The 7 coloured Earth in Chamarel is that one unique spot in Mauritius where you get to see the sand, a lot of sand of different colours, layered up. The different colours were, orange, purple, brown, green, red, brown and even pink! This entire spot is about this land, huge and between the corners where we can stand and enjoy the view!
This was that one spot that we wanted to cover in the first two weeks but couldn’t also because the forecast predicted rainy and cloudy days whereas the spot was suggested to visit during sunny days as the the colour formation of the sand happens during this whether. So we visited this spot somewhere in the third week.
From our accommodation which was in Flic En Flac, this place happened to be far away. Located in the riviére noire district, near the national black gorges river, seemed very easy to reach in the map but the routes were quite twisted and we were so confused half of the time that we even had that second thought of visiting another spot that day and visiting this one the next day as this spot was actually upside and it would take hours to reach there, we thought so! But luckily it didn’t and we were able to enjoy the view just at the right time!
In between, there were other viewpoints as well that we covered, for a short period of time though as these viewpoints were just to stand and look at and we were really saving that time and excitement for the main spot! Which was absolutely worth it! and to be frank, being in the car usually makes me sleepy and many times I fall asleep too and the small viewpoints in between do not get much of my excitement, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t, depends on the view and my tiredness…haha
When we finally reached this forest called Chamarel, the very first sight was the waterfall! Surrounded between the lush, beautiful greens and rocks, this waterfall along with these seemed gorgeous! The best part is, even if its very sunny, near the water body, waterfalls, its just feels so pleasant, like pleasant air and warm sun, beautiful! Exactly here, there is even a small forest with long trees of different kinds which looked deep and is interesting to look and explore! It was hilly and we were very thoughtful during stepping upwards and downwards.
Just when we moved our eyes, there were the steps that took upside this forest. This seemed so picturesque that we had to be here before seeing the main spot! We did step on the stairs and went a lil up but not more than that as these stairs weren’t taking us to the 7 coloured earth, the way to that was different. Basically this small village had many tiny picturesque spots! Now towards the main spot, The 7 coloured earth!
The way to this spot upside was through another stairs and there too I clicked a few clicks! A big map of this entire forest was sticked as well, points were written in french as we just wanted to visit that one stop, this map wasn’t needed.
Oh My! This spot was huge, it seemed like a desert to me and it would looked like that for others as well, but more colourful! This land was protected by fences, placed in a curved shape which was really interesting to look at! The weather, it was so sunny that I couldn’t stop squeezing my eyes because I forgot to carry my sunglasses that very exact day when it was very much needed! So mostly, I enjoyed the view under the shade in that one corner behind the fences, which was better than standing in the centre under the direct sunlight most of the time.
Meanwhile, my sister and mom were trying out a creative photography techniques using a mirror. The bright trees made this place even more radiant! Most of the time we spent in this pleasant corner. Soon, we decided to move out of the shade and go in the centre as the entire colourful view was best seen in the centre! But again, couldn’t stand there for that long while squeezing my eyes! But the colours were beautiful and this is what I forgot to mention, this sand is not artificial but actually a formation that happened due to the weathering and eroding of the volcanic ashes after the eruptions that turned into colourful sand dunes!
Now, time to look at the turtles! Well, there’s history behind this too! The turtles seen here or anywhere in Mauritius are not the native turtles, they are imported from the island of Seychelles, this is because during the medieval times people thought that they can save the turtles by eating them from the suffering due to the disease they were suffering from, silly right….but thats how all the turtles in Mauritius became extinct and these are found. Another interesting fact to know, these turtles are the longest living animals on this earth and the biggest of all kinds of turtles! I will be posting another blog post which will be all about animal interactions and mainly with these turtles! Here the turtles were just to be seen behind the fences.
On the way to the exit, there were souvenir shops with interesting souvenirs and foods to eat were seen which we didn’t stop at as there were not any vegetarian options.
This was the experience that I wanted to share about this popular spot for which Mauritius is known for! Do read my other blog posts like these based on travel and teenage personal development!
