Winter: The perfect time to travel to Mauritius.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll know that winter (while full of it’s own little quirks and charms) can get a little long in tooth. Especially in South Africa. We’re a nation of summer lovers! Warm evenings, friends, music, beach days, shorts, t-shirts, slip slops and a daily dose of Vitamin D make us happy.

Not these icy cold, rainy days where it’s pitch black before you’ve made your way home through the traffic.

But while we can’t avoid winter, we certainly can escape it for a couple of weeks, and we don’t even have to go very far.

Did you know that Air Mauritius offers DIRECT flights from Johannesburg EVERY day of the week, Cape Town, twice per week and from Durban to Mauritius 3 times per week?

From Cape Town to Mauritius (the longest of the flights from SA) it’s just a little over 5 hours! That’s basically take off, a movie, a short “can’t wait to get there conversation” and then, just before you land you’re looking down in absolute astonishment as you fly over Reunion Island and then you hear an audible gasp from the rest of the passengers as Mauritius comes into view…

…those impossibly turquoise-blue waters are REAL, the lush tropical greens covering the mountainous interior are REAL, the palm trees and white sandy beaches that flirt with the lapping shores are REAL and the tropical fish that flock towards you, as though you’re swimming in an aquarium – all REAL!

So why is winter the perfect time to Travel to Mauritius?

Well,

– Winter isn’t peak season. So we’re talking cheaper accommodation options, flights and cheaper packages in general.

– And while it’s winter in Mauritius too, you’ll be enjoying tropical temperatures of 20-30 degrees Celsius day and night. And the ocean is warm too.

– If you’ve got kids, then going during the school holidays is ideal.

– You also get to do exactly what I started this article saying, you get to split the long, and much harsher South African, winter into two parts.

– You get to go back to work being the envy of your colleagues and you’ll arrive back in a much more positive mindset, ready to tackle the next few months.

If you’re into Kitesurfing, you’ll already know that the southeast coast of Mauritius is an excellent location for the sport. I stayed at the exquisite Dinarobin Hotel Golf and Spa resort and took my very first Kitesurfing lesson in the shadow of Le Morne. Very close to the famous “underwater waterfall” optical illusion of Mauritius.

A few days into my visit I realised that Mauritius was so much more than just a holiday / resort destination with locals working in resorts and serving the tourism industry. It’s not all about sipping coconuts and cocktails.

I could very easily live there.

While I expected breathtaking scenery and island smiles, I was pleasantly surprised by the engaging conversation, the beautiful people and the genuine warmth of the Mauritian people.

I was also surprised to see Spur, Ocean Basket, Panarottis, Shoprite, Engen, Mugg & Bean and Woolworths! There are obviously very strong ties between South Africa and Mauritius.

So there you have it.

I absolutely recommend that you head over to Mauritius, and whether you go in winter, or any other season, just get there and have the holiday that you’ve been dreaming of.

You don’t have to travel light years to get there. It’s basically on our doorstep. And for most countries, including South Africa, Mauritius is visa free.

I will be running a series of posts on this exquisite Indian Ocean destination. So watch out for more articles that cover the island, accommodation options and activities in depth over the following few weeks.