Mauritius Travel Tips

Mauritius Travel Tips

Weather in Mauritius

As in all tropical islands, Mauritius has gorgeous rain forests and has a colorful vegetation throughout the whole year. There are no predefined rainy and dry seasons. The usual daytime temperature on the high plateau varies from 22 Celcius in August to 28 Celsius in February. On the coastal regions, temperatures are generally 2 to 5 degrees higher.

Visas and Immigration

Visas are required for all nations except nationals of Commonwealth countries, Eupean Union countries, Japan, Scandinavian countries and the USA. All visitors need to have a return ticket and proof of sufficient funds to support their stay in Mauritius. Passports are required by all visitors and they must have an expiry date of at least 6 months.

Money, Credit Cards and ATMs in Mauritius

Official Currency of Mauritius: 1 Mauritius Rupee = about 30.5 $ or 43.6 EUR
Current Exchange Rate: Today's Exchange Rate (http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic)

American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted throughout the country. Travellers cheques are accepted and exchanged throughout Mauritius but commissions are charged at varying rates.

Secured with your password (PIN), it’s perfectly possible to travel on credit and debit cards in Mauritius since ATMs are widespread throughout the country. They’re mostly located outside bank branches, though you can also find them at the airports, at larger supermarkets and in most shopping malls. Almost all machines accept Visa and MasterCard or any similar cards in the Cirrus and Plus networks.

Communications

Telephone services are available all over the country. Public payphones found almost everywhere can be operated by coins, phone cards or credit cards. Mobile phones (GSM) can be used if you make the necessary roaming arrangements with your local phone company. Currently, there are 2 mobile phone companies in Mauritius, Cellplus, a subsidiary of Mauritius Telecoms, and Emtel.

Electricity

The voltage of electricity in Mauritius is 220/240 volts. Electric sockets are similar to the British socket system. Converters can be found in supermarkets and airports.

Banks

Banks are all open from 9.30 to 15.30 from Monday to Friday and from 9.30 to 11.30 am on Saturdays. Most banks however stay open on Fridays until 17.30 and are closed on Saturdays. Some banks exchange offices remain open on Sundays. All banks have ATMs. Traveller's cheques and credit cards are accepted everywhere in the country.