Mauritius is an African island, which has a lot to offer to a visitor. It is located in the Indian Ocean and therefore offers a warm climate year round. If you are looking for a perfect getaway with a combination of nice beaches, good snorkelling, amazing dining and interesting cultural features, this is a perfect place for you.

On Mauritius, you can find everything one would seek for a perfect and relaxing getaway. The white beaches with a relaxing atmosphere cannot leave anyone unimpressed. The island is almost entirely encircled by coral reefs, which present a perfect opportunity for snorkeling in refreshing turquoise waters.

If you wish to take a break from the hot coast, Mauritius offers stunning National parks with many waterfalls and other interesting attractions.

The reason the culture in Mauritius is so special is the fact that due to its vivid past, there are many ethnic groups who live on the island today. If you look carefully around you can see the mixture of Indians, Chinese, European and African people. The island is also a paradise for food lovers, as there you have a chance to taste a delicious mix of Indian, Chinese and European dishes.

Tourism in Mauritius

Mauritius is well known among the tourists due to its natural beauty as well as interesting cultural diversity and manmade features. Thirty years ago, Mauritius was still mostly an agricultural country. Today, there are more than one million visitors coming to the island every year.

Most travelers to the country arrive in Mauritius by air at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, in the Southeastern part of the island. If you are flying to Mauritius, compare and book your tickets using Jetradar.

There are many different accommodation types from which a visitor can choose from. For those on a tight budget, there are many hostels and bed and breakfast’s offered mostly by locals. On the other hand, there are fabulous top-end resorts also, offering luxurious vacation packages. Suitable for families and middle-class visitors, there is a good choice of reasonably priced and good quality hotels as well.

Mauritius is a relatively safe country, however, foreigners should take ordinary precautions. It is advised to take good care of your belongings, as there have been pickpockets reported, and not to walk alone at night.

Tourist visitors tend to forget that Mauritius is still a country with relatively low GDP which usually means the opportunity theft can be more common than in some Western countries.

Best Places to Stay in Mauritius

Mauritius is an island and tourism is one of the biggest industries in the country. For that reason, you can find accommodation all around Mauritius, including options for all budgets. Tourists usually explore beyond its capital Port Louis, with great options in both West and Eastern part of the island.

Regardless of where you stay in Mauritius, most attractions on the island are easily accessible. Crossing the island from north to South usually takes less than 2 hours by car.

Le Morne is the place which you can see on every postcard from the island. The area is located on the south-west coast of the island. This is also the place where you can find the well-known Le Morne Brabant mountain. Some of the best beaches on the island are located in this area. The water here is mostly shallow and suitable for families with children.  One of the best features of the area is a fabulous reef, located just at the end of the shallow white sand beach.

Grand Baie (Grand Bay) is the area where the most tourist decides to spend their holidays. Grand Bay is located next to the amazing white sand beach, on the north side of the island. This is a place where you can find a variety of local and international restaurants, a fabulous nightlife, decent shopping and a good choice if hotels and resorts.

Reasonably Priced Accommodation in Mauritius – $$

Bleu de Toi Boutique Guesthouse – a great guesthouse close to the beach in Mauritius.

Merville Beach, Grand Baie – an excellent hotel in the Grand Baie, one of the best areas to stay in Mauritius.

Luxurious Hotels in Mauritius – $$$

Royal Palm Beachcomber Mauritius –  one of the most prestigious hotels in Mauritius, right next to the beach in the Grand Baie area.

LUX* Le Morne – a luxurious hotel in Le Morne.

Cost of travel in Mauritius

Considering Mauritius is an African country, the prices which tourists encounter are far from cheap. However, compared to the most European and North American prices, everything you wish to buy in Mauritius is still very affordable.

The currency in Mauritius is the Mauritian Rupee. A meal for two in a mid-range restaurant will cost you around 1,200.00 Rs, while for a beer you will have to pay around 60.00 Rs. The transportation costs vary tremendously. For a full-day taxi ride, you can pay between Rs 1500 and Rs 3000, while local buses will cost you from Rs 12 up to a maximum of Rs 30.

When to Visit The Island

The island has a warm tropical climate year round. The best time to visit Mauritius is from May to December when the weather is mostly sunny and dry. Avoid visiting during the wet season, from January until March, when there is a good chance the cyclonic rain ruins your plans. Keep in mind also, that the island’s east coast is affected by strong winds during July and August.

As a side note, it is important to consider that the country also includes the island of Rodrigues, and a few outer islands. However, in this post we covered only the island of Mauritius, which is the most populated and the main tourist destination in the country.

