Mark Twain was resoulutely of the opinion that God made Mauritius first, and then Heaven - Heaven, he claimed, being copied from Mauritius . . . Come see for yourself!

On the map tiny Mauritius appears as no more than a speck amid the blue eternity of the Indian Ocean, 1,200 miles off the coast of East Africa.

But into an area the size of an English county Mauritius packs extravagant, ever-changing contrasts that defy geography. At sea level the landscape is carpeted by the luxuriant green of vast sugar-cane plantations. Against the skyline rise the dramatic purple silhouettes of craggy volcanic mountains, amid which verdant tropical forests, waterfalls, gorges and fast-flowing rivers await exploration.

Above all, there’s Mauritius’ long, fretted coastline, fringed by a delicate tracery of waving casuarinas - and 100 miles of exotic, sandy beaches.

The bays and coves that line the island’s shores, protected by one of the world's longest unbroken coral reefs, and the crystal-clear Indian Ocean waters, make Mauritius a superb holiday choice for the beachcomber and watersports enthusiast. Its hospitable welcome is another Mauritius speciality. A melting-pot of races, religions and cultures, the island has in the past welcomed Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, French, British, Indians, Chinese and Africans. The result? Today’s Mauritians today do not see themselves as any of these - but as just a cosmopolitan island people, living in easygoing harmony in this genuinely friendly Indian Ocean setting.