After lunch we continued our island exploration by visiting a rum factory. Until recent times sugar cane was the most important crop on the island and Mauritius rum is reckoned to be some of the best on the planet. First we visited the equipment used in extracting sugar from the cane and the fermentation vats.

Second, we were invited to sample different rum varieties including coconut and vanilla flavoured tipples. The rum works were surrounded by a lovely garden.

We then entered Mauritius’s largest natural park the Black River gorges and forest. This forms part of the Chamarel region, one the most scenic areas of the island. Reaching a viewpoint we spotted the Black River dividing into two spectacular waterfalls known as Alexandra falls.

In the luscious forest surrounding us the trees included tropical pines, palms and baobab. There are several hikes to be made from here. Unfortunately we could only manage a short walk with the time at our disposal but Mauritius is truly a rambler’s paradise.

A section of the forest has been laid bare to reveal an astonishing phenomenon, that of different rocks displaying a variety of colours from blue, through brown to red according to the ferric amount they contain. I’ve seen photos of these rocks revealing much more lively shades than we were able to capture. Is that due to the way the sun’s rays hits them at different times of day I wonder?

Further down was a paddock containing giant Aldabra tortoises. There wasn’t a peep from any of them, not even a twitch from one of if their flippers. Perhaps they were hibernating? I don’t quite think so since, although Mauritius is now entering its winter season, temperatures remain well into the high twenties.

We returned in twilight via Port Louis, the Mauritian capital. Traffic around here was intense even in spite of a stretch of six lane motorway. More practical to solve congestion around the city is the 26 mile long metro light railway, built with help from India, which has recently been inaugurated. It goes to the town of Cure-Pipe which used to be the place where the old steam locomotives would have their boilers cleaned out – hence the name. For until 1960 Mauritius used to have an extensive standard gauge rail system covering the whole island. From that time to 2019 it was bereft of chemins de fer. Now, in common with many other world urban centres, railways are making a comeback.