In 1505, Portuguese navigator, Don Pedro Mascarenhas, discovered the island and gave the name Mascarenes to the group of islands presently known as Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion. Located off the South West coast of the Indian Ocean, at approximately 230 km from Reunion Island and 860 km from Madagascar, Mauritius has a surface area of 1872 square kms with a central plateau rising at 600 metres above sea level and 330 km of coastline.

Sheltered from the open sea by the world's third largest coral reef, Mauritius offers natural, clear lagoons and pristine beaches.

Situated in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius has a pleasantly tropical climate. The Northern and Western regions are known to be warmer and less rainy. With a culminating point of 600 metres above sea level, the climate on the Central Plateau is generally cooler. Summer (November to April) typically has temperatures between 25º and 31ºC. Winter (May to October) has temperatures that vary between 15º and 25ºC. The sea is almost always warm in temperature varying from +/- 27ºC in summer and +/- 22ºC in winter.