Chamarel: Seven different colours of earth in one compact area

The stunning lava formations of Chamarel in south-west Mauritius have for centuries fascinated scientists and visitors

Neeta Lal 

Mauritius is a honeymoon island. Everywhere I look, bashful brides and grooms are serenading each other on velvety white sands fringing lapis lazuli waters.

Fiery sunsets bleed into the Indian Ocean. The 65-km-long, 45-km-wide archipelago with coral reefs boasts of 300 km of the whitest beaches. Salubrious sandy stretches aren’t the only highlight of this island located 2,000 km off Africa’s south-eastern coast. Mauritius’ volcanic interiors teem with geological goodies — multi-hued vertical cliffs, crumbling rims of extinct volcanoes, gurgling waterfalls, ...

First Published: Fri, November 24 2017. 23:35 IST