Do's & Dont's

The peculiarities described above, bring to the visitor some advantages and disadvantages. Mauritians are generally pacific, polite and to some extent, respectful unless their deepest values are at risk. It is therefore better not to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and especially with the wrong attitude. There are things that can be done and others that should be avoided. Here are some tips for a better stay in Mauritius.

Dress Code

Although it is a hot tropical place with beaches all around, Mauritius is first of all a country as a whole with towns, offices, highways and laws. It is therefore advisable not to walk or drive in bathing suits in towns, villages or in buses. This is especially true for women as Mauritian women are very conservative and men not used to see flesh in daylight. This is even truer for remote places where only a few tourists pass by.

In most hotels, walking around in surfer shorts or bathing suits after sunset is simply prohibited. On the beach, Mauritian women at the beach wear bikinis at best if not full dresses. It is therefore unusual to the Mauritian men to see nudity or even topless women lying some meters away. For your own comfort and security it is not advisable to practice integral tanning anywhere in Mauritius, while topless tanning should be avoided on public beaches.

Security

Mauritius remains a safe place with a low criminality rate, thanks to the general level of education and high employment rates. However, some places are to be avoided especially at night, as the police's frequent patrols are not sufficient to make all regions 100 % safe. Although generally safe, walking on the streets after hours is not recommended unless in groups; while driving cars scooters or using taxis are perfectly safe anywhere at any time.

If you rent a private bungalow or room, make sure your bag, cameras, travel documents and money are safely locked or hidden and that doors are closed while you are out on the beach or sleeping. The situation is totally different in hotels, which are most safe with trained employees.

Of course there are occasional severe cases of larceny, thefts and murders, even in hotel rooms (referring to the unacceptable murder of regretted Mrs. Michaela Harte,) which is definitely a sign of regression of the Mauritian society but these cases are hopefully occasional enough to keep Mauritius in the list of relatively safe destinations. 

ROADS

Driving in Mauritius can be a lifetime experience; in fact, walking on the streets as well. To start with, the cars are right-hand driven but people drive more towards the middle of the road rather than on the left hand side as the streets are often crowded with pedestrians, dogs, hens etc.

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Update January 2013