The island of Mauritius is most often associated with its paradise beaches and luxury resorts. It is truely a tropical paradise, but the island has a lot more to offer than sun, sea and sand. The island is mountainous and covered with forests, which offers plenty of hiking possibilities. I have desided to explore the mountains and some of the historical places. Mauritius has two historical sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The mountain, Le Morne Brabant was added to this list in 2008 and worth visiting because of it's cultural and historical significance. The peninsula where it is situated has several hotels and wonderful beaches. The mountain does look impressive from a distance. But a hike to the top offers panoramic views of the island and you walk the path of runaway slaves.
Approaching the mountain
Le Morne is situated in the southwestern corner of the island. This basalt mountain has a hight of 556 meters. At the entrance gate you will have an introduction to the history of the mountain. It is open from 7am – 4pm. The trail is a 7 kilometer hike, which will take between 3 -4 hours.
The entrance gate
A brief introduction to the history: The story of this magnificent mountain belongs to the darker side of the history of Mauritius. In the 18th century the mountain was used as a refuge for escaped slaves who formed a settlement in caves. In 1835 slavery was abolished. The slaves on the mountain was not aware of that. When they saw soldiers approaching, they thought they had come to arrest them, so they climbed to the top and jumped to their death. Le Morne is a symbol of sacrifice, suffering and fight for freedom. To day it has become a symbol of freedom and is the most important slave site in Mauritius.
Last sunday I joined a guided group tour. We started at the entrance gate on the south side of the mountain. The first part is an easy walk uphill along a wide path up to a plateau. Here we had a short rest and instructions on safety before the last and most dangerous part.
A rest before the last part
Yellow signs of warnings
Through dense vegetation before starting to climb
For a long time the mountain was closed to the public, but reopened in 2016. Just as we started our ascent we pass some green fences not in use. From here the area was not accesible to the public.
The last 10-15 minutes before the top
Now the trail becomes narrow and steep. This is not an easy hike from now on!- We have to climb, using both hands to grab around the rocks. The last 10-15 minutes was really hard. I almost gave up. But someone on the way down told me it should only be 10 minutes more....
At last I did reach the highest point. The view did not disapoint! It is absolutely stunning! The large metal cross is raised to mark this as the highest accessibe point. While enjoying the view and a good rest, I did worry about the descent! Not only the climb itself, but the clouds were getting darker, promissing rain...
The descent was just as hard as the ascent! I simply sat down, holding on to the rocks and sliding my way down at some of the steepest parts. In this way it was easier to enjoy the view and be in control when it comes to where I should place my feet. The rocky terrain of the mountain provides many places to hide. I could not help thinking of the runaway slaves who lived here, walking the same trail as they had been walking, passing caves in which they used to live....A few minutes after I reached the gate, it started to rain. But I made it! Hiking Le Morne is indeed an exciting experience.
Mauritius actually celebrates Abolition of Slavery Day or simply Abolition Day on 1 February. In 1810, the british seized control of Mauritius, but allready at that time 7 out of every 10 people here were slaves. Finally, on 1 February 1835 slavery was abolished.
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