Turns out that Zanzibar ( a scheduled port visit that was skipped due to a local cholera outbreak ) was not to be the only scheduled port that the Norwegian Dawn would miss. While a public health risk was the culprit with Zanzibar, it would be the weather gods that wreaked havoc on our itinerary after Madagascar. There was to be one final stop prior to reaching Port Louis in Mauritius – the French island of Reunion ( which is very close to Mauritius ). Unfortunately Cyclone Garance had other plans. As we were departing Madagascar, the captain came over the PA system to advise that there was a dangerous cyclone just ahead of us ( it had all be so calm up until then ! ) and that, since Reunion had closed both its port and airport, we would take an extra “sea” day and navigate around the rough weather. This he managed to do and apart from one evening where we encountered larger than normal swells, the ship was unaffected by the cyclone. Reunion, though, was hit hard and very sadly at least 4 people were killed.

The sea days were fine, always lots to do anyway, and the captain kindly threw us all a $100 on-board credit for the inconvenience – covered the cost of a few more cocktails to celebrate the imminent end of what has ( overall ) been a really wonderful cruise. We’d both had doubts about our ability to last for 17 days at sea but in reality it flew by. Norwegian did a spectacular job, the ship was great, the staff were outstanding and the ports ( mostly ) offered outstanding sightseeing options, if at times a bit rushed. Would we do it again ? Yes, in a heartbeat, although we don’t have any plans to do another for a few years. As mentioned before, this route ( and schedule ) just filled a very specific void in our larger “van” plans and we don’t think we could have found a better option to occupy the 3 weeks van transit time.

Right on schedule the Norwegian Dawn pulled into Port Louis harbour in Mauritius. While most guests ( and a number of crew ) got off here, many sailed on to Cape Town and some even on to Lisbon, Portugal . We’d made some wonderful new friends and were sorry to say “au revoir” to them but at the same time we are looking forward to 4 days in Mauritius before flying on to Germany to pick up our van. Speaking of the van, I had been tracking its progress across the Atlantic- via Halifax, Liverpool and finally on to Hamburg where I could now see that it had been unloaded on to the dock.

First, Mauritius. Accommodations and stunning beaches virtually ring the entire island – ours was a little boutique hotel across from the beach in popular Grand Baie in the island’s northern west. Probably as nice a part of Mauritius as any if perhaps a little more “touristy” than some other areas. A two day car rental gave us ample time to sample most of the attractions, although a sudden downpour on our last day dashed any hopes of seeing the famous waterfall and “7 coloured hills” of Chamarel. 

The west coast of Mauritius has more development and is home to Port Louis, where we arrived. Refreshing, after Mombasa and 2 Madagascan ports, to disembark in what one could honestly describe as a nice, historic and well maintained city. Throughout our time in Mauritius we mostly explored, driving all over the island, and when we came upon them sampled a selection of its famous beaches – Peyrebare, Flic en Flac and a few smaller east coast ones were our pick but a visitor would literally need weeks ( or months even ) to sample them all. Two things were consistent everywhere, the warmth of the water and the soft white sand. 

Had a chance to sample traditional creole food and found it delicious, if perhaps a little spicy and also enjoyed some of their renowned craft beers. Some have said Mauritius is expensive – we didn’t find it to be at all, and would happily return here for a “sun and surf” vacation. Hot and humid, as one would expect, and although there are mosquitoes, the island is fortunately dengue and malaria free.

All good things must end, as they say, and with our time here having quickly passed, we readied ourselves for the 12 hour flight to Germany. Fortunately it was a daylight one meaning we did not have to try to sleep sitting bolt upright. Hard to believe after a life of relative luxury on the high seas we will be back with our van in two days..!

Till next week……