Morne Le Brabant - Marks Meanderings

Our final trip within Mauritius was a visit to the uninhabited Benitiers Island. We contemplated several organised outings to Benitiers Island, but we opted for a full day excursion with Vitamin Sea Ltd. I must confess that I didn’t fully realise what the trip itinerary was when I booked. It is conceivable that I was distracted by our newfound, lazy, beach life. I listened to some advice to book with this company. Booking on a whim is not my usual modus operandi. As we talked with our new friends at the hotel bar on the eve of our final trip, we began to question why we needed to be up so early for a relaxing boat trip to Benitiers Island.

We arrived at the La Balise Marina around 0445!! Night was turning to day with every second that passed. Eerily peaceful, we were greeted by a Vitamin Sea representative. Customary paperwork completed, toilets visited, we were straight out on the jetty and climbing into our boat. Our crew (Brice & Whitney) were to look after us for our trip to Benitiers Island. We made a prompt departure. Obeying the speed restrictions, we followed a few other Vitamin Sea boats out of the marina. By the time we were clear of the marina, the sun was breaking through and lighting up the sky. We veered off to the north rather quickly. So much for our relaxing boat trip. Accelerator to the max it seemed we were in a rush for something. Nervously excited, we wondered what the rush was about.

We slowed down as we arrived to where other boats had gathered along with a group of kayaks (this was the same area where we had kayaked earlier in the trip). We were blessed to see a pod of spinner dolphins playing in the water. Our delight at seeing these playful mammals in their natural habitat was evident. As we were enjoying this special moment, Whitney started to talk to us about snorkeling equipment and kitting us out. Puzzled by the disruption to the display given by the dolphins, it soon became apparent she was preparing us so that we could go in the water and swim with them. We looked at each other in shock at what was happening. I mentioned at the beginning that I hadn’t fully read the itinerary. Lesson number 1 – read carefully before signing on the dotted line!! We had time to process the news and prepare for this monumental occasion as Brice said about heading south to find a better spot. Sit back, hold on, the morning sea breeze blowing through our hair (well, Hannah’s certainly, and mine, what’s left of it!!) as the accelerator was pushed to the full.

In just a short time our fast boat brought us south around to Morne Le Brabant (scene of our first trip within the trip) just as a rainbow appeared over the ocean. This area must be a magical spot for the dolphins (these ones were bottlenose) who approach the coast here to socialize, relax and play. The waves here were certainly bigger and the clouds had rolled in. We were told to sit on the back of the boat and, when instructed, to slide in. Masks and snorkels at the ready we spent the next couple of hours climbing in and out of the boat as we tried to keep up with the dolphins that were swimming all around us.

What…an…experience!! We politely slipped in and out of their world, the cold water not being a problem. Beauty was all around us, and our fears and anxiety immediately dissipated to be replaced with high levels of adrenaline. I must have read the bit on the Vitamin Sea blurb that says, ‘Life is about collecting experiences that take your breath away’. Well, this was certainly one of them! We were blissfully unaware of time (it didn’t seem to exist), but all good things must come to an end. By the time we left, we were exhausted. Mouths filled with salty water (we weren’t the best snorkelers), hearts pumping, tiredness in our eyes, but excitement pouring out of us. We had such a smile on each other’s face that could not be wiped off. We collapsed into our seats again as we went back the way we came and towards Le Morne. We thought that was the end of our snorkeling until Brice shouted out, “Sea turtle!” We still can’t believe how he was able to see this creature beautifully camouflaged in the reef. He brought the boat to a stop and allowed us to swim around with said creature. He/she was completely unfazed by our presence. We finally left the turtle to enjoy its surroundings, and we made our way a little further up the coast where we dropped anchor.

This was where we were to do the snorkeling that I remember being told about in the booking process. As we slid into the water the number of fish that greeted us was surreal! All sorts of fish of different shapes and colours swam around us. We mustered what energy we had left to swim around admiring these colourful creatures. The azure waters, coral reef and pristine sands were the perfect back drop to the array of colour. Hannah managed to stay in longer than I did as I was worn out. The adrenaline of the previous moments had left me, and the borrowed kit was starting to hurt. Hannah eventually decided that she had seen enough and got back on board. We then made a slow and leisurely trip towards Benitiers Island which passed through the lagoon near Crystal Rock.

