P A M P L E M O U S S E S    G A R D E N

The Giant Water Lily, Victoria amazonica [082]

The Pamplemousses Garden (Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden is the official name) is situated in the district of Pamplemousses, north of Port-Louis and covers about 60 acres of land. Pamplemousses Garden was first the property of the foremost French governor of Mauritius, Mahé de La Bourdonnais. In 1770 Pierre Poivre, a French governor, bought the estate. In fact, he is the originator of this present garden. He had a great interest in botany and devoted his life to it. He collected many species of plants locally and from foreign countries and planted them in his garden.

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Pamplemousses Garden is opened from 8.30 am till 5.30 pm throughout the whole week.

The main places of interest in Pamplemousses Garden are :

Main Gate

Main gate of Pamplemousses Garden [227]

Pamplemousses Garden has two gates, the first one leading to a car park and the second one is the gate shown in the picture. This wrought iron entrance gate was a gift from François Liénard.

Liénard Obelisk

Liénard Obelisk [084]

Liénard Obelisk is a white column of marble donated by Liénard. On one side of the monument is engraved a philosophical saying of Bernardin de Saint Pierre. On the other side  are carved the names of those who have contributed to the development of Mauritius during the colonial period.

Water Lily Pond

Water lily pond [085]

These water lilies (victoria amazonica) are originally from the Amazon. The victoria amazonica is the largest water lily in the world and grows leaves that range from 0.6 to 1.8 m (2 to 6 ft) in diameter. It has a very short life span, a few days only.

Old Sugar Mill Model

A replica of a 19th century sugar mill [086]

This old sugar mill model typifies the sugar mill of the colonial period. Sugar canes were crushed and the juice was collected. It was then sifted from foreign matters and then poured into cauldrons and was heated. Finally it was shaped in wooden moulds.

Sugar cane was first brought to Mauritius by the Dutch mainly to produce an alcoholic drink named arrack. Mahé de La Bourdonnais was the first to initiate sugar production on a commercial scale in Mauritius. In 1858 there were about 259 sugar mills in Mauritius, however, due to the process of centralization, where sugar estates which were family owned estates merge into companies, the number of sugar mills have decreased to 137 sugar mills in 1888 and 79 sugar mills in 1903. Centralization has enabled the introduction of new technologies in sugar factories, thus increasing their production capacities. Until recently, the exportation of sugar has been the main pillar of the Mauritian economy.

Nowadays there are only 11 sugar factories namely; Belle Vue, Mon Loisir, F.U.E.L, Beau Champ, Riche-en-Eau, Mon Trésor, Savannah, Union Saint Aubin, Saint Félix, Médine and Mon Désert Alma.

The `Grand Bassin`

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At the `Grand Bassin` there are two accessible islets. This pond is replete with fishes namely the tilapia and `Gouramis`. A specific type of bird is common here (shown in the above picture) as they feed on these small fishes. It worth the time and patience to admire a hunt by this bird. Ducks also can be seen here.

Tortoise Pen

Tortoise [087]

The tortoise pen is located near the car park (next to the stag park). These tortoise were brought from Seychelles and other nearby islands in 1875. The male can weight more than 250 kg and has a life span of more than a 100 years. The local tortoise are now extinct as they were extensively killed for their flesh and their eggs were being eaten by other domestic animals brought to the island.

Stag Park

Stag [088]

The stag park is a few steps away from the tortoise pen. Stag was introduced in Mauritius by the Dutch in November 1639 from Batavia (Java). It has a red-brown coat and a short tail. The male has branched antlers that are shed annually.

 

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If you are lucky enough you can see different species of the phelsuma lizards, of colors ranging from black and white striped neck, to spotted green and orange back, to blueish tail. These lizards are  inconspicuous as they are well camouflaged among plants.

There are much more to explore and discover in Pamplemousses Garden depending on how much you are interested in botany.