Stroll along shady avenues and through groves of palm trees and spice gardens that were first laid out in 1735 and have since become one of the major tourist attractions in Mauritius.
Formerly called the Royal Botanical Gardens of Pamplemousses, among several other names, the garden is the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere. In 1988, it was renamed in honour of the late Prime Minister.
The garden covers roughly 37 hectares and is home to a collection of more than 85 varieties of palms from Asia, Africa, Central America and the Indian Ocean, many of which have been planted by world leaders and royalty.
The garden includes royal palms, bottle palms, talipot palms and pandanus palms, as well as ebony and mahogany.
In particular, look out for the talipot palm, which flowers once every 60 years, then dies, and the pond of giant water lilies that are native to the Amazon – watch as young leaves emerge as wrinkled balls and unfold up to 2m in diameter in a matter of hours. Tip: The leaves are at their biggest in January.
The gardens are located around 11km northeast of Port Louis, and are easily reached by public bus.
Location: Pamplemousses
Cost: Free; tour up to four people Rs50.00, up to 10 people Rs40.00
Hours: Daily 8:30am-5:30pm
Latest update: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens: 1 January, 2023
Advertising