The Old Grand Port (Vieux Grand Port in French) is a small town on the eastern coast of Mauritius, near the city of Mahebourg. It is a renowned tourist attraction owing to its historical significance as the site of the first European landing and establishment on the island. We visited it briefly during our 2024 overwintering in Mauritius, following a hike to the top of Lion Mountain, on whose foot the town lies.
We first checked out the town’s beach. Nothing special; stony and murky. Still, a pleasant spot with some nice views.
Then we headed to Old Grand Port’s historic site. Next to the contemporary church of Notre Dame du Grand Puvoir, rest the ruins of Fort Frederik Henrik: the dubbed-oldest manmade structure in Mauritius. Naming it after a powerful, aristocratic compatriot, the Dutch constructed the original fort in 1638 but destroyed it upon their abandoning the island in 1710. Only the foundations date back to that time, while the remaining visible walls are of a later French fort.
I found it very picturesque, overlooking the sea from the grass-grown coast. The historic site was free to visit and well-maintained. It also featured a small museum exhibiting local findings such as tools and bones of animals eaten by the early settlers.
Lastly, on our way back to our place in Mahebourg, we stopped at the site of the first Dutch landing. It is located some two km west of Old Grand Port, beside the bridge crossing the Champagne River (location). A short path led us from the road to the coast, where a narrow pebble beach lay amid an extensive bay bordered by mangroves. That was where, in 1598, a Dutch crew became the first humans to ever set foot on Mauritius. What an adventure this must have been! A commemorative pillar stood on a platform to the side.
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