By: Santtana Looganaden
No one needs help finding a beautiful beach in Mauritius, but there's tons to explore away from the water as well.
Grand Bassin
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| Sacred lake: Grand Bassin
When the volcanoes that created Mauritius died out, one of the craters filled with water and became a lake known as Grand Bassin.
It's also known as Ganga Talao, a name that links the water symbolically to the Ganges River in India. The waters here have taken on a similarly religious significance, with a shrine to Lord Shiva dominating the lakeside.
"Grand Bassin is a lake which is considered to be one of the most sacred places in Mauritius, especially for the Hindu community," says Sarvesh Unuth, an English teacher visiting the lake.
He says it can get crowded, visited by more than half the island's population in a few weeks during the Shivratri festival celebrated annually in honour of Lord Shiva.
On other days, it's a place of tranquil reflection with a micro climate cooler than the rest of Mauritius.
Le Morne
The mountain at Le Morne only opened to the public last year, allowing visitors to explore the site of one of the world's most significant communities of escaped slaves.
Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund's offices are in the nearby village of Le Morne, where visitors can meet with guides who explain the significance of the mountain.
With cliffs on three sides, the mountaintop provided an easily defensible site for maroons, as the escapees were known, who recreated traditions of mainland Africa and gave birth to a new form of music, sega.
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