Mauritius - St Philippe

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St-Philippe is small, peaceful and few tourists spend any time here. This makes it worth staying for a night or two. The town, which is a vanilla and fishing centre, has a backdrop of sugarcane and forested mountains.

St-Philippe has the basic necessities: a few restaurants, a pharmacy, a post office and a petrol station, although no banks. There is a small supermarket but the prices tend to be exaggerated, so locals recommend shopping in St-Joseph.

A few kilometres west of St-Philippe is Le Baril, where you will find a pandanus-lined coast and two adjacent swimming pools, one fresh water and one which is a corralled area of sea. The best rock-pooling area is to the east of the swimming pool, where colourful fish are often trapped in pools in the volcanic rocks. This is the place to watch rock-skippers (or mud-skippers), an amphibious species of goby. This fish has evolved large, powerful pectoral fins to enable it to escape potential predators by leaping from the sea to the safety of rocks.

The charm of St-Philippe and Le Baril is not the designated sights, of which there are few, but the lava flows and coastal and forest walks. Between St-Philippe and Le Baril is the Réserve Naturelle de Mare Longue. Incorporated into this forest area is the sentier botanique, a path through a beautiful section of primary forest where the indigenous trees are labelled. A clearly marked Grande Randonnée hiking trail runs straight up the mountainside but you can also take the longer forest road which is easier on the legs and excellent for birdwatching. Bring a picnic and enjoy the flora, fauna and views of this lush region.

For the best views of pounding waves, craggy headlands and graceful tropical birds visit Cap Méchant, about 2km west of Le Baril. From here you can walk along the headland, through casuarina trees and vanilla plantations. This is also where you will find Les Puits des Français (the wells of the French), the southernmost of a series of mysterious holes in the lava coastline. The origin and purpose of these apparently manmade holes is unknown. Similar holes are at Le Baril (Puits des Anglais), La Pointe de la Table (Puits des Arabes) and Le Tremblet (Puits du Tremblet).

GETTING THERE AND AWAY St-Philippe is easily reached by bus as it lies on the St-Pierre–St-Benoît coastal route (Line I).

TOURIST INFORMATION The tourist office (% 0262 977584; f 0262 370233; e officedutourismesaintphilippe[at]yahoo.fr; ( 09.00–12.00 & 13.00–17.00 Mon–Fri, 10.00–12.00 & 13.00–17.00 Sat) in St-Philippe is next to the town hall at 62 Rue Leconte Delisle, the main coastal road.

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Mauritius - St Philippe

Mauritius - St Philippe

Southern Reunion

Mauritius - St Philippe