Mauritius - National Parks

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The importance of the Black River Gorges National Park is that it protects a phenomenal concentration of gravely endangered animals and plants. Visitors will not struggle to find its rare denizens, many of which have narrowly escaped extinction. If there is one place in Mauritius which nature enthusiasts must visit, this is it. Set in the southwest, the national park covers 6,754ha and includes the Macchabée, Pétrin, Plaine Champagne, Bel Ombre and Montagne Cocotte forests. But don’t expect pristine forest: the remaining forest is severely degraded, having been thoroughly invaded by fast-growing exotic plants.

At Pétrin and Plaine Champagne, you’ll find heath-type vegetation flourishing on porous soil (keep a lookout for the lovely Trochettia blackburniana). Pandanus thrives where terrain is marshier. A very distinctive tree is the weird, umbrella-like bois de natte, often festooned with epiphytes.

At Bel Ombre, you can study the transition between lowland and upland evergreen rainforest, whilst at Montagne Cocotte, there’s a good example of high-altitude rainforest, in which shorter trees are draped in mosses and lichens.

The Pétrin Information Centre is open 08.00–15.15 Monday–Friday, 08.00–11.00 Saturday, and there’s a boardwalk nearby, which will lead you into the heathland. There are several well-mapped trails covering some 50km and at the visitors’ centre you can obtain details as to how the reserve has been laid out, and a leaflet on the national park, which contains a map (Rs5). There’s also a picnic spot and campsite. The following trails are the most worthwhile:

• Macchabée (Macabe) Forest 14km return from Pétrin (moderate). This loop trail allows visitors the best experience of Mauritian tropical rainforest. Wonderful views, good birding.

• Parakeet 8km one-way: Plaine Champagne to visitors’ centre (tough). This is for adventurous, fit hikers, who will enjoy the steep trail joining Plaine Champagne with the gorges area. The really energetic can combine this with Macchabée for a 15km hike.

• Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire 6km return (moderate). This takes you to Mauritius’s highest peak, at 828m. Fairly easy except for the last, steep stretch to the top.

• Savanne 6km return, from the end of Les Mares road (easy). Offers scenic views of southern Mauritius.

• Bel Ombre 18km return, Plaine Champagne to the reserve boundary (tough). Good birding in the tropical forest at lower elevations. Also, fruit bats and tropic birds.

There is also second visitor centre on the other side of the park inland from Grande Rivière Noire, on Les Gorges Road.

For more information about the reserve, contact the National Parks and Conservation Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Le Réduit (% 464 4016; f 465 1184; e npcs[at]mail.gov.mu) or pop into either of the visitor centres.

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Mauritius - National Parks

Natural History

Mauritius - National Parks