[Shantanu1970]

Originally Posted by mani_jeenu

Can you please share overall costs like flights, taxi(if any), food, hotels, sight seeing, activities, etc. Future planning

Following expenses were incurred in this trip (NOTE: All prices are in INR):

Flight: 47,000 per head is what I paid for Air Mauritius. Bookings were done just a week before the actual travel, otherwise it should be below 45,000 per head. Emirates otherwise is cheapest option (at Rs. 43,000) but first they'll take you to Dubai (2.5 hours), a lay over of more than 5 hours at Dubai airport & then 7 hours Dubai to Mauritius which means more than 15 hours of traveling one way! It will be extremely tiring.

Taxi: I don't know as I didn't hire any!

Car Hire: Ranging from Rs. 3000 up to Rs. 9000 per day depending on the car. I would recommend Nissan March (in case of 2-3 people) or Nissan Sunny (in case of 4-5 people) with Automatic transmission. They are ideal cars for traveling in Mauritius.

Fuel: Petrol prices are quite high at Rs. 110 per ltr.

SIM Card: For Rs. 150 you can get a SIM card loaded with full talktime! You can buy internet plans starting from Rs. 100 (100MB) upto Rs. 500 (1GB) depending on the duration of your stay.

Hotel: Many options are available ranging from Rs. 2,500 upto Rs. 25,000 per night. I stayed at Cocotiers located at Port Luis for Rs. 4,000 per night for 2 including breakfast.
I think for those traveling in a big group of 5-10 people should stay at Rented apartments or Villas. It works out to be a lot cheaper and many beautiful sea facing properties are available.

Food: Average meal per day for two costed us Rs. 1500-2000 at restaurants which were highly recommended by TripAdvisor. We usually ordered 2 beers, 2 starters & 2 main courses. There are cheaper options available too which usually serve sandwiches. Many expensive beach side restaurants might cost up to Rs. 4000 for a 2.

Activities:
1. Scuba Diving at Base Camp for Rs. 2300 per head. I also checked another place which had it for Rs. 5000!
2. Big Foot Adventures (Quad-biking): Rs. 3400 for 1 person for 2 hours. Rs. 1800 extra for second person on the same Quad-bike. There was a 6 hours package inclusive of lunch also available, I don't know it's cost though.
3. Casela: We paid total of Rs. 2700 for 2 which included Entry to the park, Jungle Safari, Interaction with the Lion. There were quad-bikes and segways available too for the jungle safari. Either option costed around Rs. 3000 per head.
4. Crocodile Park (La Vanille): Entry Rs. 800 per head.

Mostly all these places have their photographers who'll click your photos and later they sell it to you for Rs. 500 to 1000 depending on place and number of photographs.


There are few shopping malls. Bagetella is one of the most famous one. However you won't find the usual brands which we get here in India. Prices are at par with Indian shopping malls.

Hope this helps you in planning your trip.

Originally Posted by saket77

Very professional job with the camera Shantanu. I was a silent reader of this thread until now, but some of the pictures in the last post are just amazing. Glad to read your experience.

Thanks a lot Saket

[gpa]

Shantanu1970,

A very informative and wonderful travelogue to read!

I'm planning a trip here towards the end of the year and am curious to know about the immigration procedures at the SSR Airport in Mauritius. I was reading the Air Mauritius website that says the following.

Upon arrival in Mauritius, Indian nationals are eligible for a visa for a maximum stay of 60 days, provided they hold:

1. a confirmed booking for accommodation in Mauritius
2. a sponsorship letter
3. a confirmed booking for return flight
4. sufficient funds for expenses during their stay (minimum of USD 100 per day)

I'm curious about points 2 and 4. Were you checked for the amount of money you were carrying and any idea what's a sponsorship letter?

Please do let me know on the above two points.

Thanks,
gpa

[Shantanu1970]

[*]a sponsorship letter :

No need for a sponsorship letter for tourists. It's for those who plan to work or stay over there for long period.

[*]sufficient funds for expenses during their stay (minimum of USD 100 per day):

I was carrying sufficient dollars for the trip but was not asked about it anywhere.

For Indians you don't need a Visa or any other Document except your passport.

I just had to show my hotel booking, return flight ticket and passport at the airport. That's it.

Hope this helps you.