Mauritius (short layovers) 2018

Several 24h layovers in Mauritius (2018)

• I visited Mauritius a few times in 2018 and apart from beautiful beaches I had time for some trekkings and sightseeing

Main places visited:

• a) La Cambuse beach
• b) Chamarel (Seven Coloured Earth & Waterfall)
• c) Le Morne
• d) Mahebourg & Blue Bay Marine Park
• e) Grand Baie
• f) Port Louis
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a) La Cambuse beach:

• I was in the southeastern part of the island for work so I cycled towards La Cambuse, isolated and beautiful beach
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I had time for some water sports in the resort as well
  
  
  
  

b) Chamarel (Seven Coloured Earth & Waterfall):

• Renting a car I visited the southwestern part of Mauritius, totally worth it
• In Chamarel you can visit a few attractions with a ticket which costed $8 approximately
• Early in the morning I visited Chamarel, where I enjoyed views of a nice waterfall...
  
• and the Seven Coloured Earth,a beautiful geological formation in which iron and aluminium repel each other giving the field a separated reddish/brownish and bluish touch
  
  
  
  
• In the same area there are a few giant turtles brought from Seychelles
  

c) Le Morne:

• Le Morne is one of the highest peaks in Mauritius (still less than 600m high) and the area is gorgeus
• Beaches here are stunning, with cristaline water, lovely sand and green areas and mountanious views 
• It is a great area for water sports which require wind
  
• However, the activity I enjoyed the most was the trekking to Le Morne World Heritage Site, my favourite activity I have done in Mauritius so far
  
• Driving towards Hotel Riu Creole in La Morne you can find the start of the trek 
• The path is 7km return, approximately 3 hours at a good path, and it is completely free (sadly these free activities are every day less and less)
• The final part of it is challenging; you find signals advicing climbing experience but I do not consider that necessary
  
• During the path you have wonderful views at both sides of Le Morne
  
  
  
  
• Reaching the peak feels great, and the coastal views are some of the most amazing I have ever experienced
  
  
  
  

d) Mahebourg & Blue Bay Marine Park:

• The village of Mahebourg offers some colourful houses, a busy market and a relaxed waterfront but too much compared to other parts of the island
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Blue Bay Marine Park can be visited nearby. From the beach itself there are many boats offering a 1h snorkeling boat ride where you can enjoy colourful fishes, corals and if you are lucky turtles (not my case)
  
  
  
  

e) Grand Baie:

• In the north, with a rented car as well, I went to La Cuvette a beautiful beach in Gran Baie
  
  
  
  

f) Port Louis:

• On the way back to the south, we stopped for a few hours in the capital Port Louis, a "big city" in Mauritius
• Not much apart from a very busy market and a decent waterfront but still I am happy I saw something different in the island apart from beaches
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I am looking forward to exploring the northern areas of Mauritius and travelling to the island of Reunion why not!
  

Tunis, Tunisia (short layover) 2018

24h layover in Tunis (August 2018)

• I had the opportunity to spend a full day in Tunis visiting Carthage & Sidi Bou Said  

Main places visited:

• a) Carthage
• b) Sidi Bou Said  
• c) La Marsa beach
  

a) Carthage:

• Carthage was one the most important cities in the Mediterranean history and some ancient ruins are preserve
• The ruins are not in best condition but most are located by the beautiful coast
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Acropolium (Saint Louis Cathedral), no longer for worship since 1993, is nearby
  
• As well as Al Abidine mosque
  

b) Sidi Bou Said:

• This beautiful coastal village was the highlight of the trip

• I had one my the best tea I have ever had (mint tea with pine nuts) with wonderful views

• Under the hill (15 minutes walk) you can also enjoy a swim by the beach right next to the port
  
  
  
  
• We had dinner with great views (as you can expect, prices are muxh more expensive than 1km further from the coast) and we enjoyed traditional Tunisian cuisine such as brik, couscous or kabkabou

c) La Marsa beach:

• Next day morning I had time to enjoy a swim in La Marsa beach before leaving

• I am looking forward to travel around Tunisia properly but  hope this short post helps

Croatia 2018

Croatia (June 2018)

• I did a roadtrip around the coast of Croatia for four days with my couple and I will share some ideas
• We rented a car in Dubrovnik airport and dropped it in Zagreb airport
• No matter where you go along the coast, this country is really beautiful and worth it

Main places visited:

• a) Dubrovnik
• b) Split - Hvar
• c) Zadar
• d) Plitvice National Park
  

 a) Dubrovnik:

• Arrival in Dubrovnik was beautiful, seeing the city center along the road as we were getting closer and excited

• There are several beaches, such as the main public beach...

• or more secluded ones such as Sveti Jakov beach

• We entered the city center and due to summer time and World Cup 2018 going on, the vibe was excellent
  

•  The city looked very nice at night as well

b) Split - Hvar:

• Second day, on our way to Split, we stopped by several villages
• First one, also by the coast, was Neum, officially belonging to Bosnia, so we had to pass a quick inmigration point but no issues at all
• Along the way, we had a few stops by the beach
  
  
  
  
• We passed through a beautiful valley as well
  
• Makarska was the first town we stopped by, also worth it
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I liked Omis even more, and we enjoyed lunch there
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Split was also nice. Peristil square is gorgeous and the Old Town looks very nice, alligned with the rest of Croatian coastal cities
• Anyway, our idea was to visit Hvar, so third day we took ferry to Hvar pier, 1 hour approx (there are ferries to other piers in Hvar such as Stari Grad for longer stays in the island)
• Hvar is an impressive island, where you can spend a day, or weeks!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• After breakfast and some walking, we realized all chances were expensive (bus, scooter rental, boat tours...) and our time limited 
• Adviced by two friends before the trip who had done it before, we talked with a guy by the pier who offered rental of a small motorboat with no need for skipper... after a brief negotiation, we took it for 50 euro, he taught us basic skills in 5 minutes and we enjoyed visiting the area by ourselves... really nice expeience!
  
  
  
  
  

c) Zadar

• On our way to Zadar, we stopped for a bit in Trogir, the city of the 700 steps, very small and cute town, an island in the past connected nowadays through a bridge to the mainland

• We reached Zadar in the afternoon, ready for the city that according to Alfred Hitchcock offered the greatest sunsets in the world
• Sadly our day was very cloudy and a bit rainy so the sunset was nice but not the best ever for sure

• Again, we found the old town beautiful and quite similar to the other coastal cities previously visited

d) Plitvice National Park

• Last day, we changed cities for a gorgeous park, Plitvice, easily accessible by car or buses to any of its two entrances 
• After visiting the park for about 4 hours, we realized you can park the car, walk a bit by the road and just sneak into the park for free
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• We enjoyed a lot our days in Croatia, we had only a few days but we could have spent weeks and I think some day I will be back for sure