Visit to Lighthouse in Île aux Fouquets, Mauritius

Visiting smaller islands from the island country Mauritius were some of the thrilling activities we indulged in during our tour of Mauritius. After our tour of Île aux Cerfs we visited the island, Île aux Fouquets. It is famous for the lighthouse built in 1864 to guide ships to the port of Mahebourg.

Visit to Lighthouse in Île aux Fouquets Mauritius

Speedboat Ride to Île aux Fouquets

This was one trip when the journey was more interesting than the destination itself! This trip was a memorable one particularly because of the speed boat ride. The captain of the small motorised boat, a young man in his late twenties took it on himself to thrill us. He sped the boat at the highest safe speed limit, cutting the choppy waters, yet maneuvering the boat safely to both the islands, Île aux Cerfs and Île aux Fouquets from the port of Mahebourg.

Right at the start he had cautioned us to hold on to our hats, cameras and bags tight. We didn’t know what was to come next! Within a couple of minutes into the ride, he picked up speed. We clung to the railings of the boat, clutching our mobiles and clicking the scenic ride, laughing and screaming at the same time. Our team leader was asking him to slow down once in a while which he royally ignored.

Since it was high tide, the captain couldn’t dock at the shore, instead we had to get off a little distance away from the shore and wade through the knee deep water.

Lighthouse in Île aux Fouquets Mauritius

History of Island Île aux Fouquets

During the Battle of Grand Port, between the French and the British in 1810, Fouquets Island played a major role in the defence of Mauritius. The battle lasted for 6 days, from 23 to 28 August 1810 in which the British suffered huge losses. This prestigious battle win is set in the monument Arc De Triomphe in Paris in memory of the only naval victory of the Napoleonic era.

After the war, the lighthouse was built in 1864 to guide ships to the port of Mahebourg. It is projected 26 km into the sea. In those days Mahebourg was the main port of the island; it continued to remain so until the early 20th century. Every evening the lighthouse was lit manually by a lighthouse keeper.

The lighthouse was not lit during World War I to avoid the attention of the warring countries. During World War II it was used for occasional army lookouts.

View of Indian Ocean Mauritius

Exploring the Island Île aux Fouquets

After wading through the water, there was a short trek to the lighthouse. At top of the mound, I was awestruck by the exhilarating panorama of the cobalt blue waters of the Indian Ocean, stretched as far as the eye could see. Here and there the beaches were embedded with eroded and sharp edged rocks, the waves falling on them incessantly as if to break them to bits. The island isn’t inhabited by humans for long, in their absence birds and reptiles have taken possession of it.

Believe it or not the whole island has just one tree! There is not a single spot where you can sit down and picnic.

Another interesting thing to observe from here is the color of the sea on either side of the island. On one side you will find the lagoon turquoise and calm, while on the other side you will see the color deep blue and the big waves of Indian Ocean smash against the beach.

Couple of other unique plants here are: Tournefortia – commonly known as soldier bush, with velvety leaves and tiny white flowers and Vacoas – endemic to Mauritius, a plant with leaves arranged in spiral pattern.

Vacoas – endemic to Mauritius

A board there mentioned the presence of reptiles like: Bojer’s Skink – endemic to Mauritius islets, golden brown in color, measuring 11 to 14 cm with 3 dark stripes on its back and Bouton’s Skink – native to Mauritius, silver grey-green in color, measuring 8 cm, capable of climbing rocky areas.

I wished to scan around to find at least one, but we had to hurry. We were there on the island for less than an hour. While leaving I really wished we could spend more time; maybe some other day, some other time hopefully!!!

Exploring the Lighthouse

After the war, the lighthouse was built to guide ships to the port of Mahebourg. During those days Mahebourg was the main port of the island; it continued to remain so until the early 20th century.
But soon, with other developments that took place, the lighthouse was unused and abandoned. It deteriorated to a ruinous state. The roofs are gone, steps of the staircase to top have fallen off, doors and windows are long gone, only the frames remain.

The view of the ocean through the window frames looked mesmerizing, a real photo frame of Mother Nature. To me the basalt stone spiral staircase seemed like the chambered nautilus shell cross section. See the pic, do you feel the same?

Interior of Lighthouse in Île aux Fouquets Mauritius

Because of its remote location, the lighthouse island is very popular among locals, photographers and tourists. At night this place will surely have a haunted look, I imagined.

This islet is one of the country’s national parks and this historic monument is in endangered list. A board there mentions: trying to climb the monument is strictly prohibited.

Location of Île aux Fouquets

The islet Île aux Fouquets, previously known by the name Ile au Phare, is located in the bay of Grand Port in the south east of main island of the Republic of Mauritius, in the immediate vicinity of the Vacoas islet.

You can book boat tours to the island. There are package deals which arrange for pick up from your hotel, the boat trip to the island and drop back to your hotel. You can combine this with glass bottom boat tour in Blue Bay to see the active and colourful underwater sea life.

Read more from Africa – How to travel to Morocco from India

Pin this for later