Labourdonnais Orchard Mauritius

The Labourdonnais orchard is one of its kinds on the island. Found in the north of Mauritius in the quiet village of Mapou, the orchard has had 150 years of experience in dealing with fruits, vegetables and flowers. There is a strong palpable air of history as one enters the area through the main gates to be exposed with a sight of vast lawns and some mango trees dating back to when the area housed the castle of Labourdonnais built by Wiehe Christian in 1858 which also stand straight today still as well as its chapel. Remnants of train rails can even be seen from when trains were used to travel over the island. The place is huge and so quite tiring to visit on foot but bikes are available on the property for this purpose. As the main business during the French period was sugar production, a sugar factory was built on the estate. It was later on demolished to give way to a modern orchard; two chimneys from that period are there today still. The orchard extends over an area of 50 hectares over a relatively flat land making the bike cycling an easy task. A guided visit of the orchard lasting about an hour leads the visitor to an unforgettable journey of fruit, vegetable and flower blossoming without forgetting all their wonderful smells! Rows and rows of all sorts of tropical fruit trees can be seen such as banana, litchi, coconut and pineapple. Tomatoes, eggplants, jack fruits grow about proudly much to the delight of growers and the visitors. The greenhouses provide a picturesque view of colourful flowers like anthuriums, bougainvillas and hibiscuses. About 1,000 tons of fruit are obtained per year from the orchard. The fruits are sold as fresh products or made into jams, fruit paste and pickles. La Pepiniere is the place on the estate where flowers are sold in the form of plantlets or cuttings fresh to be planted back home or where varying bouquets of different flowers and different sizes can be bought. La Corbeille on the other hand is a little shop with an air of antique where fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers are exposed in wicker baskets and sold. Also available are pots of jams as well as gift bags of fruit paste in cute little handmade Vacoa baskets or boxes. Fresh fruit juices and sorbets can be obtained from the counter on the outside of the shop. Mauritius boasts not only its beaches, waters and biodiversity but also its tropical fruits; the orchard of Labourdonnais is thus a must visit place for a good quality and fresh taste of these produce!