Triolet is a settlement in the Pamplemousses district of northern Mauritius, 15 km from downtown Port Louis. It is commonly referred to as the largest village in Mauritius. However, I don’t quite get by what criteria it isn’t the smallest town—or why the smallest town isn’t the largest village. With a population of 25,000, I would classify it as a town.
What Triolet can nonarbitrarily lay claim on, with a plain look at the map, is being the most elongated settlement in Mauritius. With a mere width of a couple of street blocks on either side, Triolet’s almost perfectly straight main street runs for nearly 5 km between the southern district of Solitude and Trou aux Biches Beach.
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Geography aside, Triolet bears a telling history behind it. It comprised one of the early communities of Indian indentured workers and African slaves who labored in the surrounding sugarcane fields. And with its various Hindu temples, it may be considered a fount of Mauritian-Indian culture. It was also home to Shri Jhummon Giri Gosagne Napal, a Hindu priest who initiated the now-revered Maha Shivaratri pilgrimage to Ganga Talao.
As far as budget-conscious travelers are concerned, Triolet is a good choice for accommodation. Located strategically near some of Mauritius’s best beaches, such as Grand Baie and Mont Choisy, it offers affordable lodging to those looking to explore the island’s north without spending a fortune on the beachfront resorts.
In our case, being based in Mahebourg during our entire two-month stay in Mauritius, we visited Triolet on a day trip combined with the nearby National Botanical Garden.
We arrived in the dead of day, and the main road of Triolet was, well, dead. Out of many Indian restaurants arrayed along its length, we found one open and became its sole and last customers before closing.
A brief stroll around town didn’t reveal anything too… uncasual. Besides houses and shops, Triolet has a casino, a helicopter tours agency, and an ayurvedic-spiritual-massage thingymabob. Having zero interest in any of these things, we drove to Maheswarnath Mandir at the north edge of the town. This is one of the oldest and grandest Hindu temples in Mauritius, erected in 1830. According to the lore, a pirate treasure was found on the site and was used to fund the temple’s construction. Its premises were picturesque, serene, and pleasant to spend some time in.
Our day trip ended at Trou aux Biches: the closest beach to Triolet and one of the prettiest beaches we visited in Mauritius. It was touristy but not as crowded as most other Mauritian beaches of similar quality. It featured a dense concentration of resorts and overpriced canteens in the adjacent casuarina grove. We had a quick dip in its limpid waters and began on our long way back.
Accommodation and activities in Mauritius
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Photos
View (and if you want use) all my photographs from Triolet and Trou aux Biches in higher resolution.
