Humans suck.

I should amend that.

Humans often suck.

Through our many travels we’ve been fortunate enough to bask in natural wonders of our destinations along with the often, tragic histories that they include. In the Galapagos, the entire archipelago is a national park, which naturalist guides, heavy regulation and strict environmental policies in place in order to protect their very fragile ecosystem. This is especially prudent after centuries of humans actively doing their best to destroy it. Entire species of animals have been eliminated, invasive plants and animals have been introduced and in some instances, entire populations of fellow humans thrown into bondage all in the pursuit of increasing the wealth of a select few. Mauritius, unfortunately isn’t immune from a similar dark history. After is discovery in the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company leveraged the island as base of Indian Ocean operations and decimated much of the natural habitat, hunting many endemic species (including the Dodo and giant tortoises) into extinction and introducing plants and animals that still have descendants here today. As a hub for the eastern slave trade, slaves would often escape once ships were docked and try to find refuge on the island.

Humans suck.

Le Morne Brabant

Le Morne Brabant is one of Mauritius’s most famous mountains and was designated an UNESCO world heritage site in 2008. Due to its vast cave a system, it was used as a shelter by those runaway slaves in the 18th and 19th century. These individuals were so terrified and so set on not becoming re-enslaved that many threw themselves off of the top of the the mountain, not trusting local authorities when they communicated that slavery was finally abolished.

The mountain rises more than 550 meters (1800ft) from the sea on the southern tip of the island,…and we hiked it…at 5:30 in the morning.

Along with two other couples and led by our excellent, if not a tad loquacious, local guide Bryn, we made our way up the vast monolith covering the 2.5 mile round trip distance in a little over three hours. The first .75 miles were merely a warmup as we hike through the underbrush, wet with morning dew and a moderate incline. After reaching the main plateau, the hike became more climbing than hiking with four distinct ascents that required dexterity, free climbing skills (so much so he oriented us before each section) and strong bowel control.

At one point in the climb there were two rocks (used at footholds) that were so critical to continue, they had names – Kevin and Kraig (seriously!) and with their help, we were able to successfully reach the summit.

At the summit, one can see the infamous ‘underwater waterfall’ which is an optical illusion made from the unique striations of the marine life on the reef that makes the water look like is flowing downward.

7 Coloured Earth and Chamarel Waterfall

About three miles from our hotel lies a curious section of the island known as 7 Coloured Earth. Over several millions of years, volcanic basaltic rock was eroded to produce saprolite, an incredibly porous rock that created a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors can’t be seen anywhere else.

At 100 meters (328ft), Chamarel Waterfall is the islands largest and can be seen in all its glory within the 7 Coloured Earth grounds. Nearly 41,000 cubic meters (135k cubic ft) of water flow over the falls during the rainy season into the awaiting Baie du Cap river. The sheer sound of that volume of water is deafening, even a mile or so away where we were perched. Due to the rains, we unfortunately weren’t able to hike to it, but the view overlooking it was absolutely stunning.

When visiting 7 Coloured Earth, most sane people take a tour or call for a driver to get there but we walked. Chronologically, we did this on the eve of our Le Morne hike, which in hindsight wasn’t one of our better decisions. Upon returning to the hotel, we immediately jumped into the pool to cool off and do our best to heal our aching feet. But on the bright side, we received an unexpected escort on our way back. She was both lovely and fluffy and didn’t mind how sweaty we were.

When face to face with the natural beauty of an environment or the sweet and welcoming nature of the local population it serves as a reminder that while dark times may have existed in the past, we must take capitalize on the ongoing opportunity to be better people. Not just for our inner circle of family or friends but for our community of humanity we’re all part of and more importantly, to take care of the planet we call home.

In short: don’t be a dick.

A special thanks to Bryn James from Explores Mauritius. He was thorough, patient and an excellent companion for our Le Morne hike and is just an incredible human being. He is the founder of Explores Mauritius a Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Partner and is an ambassador at Green Destinations, a group dedicated to promoting sustainable travel.

Travel/Post Details:

• Post includes activists from May 19-20 2023
• Featured Image – Lauren and I marveling in the view at the top of Le Morne
• Accommodation- Lakaz Chamarel (Piton Canot Suite)
• 7 Coloured Earth and Chamarel waterfall done ad hoc (no tour). Le Morne hike booked through Summertimes
• Had a light lunch at 7 Coloured Earth – Lauren had an iced coffee (with great foam!) with a chocolate macaroon and I had a vanilla Oreo artisanal frozen pop made locally
• Le Morne pictures credit to Bryn James
• Walked back to Rhumerie de Chamarel coming back from 7 Coloured Earth to pick up vanilla rum set and pods
• Dinner at Lakaz on May 19th was a highlight with pan seared marlin with an exquisite pistachio sauce (need to find recipe). Also had a delicious taro cream and a tropic fruit mille feuille for dessert. The best meal so far!