Discover Grand Port

Explore Grand Port from different historical perspectives: collection objects in Mahébourg, ruins in Vieux Grand Port and a museum that serves as an interpretation centre for the historic site. For planning your trip, the key question is what you would like to focus on: privateers and a naval battle, or historic buildings and their significance?

Collections and shipwrecks in Mahébourg

The National History Museum is located in Mahébourg, in a park of about 12 acres on the banks of the River La Chaux. It displays numerous objects relating to privateers and the Battle of Grand Port. Most of the exhibits come from the wrecks of La Magicienne and HMS Sirius. Both were British frigates that sank in Mahébourg Bay in 1810.

The collection brings together specific ship names and finds with the history of the naval battle. These different details give you a thread to follow as you explore the subject from several angles: privateers, the ships involved and the wrecks in the bay. On a family trip, such names and objects can also be conversation starters—for example, about the stories an artefact can tell and what a historic site preserves.

Ruins and history in Vieux Grand Port

The historic site of Vieux Grand Port includes the ruins of the first Catholic church, built by Mahé de Labourdonnais in 1737. The site also includes a powder house dating from the French period, from 1722 to 1810. Here, history is reflected not only in museum objects but also in preserved buildings and remains.

The Frederik Hendrik Museum serves as an interpretation centre for the historic site and opened on 27 May 1999. The District Council of Grand Port lists the museum in Old Grand Port among the district’s attractions. Vieux Grand Port is also considered the site of the first human settlement in Mauritius. This context gives the ruins and powder house a broader historical setting: they represent not just individual types of buildings, but an early chapter in the island’s history.

When choosing a holiday rental in Grand Port, you can first consider which focus interests you most: the shipwrecks and museum objects in Mahébourg, or the historic remains and interpretation centre in Vieux Grand Port. The places mentioned offer different thematic points of interest, without requiring you to rank the sights.

More themes in Mauritius

Elsewhere in Mauritius, you will also find other nature and culture themes. In the southeast of the island lies the 353-hectare Blue Bay Marine Park. Since 31 January 2008, it has been listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Its diverse marine flora and fauna include coral reefs in particular. This adds a marine focus alongside the historical themes that define Grand Port.

The cultural landscape of Le Morne lies at the southwestern tip of Mauritius and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 10 July 2008. It illustrates the history of slavery in Mauritius and the pursuit of freedom in the 17th and 18th centuries. The mountain served as a fortress and refuge for enslaved people who had escaped; physical and oral evidence documents this use. For your trip planning, this offers another historical perspective, with a different focus from the site at Vieux Grand Port.

Nature experiences in Mauritius also vary in their specific themes. Bras d’Eau National Park covers 497.2 hectares and is planted predominantly with mahogany, araucarias, tecoma and eucalyptus. The park includes Mare Sarcelle, with mangroves, native plant species and several migratory bird species. The Coq des Bois Trail runs through the forest and ends at Mares Chevrettes.

Culinary interests can also be part of your trip planning: dhollpuri and roti are among Mauritians’ favourite dishes. Together with the island’s varied historical and landscape themes, they offer another way to connect with the country as a whole—without losing sight of the specific places and stories of Grand Port.

Discover more destinations

Maheboug, Blue Bay, Pointe D'esny, Union Vale, Plaine Magnien, Mare D Albert, Le Bouchon, Flacq

For the main travel overview: Mauritius.