A visit to Ebony Forest Reserve was one of our best excursions on Mauritius. Both med and John and our children enjoyed it very much and gave us memories for life.
Short History of Ebony Forest Reserve
Once upon a time almost all of Mauritius was covered by ebony trees. Today, only a fraction of these trees remain and the Ebony Forest Reserve is working on preserving and replanting these unique trees. Invasive plants and animals (plants and animals that not really should be in Mauritius), and man’s lack of awareness are the greatest threats to the nature of this island.
Schools are a frequent guest at Ebony Forest Reserve. Here are programs designed to help local children understand the value of nature.
Today, Mauritius consists mostly of sugar cane plantations, so we thought it was great to experience “real” Mauritius with its lush vegetation. The reserve has recently opened to visitors, so there were almost no visitors when we were there.
Jeep Safari and trekking in the jungle
You will arrive at the small visitor centre where you pay the entrance fee to the reserve. You can choose if you want to walk one of the trails in the park or take a guided Jeep tour. With children it is a good idea to choose the Jeep Safari tour as we did.
Also take the opportunity to visit the small museum located next to the visitors centre. Here you can read about the history, flora and fauna of Mauritius. Here you will also find toilets, which can be good to visit before the Jeep tour.
It is a great feeling to ride the open jeep on the small winding roads through the jungle. After some time the jeep stops and we start to walk with a guide on the trail through the vegetation. It is easy to walk on the trails but Judith we need to have in a baby carrier since it´s impossible with a stroller here because of the stairs.
Walking through the jungle and hearing all the different sounds around us is a wonderful experience. It almost feels like we are going to meet the extinct Dodo, even though they have been extinct since the 1680 ‘s. Our guide is great and she explains a lot of interesting things during our walk.
The amazing view
After some time, we arrive at a forest road. Here we are waiting for the Jeep to pick us up. Now we can sit down and relax a bench and eat some bananas and drink water. The sun is now high in the sky and the humidity and warmth is tangible.
The jeep arrives and drives us up to the viewpoint with an enchanting view of Mauritius and the sea. Up here you can buy drinks and snacks, which is much needed in the warmth.
Restaurant at Ebony Forest Reserve
After some time the jeep drives us down to the visitors centre again. Here is a small restaurant where you can choose from a few different dishes. Our children appreciated the fish fingers, the pizza and the french fries.
The shop at Ebony Forest Reserve
In the visitor centre we took the opportunity to buy some nice, well-made souvenirs to support Ebony Forest Reserve´s work to preserve and restore the unique nature of Mauritius.
We are so happy that we found the Ebony Forest Reserve. Don’t miss this place if you visit Mauritius!
Visit the homepage of the nature reserve Ebony Forest
Read about more excursions on Mauritius that we liked in my article Excursions in Mauritius
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