Trace your finger down a map of Mauritius and you’ll find a remote protected region in the island’s southwest corner. This mountainous expanse of exotic vegetation is Black River Gorges National Park – almost 17,000 acres of dense green forest, rolling hills and deep valleys, and the only national park in Mauritius.

As a guaranteed haven for endangered species of flora and fauna, the park is one of the best places in the country to get back to nature and lap up the sights and smells of the tropics.

And the views are something to be reckoned with too. From up on high, a once volcanic landscape ripples out toward the ocean in a thousand shades of green. Further into the tangle of trees, waterfalls tumble into jade green pools hidden deep within the native forest, and the sound of flowing water is an ever-present reminder of nearby creeks and rivers.

Take the time to look around you.

From the smallest dropwing dragonfly to the tallest black ebony tree, this is Mauritius at its natural best.

Photo: MTPA