Other Resources to Travel in Africa

If you are traveling to Africa you might also want to check our post on the best places to stay in Cape Town. Are you planning a trip to Mauritius? Have you already been to the country? Leave your thoughts and questions in the comment box below.

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The second biggest city of South Africa, Cape Town become a popular destination for holidays and also for cultural exchange.

Cape Town is a cosmopolitan amazing city, with beautiful landscapes, and plenty of entertainment for tourists.

Tourism in Cape Town: Table Mountain

In Cape Town the tourism is completely connected to the nature and outdoor activities.

The main tourist attraction on the centre of the city is the beautiful Table Mountain. The flat-topped mountain, which looks like a “table”. The visitors can reach the top through the cable-way or hiking which takes around 3 hours.

On the top, the view is breathtaking where visitors can admire the whole city in different directions. However, from the city, you can actually see how great is the Table Mountain.

After visit the Table Mountain if you decided to use the hop on – hop off touristic bus, it worth to stop in Camps bay. One of the most beautiful beaches in the region, with the Twelve Apostles on mountain range on the background.

The busiest beach in Cape Town is very popular among young people. Whether to enjoy the sun on a hot summer day or to enjoy the night life on the bars. It is a good option for lunch, with plenty of restaurants in front of the sea.

Tourism in Cape Town: Sports and Nature

Another beautiful place to visit is the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope, first named by the Portuguese Bartolomeu Dias as “Cape of Storms” . On the way to the Cape of Good Hope, if you are lucky you can bump into some wild ostrich, wild zebras and also with the famous baboons.

For those who like sports, especially surf, the beaches are beautiful with white sand. The best spots for surf are Kalk Bay, Outer Kom, Misty Cliffs, Milnerton, Table View or Big Bay. However, even in summer, the water is very cold. In addition, in many beaches there are warnings due to the presence of the great white sharks. For the brave ones, there are guided tours to dive with the great white sharks.

However, if you are not really interested in dive with sharks, you can enjoy the wine farms’ tour. Near Cape Town, there is a region of wine farms that offer tours and also wine and olives tasting.

There also other activities to do in Cape Town such as the Mandela’s Island, the Penguin beach, the boat trip to see the seals, the aquarium and much more.

Best Places to Stay in Cape Town

The the city center is possibly the first choice among the best places to stay in Cape Town as it gathers a wide variety of bars, restaurants and hotels. The whole area from the city center to the Green Point including De Waterkant gathers a lot of activities in a pleasant atmosphere.

If you are into surf, the area of Milnerton is great option for your stay in Cape Town.

Cost of Travel in Cape Town

The cost of travel in Cape Town is lower than most mainstream destinations like Europe or North America. Food is especially delicious and extremely affordable.

Prices have a strong seasonality depending on the tourist influx. In winter you can find excellent deals on accommodation and restaurants, while in summer everything becomes pricier. It is important to remember that since South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, and when it’s winter in Europe and the US, it’s summer in SA.

Best Months to Visit Cape Town

The weather in Cape Town is suitable for tourism the whole year. However due to the geographic location through the current of air coming from Antarctica, even on sunny and beautiful days, the winds make the temperature vary between 3 ° C and 12 ° C in the winter and 14 ° C and 30 ° C in the summer.

It is important to notice that since South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, it doesn’t have the seasons at the same months as in the Northern one. The hottest summer months are January and February, and the coldest winter months are July and August.

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Are you planning to fly in the near future? Check our guides on how early you should arrive at the airport, features tips on travel planning for domestic and international flights.

Why Should You Arrive Early At the Airport for Your Flight

Commercial flights indeed make our life much easier, as you can fly to any city within your country in just a few hours. For international and intercontinental flights, flying is usually the only viable option. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean is just 7 hours is extremely convenient, but we all know that flying also has its disadvantages. One of the them, is to arrive at the airport much earlier than your flight.

Important Aspects Influencing Your Boarding Speed

Before we get to analyze the ideal time frames in which you should be at the airport, let’s check some key-factors which influence your boarding experience.

Checked-in Baggage

If you will bring baggage to check-in, you can expect the time to arrive in the airport to be earlier than otherwise. Checking baggage will at least add one more queue to your boarding at the airport, thus adding more time to arrive in advance.

Mobile Check-in

Mobile check-ins are relatively new, but they are already available in most airports and wit most airlines. Checking in to your mobile reduces the number of queues you will need to pass to get to your gate. With a mobile check-in and no checked-in baggage, you can arrive to the airport and go straight to the airside.

Airport Size

This may not be an obvious factor for some, but the airport size certainly influences your boarding time. If you are flying from big airports, odds are you will have to walk longer distances to get to your flight.

