Mauritius Souvenirs

It’s hard to visit any country without bringing back a souvenir and lucky enough for tourists, Mauritius has something for everyone and all budgets. A lot of souvenirs available from Mauritius are also handmade so there are many unique pieces available to buy. As a child I used to buy souvenirs for all my friends as they had never been to Mauritius, in those days they were very cheap, I even got a Sari for a work colleague once, it was so cheap compared to England.

What is nice about Mauritius is there are a lot of creative and artistic people who live on the island, as crafts are dying there are many older people who are still trying to keep it alive by selling small handmade souvenirs. There are personalised wood carvings, key rings and even paintings but what is even more amazing are the gifts you can make from glass. You can get your hand print moulded into a slab of glass, very unique.

Key rings, fridge magnets, mugs and t-shirts are all very popular souvenirs to buy in Mauritius but why not bring back something different and more original instead. You can purchase a small vial with all the seven colours of the earth, a popular tourist attraction called Chamarel. How about a piece of art by one of the many talented artists in Mauritius. Or even a handmade instrument, you must have heard of our Mauritian dance called Sega, the musicians play the Ravan and the drum, both of them inexpensive to take back home as a souvenir.

One of my all time favourites are the shells; I can never get enough of them and lucky for you there are so many souvenirs that have shells on them as decorations such as a lampshade or nightlight. Giant shells are also becoming rare now so if you manage to get one then snap it up. Handmade woven baskets are also available everywhere and last you for years to come, there is a craft market in Port Louis at the Bazaar and another at Grand Baie Bazaar. Super U in Grand Baie has recently started to offer souvenirs at an affordable price so that may be worth a visit too.

Another popular souvenir is from Crocodile Park also known as La Vanille Réserve des Mascareignes, you can get many items such as a belt, wallet, purse, handbag and many more made from crocodile skin but if that doesn’t appeal to you there is also Mauritian Rum. A few years ago Mauritius also launched a fragrance which is available around the island and also at the airport when you go through Duty Free.

If you didn’t manage to go souvenir shopping don’t worry you can always do it at the airport but please note it’s more expensive and the range is very limited so try haggling when you’re out and about to snap up those gorgeous souvenirs.