About Mauritius,Useful information

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Mauritius is truly a remote and exotic island very different from the continents. It takes approximately 10 to 12 hours to fly from Western Europe to Mauritius and the same amount of time from Eastern Australia by direct flights.

There is only one airport in Mauritius and it is the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport in Plaisance, Mahebourg in the south-east corner of the island. The airport lies very close to the coast and as the plane lands, it will make its approach from the sea, giving passengers the impression that they are about to land on water. The terminal building contains most of what you would expect from an international airport: Thomas Cook, restaurants, Mauritius Duty Free Paradise for duty free shopping, banks and a post office.

Air Mauritius is the national carrier and serves over 30 destinations, including London, Manchester, Paris, Frankfurt and Geneva in Europe, Dubai, Bombay, New Delhi and Beijing in Asia, Melbourne, Sydney and Cape Town in the southern hemisphere.

Other major airlines also go to Mauritius. They include British Airways, Quantas, Emirates Airlines, Air France and Lufthansa. If you are flying from the UK, you might want to use this opportunity to break up this long-haul flight by stopping for a few days at Dubai for some shopping. You can also find many packages that will include flight + hotel.

A couple of useful information:  Mauritius is 4 hours ahead of GMT throughout the year and its international telephone dialling code is 230.

Airport customs

The following goods are prohibited or have restrictions placed on them:

• Drugs;
• Firearms, including underwater guns and ammunitions;
• Gold in non-jewellery form;
• Any form of plants, flowers, vegetables and fruits;
• Live and stuffed animals.

In some cases, you may be allowed to bring them, for example flowers and pets but you will need specific permits and will have to declare them through customs.

Passengers are granted the following allowances through customs:

• 250g of tobacco;
• 1L of spirits;
• 2L of wine or beer;
• Sports firearm with up to 50 cartridges with police permit obtained prior to entry.