Where to practice an individual sport South

This beautiful 1,300-hectare reserve is the most upscale on the island in terms of services and activities, making it a fabulous place to indulge in green tourism. The concept: quad, buggy, 4x4 or walking (hiking and trekking) excursions that combine learning and entertainment around the flora, fauna and history, in the company of trained guides. Ecosystems and landscapes are varied - rivers, waterfalls, deer, wild boar, birds, etc. For lunch, choose between a typical and inexpensive restaurant or an exclusive picnic on a private site.

This ultra-dynamic leisure park, designed to welcome individuals as well as groups, is run by young, multilingual teams bursting with energy. It's built around 23 unique coloured earths, discovered in 1998 by a Mauritian geologist and originating from the eruptions of the Bassin Blanc volcano. Under the effect of erosion, ash heaps of different metallic and chemical compositions have been altered and developed a palette of 23 colors ranging from dark red to pale yellow, mauve, bluish and greenish. This curiosity is just one of the many reasons to visit the Vallée des Couleurs Nature Park, which offers a wide range of activities.

Quad bikes and buggies. The classic, leisurely one-hour ride (1.5 hours with stops and photo breaks) takes you around the 23-colored lands and past other curiosities (turtle enclosures, waterfalls...). The more challenging two-hour tour leads to a river and climbs into the mountains.

Tyrolean traverse and Nepalese bridge. You'll fly over the estate via several zip lines (11 in all, with a choice of several routes), including the longest line in the Indian Ocean, over 1,500 metres. The latter is descended headfirst, suspended by the back in a prone position, and is one of the park's finest activities! The longest Nepalese bridge in this part of the world also gets the adrenalin pumping for 350 metres.

Bicycle zip-line. Unique to Mauritius, this activity offers the sensation of pedaling on a cable 18 meters above the ground, while chatting with your neighbor as four lines are stretched in parallel! Great photo opportunities!

Other activities are available, some of which (not all) are included in the price of the entrance ticket: go-kart sledging, signposted walks, mini-farm, large playground, private 4x4 tours, small museum, etc.

Three restaurant-lodges open out onto nature, offering lunch on site. La Citronelle offers Asian-Mauritian cuisine, with a choice of 3-course menus and several varieties of sizzler. La Bigarade is a huge restaurant featuring Mauritian and European cuisine, more suited to groups (themed buffets). Le Chamouzé, with its terrace overlooking a superb waterfall, is the fast-food option. The new Kasmaël bar offers a 360° view!

This old domain still shelters beautiful pieces of primary forest and in particular ebony trees of more than 300 years having escaped, thanks to their inaccessibility, the ravages of the man. During a short and easy walk on marked trails, you will discover several varieties of endemic trees. The domain also offers a choice of sports activities allowing you to discover the forest in a more active and fun way: archery on 3D targets, zip lines and Nepalese bridge, via ferrata, horseback riding, etc. Supervision by trained guides.

New in 2023: under the name Heritage Golf Club, not one but two 18-hole golf courses (Le Château Golf Course and the Reserve Golf Links) will share the slopes of the superb Domaine de Bel Ombre behind the Heritage hotels, offering amateurs and pros alike an exceptional golfing destination in a beautiful landscape. Open to all (which will not be the case for the Links) and elected 8 years in a row as the best course in the Indian Ocean, Le Château Golf Course, Par 72 designed by Peter Matkovitch, hosts every two years the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open, a tournament bringing together three of the most important international circuits: the Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour and European Tour Golfers have the pleasure of playing on a European Tour course, both technical and visually stunning as it is set in a hilly environment with beautiful views over the ocean. To learn or improve, the Château Golf Course offers personalized packages: discovery sessions, private lessons or real golfing vacations with a course accompanied by a PGA France member instructor. Also a Golf Package allowing to discover the Links and 3 other Mauritian golf courses.

On site: chipping green, driving range, putting green, 9-hole Par 3, golf academy and club house with changing rooms, Pro Shop, bar and restaurant. And for children from 4 years old: an association with SNAG (Starting New At Golf), a method to learn while having fun.

In addition to hosting ecolodges, La Vieille Cheminée is the only place on the island where you can ride horses in this beautiful southern vegetation - better than on most of the often narrow beaches, and better than elsewhere because the place is hilly, punctuated by plantations and bits of forest, dotted with red-feraille paths. No other tourists around, the place is private and the rides are limited to 4 experienced riders: a privilege. Also short rides for beginners.

Designed by Peter Matkovitch, this par 72 course of 6,200 meters long is the only 18-hole championship course located in the heights and not on the seashore. The course is set in a green landscape of hills, rivers, ravines, tea plantations, etc. unique to Mauritius. The Club House offers several activities to accompanying persons: spa, swimming pool, tennis, volleyball, hiking, mountain biking etc. On site: driving range, putting green, chipping green, Pro Shop, individual and group lessons, golf academy for children (SNAG method), large restaurant.

This new course is located on the same estate as the Château Golf Course, making it the only 45-hole golf destination in the Indian Ocean. Nestled alongside the Bel Ombre biosphere (a UNESCO site), with panoramic ocean views from every hole, it is the first contemporary links course in this part of the world, co-designed by champion Louis Oosthuizen. Oosthuizen emphasizes the spectacular nature of the course, which he describes as "dramatic, different and totally unique". The course features a Leadbetter Golfzon Academy.