La Vanille Crocodile Park is a fun stop where, on guided walks, you’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know about crocs.

Chamarel is a must-see, famous for its coloured earths. Depending on who you talk to, it’s caused either by different densities of metal oxides in the earth or the erosion of volcanic ash. It’s like being inside a giant multi-coloured sand bottle.

From Chamarel, roads lead inland to the Black River Gorges and the Central Plateau, and to the west coast beaches and the seaside village of Flic en Flac. No one seems to know how it got its name, but it has the best public beach in the area. The nearby Casela Bird Park is also a good place for a stop.

After the quiet of the coast, Port Louis is a shock. Hawkers compete with car horns, adding a cacophony to the sights and smells of this vibrant city. The colonial-style Government House is a stone’s throw from both the China Quarter and the Jummah mosque, the largest on the island.

Just outside town is the Champs de Mars, home of the hallowed Turf Club of Mauritius, the second-oldest jockey club in the world after its English counterpart. This used to be where Franco-Mauritian plantation owners met to have a flutter and catch up on the gossip. These days, anyone can go to the race meetings – held every Saturday from May through to November.