Mauritius - Le Morne Peninsula

Le Morne Brabant is an isolated peninsula at the south-western tip of Mauritius. Its most distinguishing feature is the imposing, 555m basaltic mountain that rises alone from the centre of Le Morne peninsula and bears the same name.

Slaves used Le Morne peninsula as a hideaway in the late 1700s and early 1800s. In 1835 soldiers arrived to proclaim that slavery had been abolished.

The story goes that the slaves thought the soldiers had come in another attempt to take them into captivity, and threw themselves off the mountain to a watery grave. The area has now been declared a World Heritage Site because of its slave history.

It's also one of the last remaining refuges of an extremely rare type of hibiscus; the Mandrinette. Le Morne has been developed into a particularly upmarket tourist destination.

Helicopters ferry guests to and from the peninsula's hotels - Le Paradis, Dinarobin and Les Pavillons. These overlook the most idyllic beach on Mauritius, which stretches for 5 powdery kilometres along the azure seashore.

All sorts of activities are available in the area:

• 18-hole golf
• scuba-diving
• snorkelling
• windsurfing
• water-skiing
• kite surfing
• boat trips to the nearby islands

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