Mauritius - Riambel

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The village of Riambel marks the beginning of a long rugged beach that stretches up to Pointe aux Roches. Swimming here is dangerous because of currents and rocks – the signs on the beach leave you in no doubt, ‘if you bathe here, you may be drowned’.

Riambel has an unusual claim to fame: it is said to be the home of an energy vortex, one of only 14 in the world. The site opened to the public in 2007 and is now visited by those wanting to replenish their energy stores

Just off Pointe aux Roches, in Baie du Jacotet, is Ilot Sancho. During the preliminary forages of the British in 1810, the French battery on this coral islet was captured and a French colonist taken hostage in exchange for supplies. Rumours of treasure buried on the island have never been proved. It is now covered in scrub.

As you continue along the coast, you enter the domain of the Bel Ombre Sugar Estate. The Bel Ombre factory has now closed, although sugarcane is still grown here and transported to other factories for processing. In 2004, the estate allowed luxury hotels to be built on some of its coastal land, along with a championship golf course. The development of this area has included a new road, making this part of the island more accessible. The Château de Bel Ombre, a colonial house across the road from the coast, has been converted into an excellent restaurant. Although there was some objection from local communities to the tourism development of the area, this appears to have been controlled by a government policy of compensation and a requirement for the hotels to recruit at least 40% of their staff from the area.

The road continues along the coast, passing through yet more cane fields and fishing villages. Opposite the St Martin Cemetery is a cairn monument recalling the landing of survivors from the wreck of the steamer Travessa, which foundered in 1923 on its way to Australia. The cigarette-tin lid, which was the measure for the daily water ration of the survivors during their ordeal at sea, is an exhibit at the National History Museum (see What to see in Southern Mauritius, pages 159).

Hills roll down to the scruffy beach at Baie du Cap. A church on a hillock overlooks the sea here, which is shallow for a long way out. Baie du Cap is a quiet beachside village, whose inhabitants work in the cane fields or as fishermen. By the sea there is a monument to Matthew Flinders, who left the UK in 1801 on a scientific voyage of discovery to New Holland (Australia). On the way back to the UK in 1803 he stopped at Baie du Cap and was detained by the French governor, Decaen. He was released in 1810 and his book A Voyage to Terra Australis (which gave Australia its name) was published in 1814, the day before he died.

On the road to Choisy, a village in the hills behind Baie du Cap, there are good views of the sea; look back before you get to Chamarel.

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