The Central Plateau

The central plateau sits well above the coast, so it is cooler, wetter and greener. In Curepipe, a town known for its colonial architecture, is Trou aux Cerfs, a dormant volcano 605 m high with a crater 80 m deep; from its rim you see much of the island.

To the south-west lies Black River Gorges National Park, the largest in Mauritius at 67.5 square kilometres, created in 1994. It protects most of the remaining rainforest and every one of the island's endemic birds, including the Mauritius kestrel and the pink pigeon, with 60 km of trails. Nearby, Tamarind Falls drop in a chain of seven cascades.

On the western edge of the plateau is Chamarel, with its Seven Coloured Earths, formed from volcanic rock, and a waterfall that drops some 95 m. The plateau also holds Grand Bassin (Ganga Talao), a lake sacred to Hindus, at 550 m.

The royal botanical garden Mauritius is known for is at Pamplemousses, north of the capital, not in Curepipe. We suggest one or two days on the plateau from a resort on the west or south coast, with lunch at Le Chamarel, looking out over the coast.