Grand Port District

Grand Port is a district encompassing much of the south-eastern part of the island of Mauritius. Its capital is Rose-Belle but the most important town of the district is Mahebourg (former capital of Mauritius). Plaine Magnien a town in the district of Grand Port hosts the only airport of the country.

Grand Port is named after the village of Old Grand Port which saw the first Dutch landing and the first port of the island. It is centered on the town of Mahébourg on the coast, inside the Grand Port Bay. Built by the Dutch and later taken over by the French, the town is a reminder of the colonial past of the island.

The northern part of the district is mountainous with forested valleys and rivers. The eastern part gently rises to meet the central plateau and enjoys a cool temperate climate suitable for tea plantations. The southern part is a flat plain on part of which sits the international airport.

Grand Port district has many hotels and resorts where the tourist can ensure a comfortable stay. The district well known beach is Blue Bay, one of the finest bathing spots on the island surrounded by a semicircle of filao trees. Situated on the southeast coast, not far from Mahébourg, Blue Bay offers a fine stretch of white sandy beach, and a deep, clear, light-blue bathing pool. There is also scope for yachting and windsurfing. Many structures in the district reflects the colonial past of the district.

In 1810, a French squadron of frigates achieved an ultimately futile naval victory over a comparable British squadron at the Battle of Grand Port, near the Île de la Passe.