Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres (560 mi) east of Madagascar. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the Republic includes the islands of Cargados Carajos, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 km (120 mi) to the southwest and the island of Rodrigues 570 km (350 mi) to the northeast.
The island of Mauritius is renowned for having been the only known home of the dodo. First sighted by Europeans around 1600 on Mauritius, the dodo became extinct less than eighty years later.
Getting There by Plane
The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), at Plaisance is the major gateway for travelers coming from abroad.
- Air Mauritiusis the home carrier and operates a network of routes to the local islands and to international destinations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia.
- Regional airlines Air Austral, Air Madgascar and Air Seychelles connect Mauritius with the surrounding islands.
- International airlines such as Air Europe, Air France, Emirates, Virgin Airlines, Air Zimbabwe, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Condor, South African Airways and Air India all serve Mauritius from their home bases.
Visitors are required to provide accommodation details to the immigration service on arrival. If you arrive in Mauritius from a country where malaria is endemic, you may receive a visit from the government health service and be required to give a blood sample for malaria screening. Some airlines may refuse boarding if the passenger's passport has 6 months, or less, validity remaining from the return date, leading to monetary loss for the passenger.
© 2009 
