#MyMauritius mountain edition: zip lining, mountain biking and the fabulous Lux LeMorne resort

I can guarantee you: Mauritius is far more than beaches alone. OK, the beaches and luxury resorts are to die for. But if you are into adventure, the island has a lot to offer! This post is mainly about an awesome activity called zip-lining….but I managed to put in some more fun things to do in the mountains of Mauritius. The post will end with a short review of one of the island’s Lux* resorts.

Zip lining in Mauritius– crossing gorges

What is zip lining? Well, it’s actually nothing more than hanging on a steel wire and (sort of) fly to cross deep gorges…sounds easy doesn’t it?

I promise you however: your first zip line is going to be a tough one. I mean, you see this steel cable crossing a gorge of around 60 meters deep. They tell you the only thing you have to do (after your gear is connected to the wire) is to walk until you don’t feel any ground under your feet. From that moment it is tiny you dangling from the cable.

On the picture above you see one of the longest zip lines: you end at the sandy area at the other end of the gorge (can you find it?). Casela Park hosted me for a full day of zip lining next to hiking and swimming in canyons. We managed to do 14 zip lines; at Casela it is all about adventurous mountain activities!

Can you see me dangling in the air?! Look carefully in the center of the picture…

My personal Casela guides were wonderful! I am glad they checked and re-checked my gear three times, every time. Safety comes first. How I felt while hanging on these cables? I felt free! It felt like I was beating gravity. It was an unforgettable day!

Swimming in canyons

After 14 zip lines, a terrifying high hanging (Nepalese) bridge and a great lunch (where our cook arrived with all his gear by zip line of course!) it was time for some swimming! The ladies convinced me to try the mini-zipline that offered me a refreshing dip into the water…..ice cold water!

After this dip we went for a walk through the fascinating volcanic landscape and through deep canyons. Of course the last part we had to swim….no other way of passing that part of the canyon.

Thanks Casela for a great day! I loved to experience the longest zip lining circuit in the Indian Ocean. The Casela Nature & Leisure Park from origin is a nature park home to 1,500 birds, lions, zebras, and many other animals (great for kids!). Next to zip-lining, Casela Park offers various adventurous activities to enjoy the natural beauty of Mauritius: quad, buggy, segway and even a real walk with lions!

End of September 2013 Casela opened a new thrilling attraction: the Canyon Swing (kind of a bungee jump on a wire). It was still closed when I visited, but in the meantime some dared to take up the challenge.

Of course I asked about zip lining with children and they confirmed to me that the zip lining is open to children from the age of 6. You can check the Casela website for prices as well as an overview of all the adventurous activities they offer.

Salt pans

The next day at 7am (on our way to another mountain adventure) we passed salt pans on the main road towards Flic en Flac and Le Morne Brabant (West of the island). Salt is produced locally and is mainly concentrated in this so-called Black River district, the hottest and driest part of the island. Sea water is pumped into large, shallow pans, made of basalt rock where the water is left to evaporate. After a few days, the salt residue is then harvested by these ladies. Such a tough job!

Mountain biking – about sugar cane farmers and getting lost

After visiting the salt pans we arrived at the starting point of yet another adventure activity: mountain biking! During our stay the ‘Coast 2 Coast MTB Challenge 2013’ took place and together with Jerry and Melvin I was one of the lucky few to hop on a bike. OK, it’s not like we were real professional mountain bikers and 70km is quite a long distance, but we gave it a try…

Let me jump to the end of our story: we didn’t finish. We had to give up after 20km (please still call me a hero..) But the places we have seen during the trip were stunning! Let me share some views….if you have the chance to rent a mountain bike make sure you check out some of the great MTB tracks on the island.

On our mountain bike we meandered through villages squashed between sugar-cane fields and volcanic peaks. We met this sugar cane farmer who explained us how to drink the juice from the sugar cane plant.

At one of many ruined stone smokestacks that rise from the sugar cane fields we rested. These stacks are remnants of around 250 sugar mills that once operated on the island. Mauritius is such an impressive island.

Lux Le Morne resort

After my strenous MTB trip I was so happy to arrive at yet another fabulous resort: Lux LeMorne. I loved the overall set-up of the resort (just look at the view from my room on below picture) and especially the sunsets were stunning!

The full-body massage I was offered was amazing (thank you Lux LeMorne!). LUX* Me is the brand of products that so nicely fits with all the luxurious personal treatments they offer.

These two days were a good example of what Mauritius has to offer: adventurous activities combined with beautiful resorts where you can really relax….

Things to do in Mauritius

Are you interested to read more about Mauritius? Just check out the following posts:

• This is Paradise….Mauritius
• Mauritius: of Rum, Vanille, Tortoises and Le Telfair resort (plus an unusual fisherman)

Note: this post was brought to you as a result of the #MyMauritius blog trip, created and managed by iambassador and AHRIM in association with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Air Mauritius. Act of Traveling maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site.