Another important aspect here is, if you are flying from a big airport and you haven’t been there before, you might need more time to get to your gate.

Gate Closing Time

Another thing you should consider when flying is the actual gate closing time. Your gate will always close sooner than the actual departure time, and how soon will also depend on a number of factors.

Domestic, short distance flights usually have a short time difference between the gate closing time and actual boarding time. Intercontinental flights have the longest time gap between closing the boarding gate and departing.

How Early Should you be at the Airport for Domestic Flights

For domestic flights, you will not need to arrive at the airport much earlier than your flight. Domestic flights do not involve immigration, and the speed of boarding is usually faster.

With mobile check-ins proliferating in most airports, passengers can have fast access to their gates. That is especially the case if you do not have any checked baggage. Even if you opt for checking in at the airport and you have baggage to drop at the counter, domestic flights are still more straightforward than international flights.

As a rule of thumb, in most domestic flights and in most countries, you should be at the airport one hour before your departure time for domestic flights.

How Early Should you be at the Airport for International Flights

While checking in for international flights is usually more time consuming, following basic rules can make boarding a smooth experience.

Mobile check-ins are also available for many, if not most, international flights. This also can speed up your boarding process, but you will still need to arrive earlier than for a domestic flight.

For most international flights, arriving at the airport 2 hours before your flight is the ideal to check your baggage, get your boarding pass, go through immigration and board your flight. If you have an intercontinental flight and you want to play it safe, arriving at the airport 3 hours before your flight is a good idea.

How Early Should you be at the Airport for An International Flight in the Schengen Area

If you are flying in the Schengen area, the time requirements to arrive at the airport are lower. The Schengen Area comprises 26 European countries with no border controls. For that reason, when flying from Spain to Denmark, or Poland to Portugal, there are no immigration in neither departure nor arrival, speeding your boarding time considerably.

Bear in mind that not all European Union member countries are part of Schengen. Some example of European Union countries that are not in the Schengen area are Romania, Ireland and Bulgaria. Some other countries in Europe are part of the Schengen Area, but are not members of the European Union. Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are in this category.

In most cases, you can safely arrive at the airport 2 hours before your flight if you are flying inside the Schengen area.

Still Uncertain About When to Arrive at The Airport Before Your Flight?

Finally, if you want to double check your exact boarding requirements, the best is to contact the airline directly. Delta Airlines for example has a comprehensive minimum required check-in time for many of its destinations.

Arriving At Your Destination Airport

Another thing you should consider when flying, especially to a new destination, is the infrastructure at the airport in which you are arriving. While it is essential to plan well your arrival at the airport in which you are departing from, it is also good to plan your arrival.

Planning your arrival will certainly avoid a number of problems in your business or leisure trip. Spending a lot in taxi fares if public transport is closed in late hours for example. In case you arrive hungry, you might miss most restaurants or snack bars opening hours.

Other Resources

If you are still looking to book a flight you can use Jetradar to compare the best fares for flights. You may also want to read our other air travel related guides. Check which airports have the most direct international connections and which European airlines accept Paypal. Finally, check our Europe guides and Asia guides for your next trip.

Do you have a question regarding arriving early at the airport? Do you want to share some of your airport experiences? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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American Airlines is one of America’s largest and oldest airline companies. It operates 6,700 flights every day to 350 destinations around the world. Its recent announcement expands its operations further to new destinations.

On Thursday, August 8, the American air carrier announced five new routes to Central Europe and Africa. These flights will begin in summer 2020 and one of the flights will make history.

Where are the new routes?

The new routes include American Airlines’ first flight to Africa and the continuation of its services to and from Tel Aviv, Israel.

The first flight of the airline to Africa will bring the airline to Casablanca, Morocco. The flights, which begins on June 4, 2020, will fly from Philadelphia three times a week on a Boeing 757. The flight will make American the only US airline to have a direct flight to Casablanca.

The new route is expected for the airline because the country’s national flag carrier Royal Air Maroc will be joining the Oneworld airline alliance next year. American Airlines is a member of the alliance and the new partnership will allow the airline to make easy connections around Africa.

In a statement, American’s VP of Network and Schedule Planning Vasu Raja said “We look forward to working with Royal Air Maroc when they join Oneworld in January, which will allow for even more connections further into Africa to places like Marrakech, Lagos and Accra.”

He also added “This is only the beginning,” indicating that this is the first step for the airline in expanding its operations in the continent.

Aside from Casablanca, American Airlines will also have direct flights to Krakow, Budapest, and Prague from its hub in Chicago. The flights are five times per week on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane. 

