L'Aventure du Sucre

Mauritius is privileged with many historical places that have now become the significant centres of attraction among the tourists and locals alike. These places represent the early life of Mauritius and are of great importance for learning a lot about this paradise island. One from the list is the L’Aventure du Sucre.

L'Aventure du Sucre meaning 'Sugar Adventure' in English is a sugar museum located in the beautiful Pamplemousses village, which is also the home for the historical Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden. A tour of this sugar museum gives you the chance to explore the old Beau Plan Sugar Factor which used to operate during the 18th century up until the 20th century.

The three notable Mauritian sugar groups namely - Constance La Gaiete Co Ltd, Harel Freres Ltd and Deep River Beau Champ Ltd - undertook an initiative and started the L'Aventure du Sucre with a goal of presenting the cultural and historical side of sugarcane production in Mauritius to the tourists visiting from all over the world as well as locals coming from different parts of the island. One must know the importance of the sugarcane industry and its massive contribution to the Mauritian economy back in those days. Sugar was considered to be a product of great value in the world during the late colonisation period.

Through the history of a sugar plantation in Mauritius, you will also get a chance to learn about the history of the island and its revolution dating way back to the time when the Dutch came to Mauritius. You will also get to hear many stories related to the joys and difficulties involved during the construction of the sugar factory. Anecdotes about the dark times of slavery and indentured labourers and the harsh treatments they were exposed to.

Historical Background

When Mauritius was colonised by the British, the island witnessed a boom in its sugar production. However, after gaining independence and many years after it, the sugar industry started to decline drastically, and many sugar factories were even closed down.
Furthermore, unfortunately, the Beau Plan Sugar Estate also became non-operational in 1998 after contributing to the sugar industry for 177 years. Following that, to maintain the legacy of this historical setting, the factory was transformed into a museum by the name of L'Aventure du Sucre. After careful and patient hard work, the authorities managed to restore the old estate and there began the craftily-woven process of storytelling about sugar and its unparalleled position in the history of Mauritius.

In this newly found facility with its fresh ambience, the different stages involved in the production of sugar are exhibited and explained as well right from the cultivation of the sugarcane in the early period, how slavery played a vital role in growing the crops properly, to the manufacturing of the final products and their exportation to the Western markets. You can see most of the used machines initially in the display ? pipes, vessels, vats, a sizeable wooden barge and two locomotives as well which were mainly used as a mean of transporting sugar from Mauritius to Madagascar.

Visit L'Aventure du Sucre

It will take you nearly 2 hours to complete the tour of the Beau Plan mill, but you always welcome to spend the entire day there if you wish to. During the visit, you will get to watch very expressive films that will get you acquainted with all the information you need to know about the sugar industry of Mauritius.

The tour is designed in such a way that it takes you through a journey of the history of Mauritius, beginning from as earliest as the discovery of the island itself! Moving on, you get to learn about the settlements, the practice and trading of slavery, the advent of the indentured labourer to the island, the colonial lifestyle and finally the independence of Mauritius and the recent history.

What makes the museum a major attraction is the sugar production process and the products that are made out of it. You will be taken for a walk to look at the enormous machines that are used for extracting the sugarcane from the fields and brought to the mill. After that, they go through a series of machinery like the clarifiers, the evaporators, the vacuum pans, the crystallizers, the centrifuges and finally the chemistry lab. Along the way, you will read about how sugar is transformed from canes into the consumable sugar and also see it happening at the same time!

The L?Aventure du Sucre museum also displays a vast array of arts that depict the journey of sugar dating back from the 15th century to the contemporary day. To makes things exciting for the children, there are two mascots ? Raj the Indian Mynah and Floryse the Mongoose who guide them through the tour of the museum while keeping them entertained with different stories and also by occasionally testing their knowledge with short quizzes; for correctly answered questions, the children are rewarded with a toot-toot on the old steam train!
As for the adults, the tour comes to an end with complimentary rum tasting where you get to taste various sugar based rums, aged and spiced rums as well. Flavoured rums, and coffee and vanilla flavoured liqueurs are a must try!
Visitors are also given samples of various unrefined sugars. If you are into cooking or baking, you would be very much intrigued by the rich flavours of these different types of sugar which taste way better than the regularly consumed sugar.

Facilities

The Le Fangourin Restaurant is an on-site facility within the premises of the L'Aventure du Sucre. It enjoys a favourable location amidst a lush green setting with a lovely view of the mountains. It's a perfect place to spend a stress-free and relaxed time with your loved ones while treating your eyes with the breathtaking beauty of the glistening pond and the white geese swimming calmly on the still waters. The restaurant offers a unique Fangourin cuisine which maintains Mauritius' rich culinary heritage while infusing new and exciting flavours into the dishes.

Village Boutik

Call it a souvenir or gift shop if you may, the Village Boutik is an authentic artisan shop that offers a wide range of craft products specially made by the locals that have been carried down over the generations. Visitors often engage in the exciting stories told by the artisan about the attractive gift boxes that are made out of a local Screwpine known as 'vacoas'. We suggest you buy some of the intricately designed sugar cartons that are made by hand; each product has a story to tell you!

House of New Grove

The House of New Grove is a modern designed space showcasing the prestigious collection of rums from New Grove. The amber-hued rums are aged in large oak barrels. The variety is enormous starting from exotically flavoured liqueurs and one of the finest collections being the rums featuring some special sugars namely demerara, molasses and gold bakery. It's one of a kind in the whole world and has been developed under the careful supervision of cell master Christian Verger. The aged rums are widely favourite all over the island!

L'Aventure du Sucre is the most informative tour where you can learn the most about the history of Mauritius. A visit with your family and children to this sugary paradise will bring your heart closer to Mauritius rather than seeing it just as a holiday destination!