Crystal Rock is a geological curiosity. Rising majestically out of the water, like a large crystal sitting on the surface, it certainly draws a crowd. The rock is a photographer’s dream. The rugged rock, crystal clear waters, blue skies, white puffy clouds create the perfect picture postcard shot. We circled it a couple of times to capture ‘the money shot’, before heading to Benitiers island and an eagerly anticipated lunch. The boat stopped close to the seashore, and we disembarked and walked through the low levels of water to the beach. Whitney and Brice assisted with the BBQ whilst we took a moment to stroll along the beach, all the while taking time to realise what an incredible morning that we had just experienced. Our 4 o’clock wakeup call had been completely forgotten about. We savoured the moment, just the two of us, hand in hand, walking in the sand. Splish, splash as we walked along the pristine sands and not a care in the world. No better feeling than sand between our toes. We reached the end of the isle, where Morne Le Brabant seemed to look at us. We said to each other, rather proudly, that we had conquered that mountain. We turned back, slowly realizing that the end of the trip was nigh – all good things, etc… We got back to the part of the beach where the smell of the BBQ of marinated meat and fish filled the air. We sat back and enjoyed a glass of wine watching our boat bob with the slight waves in front of us.

Dinner was served – a homemade Mauritian barbecue that included fresh fish, shrimp skewers, chicken, garlic bread and salad. Hats off to the chef – this was BBQ brilliance. I’ve certainly stepped out of my comfort zone in tasting and eating fish this holiday. This is something I may continue when I’m back home – we shall see! The meal finished off with grilled banana flambé straight off the grill. Again, all good things, etc…. We jumped back on the boat, said goodbye to Benitiers Island before Brice put the accelerator to max again. Brice got the music pumping as we sped our way back to the marina. It was with sadness that we had to say goodbye to Brice and Whitney (they were great representatives of Vitamin Sea), but we left with memories of a lifetime.

Île aux Bénitiers, La Gaulette VCA, Black River, Mauritius

We had arrived in Mauritius, the destination of our honeymoon. Our route involved a stopover in Nairobi. Getting out of Nairobi airport was an experience that I wouldn’t wish upon any traveller. Our residence for the next 14 nights was the very impressive Heritage Awali Golf resort and Spa in the Bel Ombre and South western corner of the island.

Every morning, we would walk along the beach after breakfast. It felt good to at least stretch our legs before finding a suitable location to lay down and rest for the day (even the local stray dog would do the same). Lying there we would look out on the beach and enjoy the same view each day. The wind would push the clouds every now and again and bring with it the odd outbreak of rain (we somehow managed to miss a passing cyclone). Ignore this threat of bad weather and picture a postcard, if you will. At the forefront are white sandy beaches, beautiful tall palm trees, and the backdrop is the ocean. The ocean was a fascinating two-tone colour highlighting the coral reef with which the bay was associated. Resting completely soulless on the water were a few boats. They looked somewhat as we felt – calm and relaxed and, I dream here, like us enjoying the fact they had nothing to do. The holiday vibes are encapsulated in this one view – a total escape from the mundane life back home. In the far distance, when the cloud and rain didn’t hide it, you could just make out the top of a mountain. The name of that mountain was Le Morne Brabant with its apex just peeking above the trees. How many people were blissfully unaware of its existence in our hotel I wonder?

A book was enjoyed, along with a couple of beverages, conversations were had, and new acquaintances were made. Life felt good, but something was missing. We’re not ones to easily sit still and there was an itch that was getting bigger as the days went on. We wanted to escape that zen and explore and learn about this island that we had chosen as a honeymoon destination. We had taken the hotel bikes out for an exploratory trip along the coast in an easterly direction the day before. This had whetted the appetite.

I found a local company (Yanature) with which to book a guided tour of Le Morne Brabant, completely unaware of the mountain’s significance to the island’s history. The tour was booked as we love walking, and the mountain was close by and registered as easy/medium difficulty. A couple of nights before our planned ascent we sat around a fire as entertainers breathed fire, sang songs and beat the drums. We had made friends with another honeymoon couple who were going to complete the hike the next morning. We duly met up with them the following evening to listen to tales of their adventures. It became apparent that our guide was going to be essential and that this wasn’t going to be “walk/hike” as we thought it might have been. Their tales certainly worried Hannah and me. How much we slept, I do not know; I certainly lay in bed contemplating the fear and stress for I had managed to sign up and take Hannah as well.

