel
143 Russian Federation (Russia) Visa for sixty days on arrival.
144 Samoa (Western) No visa required.
145 San Marino No visa required.
146 Saudi Arabia No visa required.
147 Senegal Visa required prior to travel
148 Seychelles No visa required.
149 Siberia Visa required prior to travel
150 Siberia No visa required.
151 Singapore No visa required.
152 Slovenia No visa required.
153 Slovakia No visa required.
154 Solomon Islands No visa required.
155 Somalia Visa required prior to travel
156 South Africa No visa required.
157 Spain No visa required.
158 St Kitts and Nevis No visa required.
159 St Lucia No visa required.
160 St Vincent & Grenadines No visa required.
161 Suriname Visa required prior to travel
162 Sri Lanka Visa required prior to travel
163 Sudan Visa required prior to travel
164 Syria Visa required prior to travel
165 Swaziland No visa required for sixty days in a calendar year.
Not more than thirty days is granted on each trip.
166 Sweden No visa required.
167 Switzerland No visa required.
168 Tajikistan Visa for sixty days on arrival.
169 Taiwan Visa required prior to travel
170 Tanzania No visa required.
171 Tchad Visa required prior to travel
172 Thailand Visa required prior to travel
173 Togo Visa required prior to travel
174 Tonga No visa required.
175 Trinidad & Tobago No visa required.
176 Tunisia No visa required.
177 Turkey No visa required.
178 Turkmenistan Visa for sixty days on arrival.
179 Tuvalu No visa required.
180 Uganda No visa required.
181 Uganda Visa for sixty days on arrival.
182 United Arab Emirates No visa required.
183 United Kingdom No visa required.
184 United States of America No visa required.
185 Uzbekistan Visa for sixty days on arrival.
186 Uruguay Visa required prior to travel.
187 Vanuatu No visa required.
188 Vatican No visa required.
189 Venezuela Visa required prior to travel
190 Vietnam Visa required prior to travel
191 Yemen Visa required prior to travel
192 Yugoslavia
(Serbia & Montenegro)
Visa required prior to travel
193 Zambia No visa required.
194 Zimbabwe No visa required.


In addition, visas are NOT REQUIRED for those transiting in Mauritius as long as the transit time does not exceed 72 hours.

Those holding passports from countries that are not listed above should take counsel with a travel agency or contact the Mauritian consulate or embassy in their country. In some case, visas need to be obtained prior to departure, in other cases, visas can be delivered on arrival. In any case, all passports must have a minimum validity of 6 months after scheduled date of departure.
Money
Most international currencies are accepted at Mauritian counters but the Mauritian Rupee cannot be traded in any country except occasionally in South Africa and India. Indicative bank rates are proposed in the grid below; rates in hotels are generally higher.

Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted almost everywhere, while Diners Club and American Express are accepted in hotels and only in some other places. Automatic tellers are available and in good working condition in almost every village.

Indicative Exchange Rates are as follows:

Exchange Rates
BUYING
SELLING
CURRENCY
CODE
UNITS
TT
TC / DD
NOTES
TT
TC / DD
NOTES
Australian Dollar AUD 1
25.02
24.89
24.82
26.13
26.13
26.13
Canadian Dollar CAD 1
26.01
25.94
25.46
27.09
27.09
27.09
Danish Kroner DKK 1
5.59
5.51
5.41
5.79
5.79
5.79
Euro EUR 1
40.885
40.779
40.394
42.70
42.70
42.70
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 1
3.43
3.40
3.32
3.57
3.57
3.57
Indian Rupee INR 1
0.6239
0.6158
N.D.
0.6499
0.6499
N.D.
New Zealand Dollar NZD 1
20.24
20.13
19.82
20.97
20.97
20.97
Norwegian Krone NOK 1
5.11
5.09
4.96
5.30
5.30
5.30
Saudi Arabian Riyal SAR 1
7.20
7.14
7.05
7.58
7.58
7.58
Singapore Dollar SGD 1
19.50
19.45
19.35
20.31
20.31
20.31
South African Rand ZAR 1
3.28
3.26
3.22
3.46
3.46
3.46
Swedish Kronor SEK 1
4.46
4.42
4.32
4.62
4.62
4.62
Swiss Franc CHF 1
25.517
25.384
25.25
26.58
26.58
26.58
UAE Dirham AED 1
7.19
7.10
6.66
7.57
7.57
7.57
British Pound Sterling GBP 1
51.59
51.415
51.20
53.81
53.81
53.81
US Dollar USD 1
26.331
26.276
26.01
27.50
27.50
27.64

Health
There are no severe transmissible viruses such as TB or Malarya in Mauritius except for certain rare cases picked up on some frequent travellers. No vaccination is required. The health services are very efficient and closely monitor the arrivals and departures.

The Chikungunya virus has spread out in early 2006, to an extent which is still unknown as official figures differ widely from the rumours. It is certain that the extent was large, causing a sharp drop in tourist arrivals in March and April 2006. As the virus is vectored by a specific type of mosquito, the outbreak gets naturally reduced during the winter (drier) months of May to November. A vast fumigation campaign has been initialised and is being carried out regularly during the winter months, with the aim to completely eradicate the virus.

Mauritians consume tap water and skinless fresh fruits every day, as they are safe. This does not mean that they do not cause diseases, mainly the runs or the "turista" to those who are not yet immune.

For a more comfortable stay, drink only mineral water and accept ice only while in hotels and restaurants treating tap water. Streets are often the best deals and the tastiest. However, they are not always hygienic and often cause diseases. (See "Food & Cuisine.")

Conditions in public hospitals are appalling when compared to European standards but the emergency services are doing fine. The private clinics are generally of good level.
Customs
Customs and immigration is very strict in Mauritius. For an unknown reason, while everything is done abroad to attract tourists, it takes several minutes for an immigration officer to check a passport leaving the impression that visitors are not welcome. It is probably worth mentioning that the case is worse for Mauritian citizens coming back home.

Plants and parts of plants have to be declared at customs and some of them might be forbidden. Sugar cane is one of them. Parts of animals are often prohibited and live animals are subject to a quarantine. It is therefore not worth taking your dog to Mauritius as you will be back home already when it will come out of quarantine.

Drugs are totally prohibited and drug traffickers are liable to maximum imprisonment. Getting caught with cannabis (even for personal consumption) or any other illegal substances may be a serious matter and will surely take you to jail. Although the law provides for possibilities of fast-track trials for visitors, the risk of spending a too long time in jail is high.
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