The airline also said that it will be continuing its flights to Tel Aviv. Previously, the Tel Aviv flights leave from Philadelphia but it was cancelled because of its low profitability. The new flights will have three flights per week from Dallas-Fort Worth on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

When is the Ticket Sale?

All of American Airlines’ newest flights will be available for booking starting August 12, except for the flights to Israel. Those flights will be available for booking starting October 10.

Here are the launch dates for the new flights:

• Philadelphia (PHL) to Casablanca, Morocco (CMN) begins June 4, 2020
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV) begins Sept. 9, 2020
• Chicago (ORD) to Krakow, Poland (KRK) flights begins on May 7, 2020. The same launch date is also scheduled for ORD- Budapest, Hungary (BUD) flights.
• The ORD to Prague, Czech Republic (PRG) begins May 8, 2020

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While Cape Verde and its major airline, Cabo Verde Airlines, are not well-known, both are making headlines. The airline is now making a re-entry in helping the country become an intercontinental hub for the region.

On Monday, July 29, the airline announced that it will be adding new routes to the Americas, Europe and Africa. One of the newest routes will travel to Washington Dulles Airport.

Cabo Verde Airlines’ New Destinations

According to the report, starting December 8, the airline will be starting its flights to Washington Dulles International Airport. It will fly 3x weekly using the fleet’s Boeing 757s and will take off during mornings. The flights from Ilha do Sal will leave at 8:00 am and will arrive in Washington at 12:45 pm. The return trip leaves Washington at 7:45 am and arrive at 6:40 pm.

Tickets to this new route are already on sale starting at $600 for a round-trip flight. Currently, the airline has flights to Boston Logan International Airport.

Aside from Washington, Cabo Verde is expected to add flights to Lagos, Angola and Nigeria. New flights to Portugal and Brazil are also in the airline’s plans for expansion.

The airlines had been on the headlines since last summer as Icelandair entered a 12-month management contract for the airline. This is to attempt in reviving the airline’s ailing line due to the lack of investors. It soon became a majority stake in the airline early this year to help improve Cape Verde potential as a hub. The airline also purchased new 757 planes to increase its flights to Portugal, Brazil and its other destinations.

The airline said that they hope to grow in a sustainable way and use Icelandair’s business model to succeed. They also hope, through these new changes, to connect the four continents together and make it easier to fly.

How to Get to Cape Verde

European and Asian tourists can fly straight to Cape Verde through select major and low-cost airlines. American and Middle Eastern tourists will need to take connecting flights to reach the main island. Each island that comprises Cape Verde Island also has their own airport for easier transfers to and from these islands.

There are also ferries and ships traveling between the islands included in Cape Verde.

Traveling to Cape Verde soon? You can check out the Cape Verde website for some great ideas.

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South Africa is one of the most popular destinations in Africa. It is teaming with wildlife and destinations that you will not find anywhere else. Exotic food and drinks are also a plenty when you visit, some are even surprising to find out. Tourists would also fall in love with South Africa’s prices and tourist infrastructure. However, not everyone can visit due to the existing visa policy.

On Wednesday, South Africa announced that citizens from 7 countries will be able to visit the country without a visa. These seven countries are as follows: United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Qatar, Cuba, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and Sao Tome and Principe.

The Newest Tourism Move

In the statement released, Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi said that tourism will flourish if the country relaxes its visa requirements. He adds that tourism will be able to open new jobs for the people.

With the inclusion of the 7 nations in its visa-free roster, the minister said he will be working with these countries. He hopes to see how a visa-free agreement could be reached. Qatar and Ghana already have visa-free agreements with South Africa. Currently, South African nationals can visit 99 countries visa-free according to the 2019 Henley Passport Index.

His office will also be working on improving visa processing rates for China, India and Nigeria. He said that they will double the staff to meet the demand.

The country also announced that they will be launching its new eVisa system in November. According to Home Affairs deputy minister Njabulo Nzuza, it will make it easier for tourists to enter the country.

With the new system, visitors can apply for South African visa online. The applications will be forwarded to a central adjudication and approval office. All the visitor has to do is wait for the approval at home.

It is also the hope of the country that the eVisa system will make the country an ideal place to visit. It is also expected to help increase tourism in the country.

How to Go to South Africa?

Europeans who wish to travel to South Africa can take direct flights to South Africa’s international airports. Asian tourists can fly to South Africa from connecting flights from Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Hong Kong and Doha. North and South American travelers will have to take connecting flights from Europe to reach the country.

If you plan to visit South Africa, South Africa’s Official Tourism Site is a great place to get ideas.

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