We woke bright and early. I say ‘bright’ loosely; it was still fairly dark at this point. The rest of the hotel was certainly sleeping as we made our way through the hotel for our 0515 taxi pick up. The taxi driver very kindly drove us to a deserted shopping mall where we were to meet our guide. Our taxi guide shared stories about how he had climbed it along with most of the locals. Our guide (Rowin) arrived a little later than us, then we followed him to our parking point. We got out of the cars, completed the introductions and signed the waiver. We then left the parking area and started making our way into a wooded area and onto a track which led us up the ‘mountain’. When I think of mountain I think of something in excess of 1000m high. The highest point on this trip was to be 500m, 56m short of the summit!! Sounded easy!!

The early stages provided us with great shelter from the rising sun. Every now and again there was a gap in the local flora and beautiful views of the lagoon we had left behind were seen. At about the halfway stage on the ascent we took rest on a couple of benches. Bins overflowing caused Rowin to express his anger. It was here that we left the walking we envisaged it might have been to the top and started climbing! As we approached the technical section there didn’t appear to be an obvious route to the top. Rowin (who runs up and down the mountain for fun!) clearly knew which way to go. For an experienced climber this second part of the ascent would have seemed easy. We, however, were tourists. Rowin began to realise that we were proper tourists with a lack of hiking/climbing experience!! We both had a steely level of determination to reach the top and thoughts of nothing else would be contemplated. We crawled and climbed our way up the first section, Rowin directing our hands and feet movements. I believe at this point Hannah informed the Rowin that she wasn’t good with heights. I appeared to be fine with all this, which was surprising when you consider I had struggled up the Eiffel tower and the Golden Gate bridge and Hannah had loved both experiences. What we didn’t realise was that we were following in the footsteps of Maroons (this was called the slave route). The island has no natives. Most people were brought to the island through the slave trade. These people managed to escape the sugar plantations and slavery and used the mountain and trees to hide/live from their masters. When the soldiers/masters came up the mountain looking for them, some decided that rather than be caught they would jump off the mountain and die rather than be recaptured.

After completing the first technical section we arrived at a pinch point. This was an exposed area of the mountain where the views where incredible and on both sides of the mountain. On the one side was the view of the lagoon, and on the other side a view of the west coast of Mauritius with Benitiers island standing out (I mention this as we visited this island later in the trip and this is going to be the subject of another blog). We enjoyed the views and we could even see an eagle flying. I must admit to not wanting to look at it and purely focus on completing the last and stressful part. Rowin made a joke with Hannah that when we reached the top he would make the phone call for the helicopter to come and collect us. She looked at him with a sense of true optimism, but, alas, he was trying to provide some kind of joke and some added fun to the experience.

We waited for a group to descend before we took off for the final climb. It was short and sharp. Hands and feet were both essential to complete the climb. We zigzagged our way to the top. A white cross a sign of reaching the top. We collapsed on the floor and took stock for a while before we slowly grew some courage to take some pictures. Upon completing the formalities, we turned to realise that what must go up must come down. There was going to be no helicopter to provide us with an easily way out. Rowin led the way, helping Hannah with every step of the way. The short sharp final section completed we stopped so I could take a few more pictures before we started the long descent of the technical part. We crabbed on front and back as we descended the steep staircase. Rowin expertly providing us with the exact locations to put our hands and feet. At times he would stop us to help both individuals and couples who had attempted to tackle the climb on their own without a guide. They looked even more touristy than we did. One certainly felt without Rowin we would not have made it. After what seemed like an age, we made it on to solid ground. No longer did we need to use our hands as much as our feet. We retraced our steps back along the path through the trees and back to the car. We thanked Rowin; he had been superb. He very kindly informed us that we would be seeing him again on another adventure we had booked with the company. This was great and reassuring to hear. We jumped back in our taxi and returned to the hotel before noon. After a quick shower and a return to our beach wear, we made our way back to that postcard view. This time though we had a story to share, a sense of achievement, which meant the drinks were more of a reward than a mere social lubricant.

Tag: Morne Le Brabant

Benitiers Island

Mauritian Mountain