L' AVENTURE DU SUCRE

From the outset, it is preferable to opt for the guided tour which, at 10:30 am and 2 pm from Monday to Thursday and 2 pm on Fridays, under the guidance of fascinating guides, offers a synthetic and lively vision of the history of the Mauritian nation and of the incredible powers of sugarcane.

Here you are in the biggest and best cultural center of the island: an imposing realization worthy of the great European museums and gathering a fascinating amount of information on the history of Mauritius through that of its sugar production, inseparable from the evolution of the island since the successive colonizations. Located in the former Beau Plan sugar factory, the site covers 6,000^m2 and includes three independent entities: the Fangourin restaurant, the Village Boutik and the factory converted into a museum.

A tribute to a Mauritian heritage that can still be seen in all the landscapes of the island, l'Aventure du Sucre allows visitors to understand the manufacturing process of this commodity, but also to discover the history of the various Mauritian settlements and their inescapable relationship with the sugar industry. If the visit is essentially made in the heart of two huge rooms, it is divided into a multitude of spaces arranged around particular poles of attraction. One walks along an old factory chimney, giant grinding mills, cooking and mixing machines... Everywhere, the explanations given are dense and richly documented. Panels, entitled The Lesson, offer a summary of each section and allow for a shorter, yet rich visit.

But the strength of the museum, beyond its exhaustive character, lies in a superb scenography which privileges interactivity and vision. Animated models, short films, luminous desks, giant albums to leaf through, multimedia screens... everything is designed to arouse the visitor's curiosity, including that of the youngest whose attention is focused by playful supports. In short, everything is admirably well designed and can only awaken a desire to learn and discover.

To enrich the visit, cane cutting sessions are offered in the company of a former field worker on Wednesdays. You cut yourself a stalk, you grind it, you taste the fresh cane juice before composing a cocktail made of rum and sugar.

The visit ends with a tasting of the 12 sugars produced in Mauritius (unrefined brown sugars with a much more pronounced taste than our recolored brown sugars) that you will discover, in addition to other sweet treats (local jams, honeys...), at the Village Boutik, a space promoting culinary specialties and local artisans whose know-how the museum supports and encourages - beautiful souvenirs made in Moristo bring back. Also worth a try: the Pavillon du Rhum and its collection elaborated by the New Grove house, including some unique rums made from special sugars exclusively for Aventure du Sucre. A must-see: New Grove Emotion 1969, voted best rum in the world in 2021.

In addition to the permanent exhibition, l'Aventure du Sucre offers one or two large temporary exhibitions each year on themes related to the museum's contents, such as slavery, energy, biodiversity, etc. These exhibitions highlight the artistic, cultural and environmental wealth of the island and the Mascarene region.