Come with me - and hike in the Black River Gorges National Park

In February 2016 we went on our first bigger trip to Mauritius. It was super spontaneous. We bought plane tickets on Friday and the flight was the very next day. Everything was so crazy but it turned out to be one of the best experience in our life.

We booked some cheap AirBnb and stayed for 12 days in Trou-Aux-Biches with young local couple. They were very helpful. They help us organized the trip to the one and only National Park in Mauritius - Black River Gorges.

This National Park is located in the south-western part of the island. It covers an area of 6754 hectares which is 3.5% of the total land area of Mauritius.

Black River George National Park has been found in 1994. It is one of the rarest woods in the world. Of the nearly 700 plant species occurring in Mauritius, 311 you can found in the National Park such as the Trochetia, the Chinese Guava, the Dodotree.

We have visited the park for a one day hiking trip. It was organized by some professional local guides and it supposed to be a hiking for beginners. At least that was how they call it. It was actually a hard race through the jungle. We weren’t prepared for it and didn’t even suspect that it may look like that.

They made as force our way through some exotic bushes and fording the river many times – the really rapid river. The path led through a quite hilly ground, many times without any protection. No safety barriers, nothing. There were a lot of wet stones, muddy and slippery slopes… And did I mention mosquitos? Like tones of them. All the time we were looking death in the face! And I am not exaggerating now. The most scary part is that my friend is afraid of heights so you can imagine how she felt, when she had to climb some steep-up hill.

After we reached the destination point, which was a really nice waterfall, The waterfall of Chamarel, we were not even able to enjoy the view, coz we knew, we still have to survive the way back. It was the most scary 5 or 6 hours of our life.

Now, after two years we remember it as a great adventure and we mostly laugh about it. But back then it was less funny, more terrifying experience !