Mauritius Habitat Guide

Mauritius is a volcanic island (don’t worry, no active volcanoes!) roughly the size of Luxembourg, located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa. As a country, it also includes the island of Rodrigues, and a few coral atolls like Cargados Carajos and Agalega. Mauritius is surrounded by coral reefs and white sand beach, broken dramatically at points like Souillac and Le Bouchon.

Mauritian flora and fauna have been adversely affected by the various early settlers like the Dutch, French and British, who cleared large tracts of forest to make way for plantations. In terms of wildlife, there are few impressive animals. Javanese deer (introduced by the Dutch), wild pig, macaque monkeys and various breeds of domestic guard dog (!) is about all you will get to see. The birdlife is much more varied, and includes many rare species like the pink pigeon, the echo parakeet, the Mauritian kestrel and various songbird species introduced to the island. About a third of the 900 plant species found on the island are endemic to it, like the giant banyans, casuarinas and red-flowering flamboyants. A mere 1% of the original forest cover remains on the island, which is now zealously protected in reserves and parks with restricted entry to visitors. However, Marine life has much to offer, including corals, turtles, dolphin, sharks and four species of whale.