Black River Gorges - Mauritius National Park

The biggest nature reserve in Mauritius is the Black River Gorges National Park which is found in the south western part of the island. The most common route to the park is via la Marie and Vacoas; along the way you can see the biggest natural reservoir of Mauritius called Mare aux Vacoas. Human settlement and development has led to major clearance of the Mauritian forest some 370 years ago; today the forest coverage is merely 5% with native forest accounting for less than 2% of it. Most of this native forest is concentrated in the national park, hence proclaimed Nature Reserve as per the Nature and Reserves Act, 1993.At the main entrance point is the parking area, toilets and picnic facilities. While some people enjoy the forest on foot others take their bicycles with them; only forestry personnel are granted access via 4X4. A very interesting aspect of the national park is the diversity of species that exist; as the climate changes from warmer on the outskirts of the forest to more humid in the interior, so does the species composition. Obviously the change is due to the microclimatic variability resulting from the different altitudes in the forest. So while the immediate front region of the forest is mainly dominated by heath land (dry adapted plants mostly palms), the deeper areas contain a more wet land adapted species as Bois des Nattes. Most of the trees are covered with ferns and orchids which is characteristics of a rain forest (so called because it receives more rainfall than average per year) and which further enhances the beauty of the place. The park is divided into many sections for location purposes; on going to the west from the entrance the trail leads into the Petrin forest, the right trail leads into the Macchabe forest. Further forks inside the forest lead to the Mare Longue forest and Bel Ombre forest. The hike in the forest in an interesting business as it consists of gentle slopes in some areas and steep slopes in others. During the journey, a few breaks in the forest structure where it starts to thin out reveals a breathtaking view of the gorges and the southern part of the island: the turquoise sea of Le Morne, the white sandy beaches, the stiff cliffs of the gorges, the waterfalls snaking through the greenery. The National Park is also one of richest biological hotspots in the world with 311 species of native plants among which is the Tambalacoque tree found solely in Mauritius. Big mammals such as lions and tigers are not found in the national park simply because of the island biogeography theory which is another story in itself but you may find a few endemic snails on your clothes and bags whilst trying to make a way out of the trees. The national park is also one of the best areas in Mauritius for bird watching. It actually harbours 9 endemic bird species (the echo parakeet, the pink pigeon, the kestrel etc) which were on the brink of extinction but were however saved through conservation programmes. You just have to take a seat under a tree and you will get lost in the serenity of the place, the appealing humming of the birds flying by constantly. You might even catch a lazy pink pigeon staring at you curiously from its perching point up the tree and if you are lucky enough he might let you touch him. The Mauritian forest is subject to a number of research and people throughout the world come to study its endemic fauna and flora. Brise fer is a study area in the national park which is cut off from public access, and is also the richest biodiversity hotspot in the whole Mascarene (Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion). A walk in the National Park is a must during a visit to Mauritius as it is one of the few remnants of pristine forests left on the island and it really gives you a feel of what the island was before human settlement.