Beautiful beaches, relaxing vistas, friendly people and amazing adventures. It can be hard to find a holiday destination that has a little something for everyone, particularly if you are planning a family holiday with sullen teens and high energy tweens.
While many people planning a family vacation start with theme parks or great American experiences like the Grand Canyon, most of these big holidays tend to be fraught with disaster. Long queues, hot buses to tourist spots or trapped in a car for hours, unfortunately these are just part of travel within America.
For a similar price you can get an experience that will be memorable for all the right reasons, but it may take a little thinking outside the box and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Your first steps? Getting your passport ready, make sure your drivers’ licence is up to date, pack your summer clothes, and book your flights for a few weeks in one of the safest countries in the world, Mauritius.
Why Mauritius?
While the island nation, off the coast of Africa, is increasingly becoming a popular spot for tourists, it is still out of the way enough that you can really feel like you’re in a whole new world.
This is where you can enjoy the experience of being in another country, but still enjoy all the creature comforts of home. For example, while English and French are the dominant languages, you’ll also enjoy hearing a lot of Mauritian Creole and French-based Creole.
What Are You Going To Get Up To?
This is really the biggest selling point for a family vacation to Mauritius, the possibilities are almost endless. Whether you are the type who just wants to relax on a beach, maybe go snorkelling a little, or if you want something more adventurous like being able to tour the island on a quad bike it’s as easy as booking ahead https://mauritiusdiscoverytours.com/safari-quad-biking-tour.
While planning your easy relaxing holiday is surprisingly easy, as this is often what the marketing is focused on, if you or members of your family are looking for an adventure, then this is the vacation for you.
Adventure Holidays
Are you going to head up, go down, or stick somewhere in the middle?
While you won’t need your mountain climbing equipment, Mauritius does have great hikes and treks that will see you climbing some great heights to encounter some of the most beautiful vistas in the world. If walking isn’t your thing then you can enjoy a range of horse treks or even mountain biking, but for the many then a quad bike is going to be the way to go.
If you have experience using these machines then you might prefer to hire one and plot your own journey, while if you’ve never tried riding one before then going on a guided tour where they have someone who is able to help you along the way is probably going to be the way to get started.
Guided Quad Bike Tours
A guided two-hour quad biking tour, of which there are several to choose from, could see you exploring through forests, along beaches, travelling through sugar canes, discovering deer, giant bats, and maybe even wild boars if you’re really lucky. This is a great way to travel and discover waterfalls that are just the perfect temperature for a refreshing swim on a humid day, or even to see if you can spot a whale from your vantage point on top of the island.
With these type of quad bike adventures, you will generally be a passenger on the back of the bike, with a qualified and experienced driver leading the way. This means that not only do you not have to worry about direction, but you can also enjoy the full experience and look around, meaning you are more likely to catch a glimpse of those wild boars.
The Ultimate Quad Bike Adventures
With some of the best off-road trails in the world, if you are looking for something more adventurous then this is definitely worth looking into. You can find adventures all over the island, but the southern part is where you are likely to find the most extreme quad biking tours. If you go for one of the all day trips you will cover up to 31 miles / 50 kms, over a variety of terrain, and if you choose wisely you’ll not only hit all the major ‘must see’ spots (just coming at it from a slightly different angle to the normal tour bus!), but even have decadent meals provided.
Other Adventure Options
While some might consider shopping at the Port Louis Central Market an extreme sport, for most people you’re probably going to be more interested in options like walking treks through forests, horse riding up to a waterfall ( see here), deep sea diving, zip lining, archery or a tour that includes Kestrel feeding opportunities.
Or you can send the rest of the family off to explore while you enjoy a relaxing pool side pedicure.
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