When it comes to experiencing nature, Ile Maurice has something for everyone. Designed in the 18th century, Pamplemousse Botanical Garden is popular with Sunday picnickers and walkers and is home to the unusual Talipot Palm. It doesn't bloom until it is between 40 and 60 years old. Suddenly, in one glorious burst, the tree is showered with millions of tiny blooms and then, seemingly exhausted, it dies. Bird watchers are able to spot the Mauritius Pink Pigeon, Mauritius Fody, Mascarene Paradise Fly Catcher, and White-tailed Tick Bird flying about the garden, to name only a few.
Fishermen have miles of sea coast with a good reputation for deep sea fishing.
Yellow Fin Tuna and Marlin weighing up to several hundred pounds. The first international eighteen-hole golf course in the Indian Ocean opened in 1994 at the Belle Mare Plage Golf Hotel and Resort. The hotel asks men and women to wear collared shirts, tailored trousers or shorts for men and skirts below the knee for women. A small green fee is charged to non hotel guests. On the east coast of the island, sheltered in luxuriant tropical vegetation, is the Aman Resort's five-star, flagship Prince Maurice Hotel.