MAURITIUS

This small tropical island may lie in the Indian Ocean, but it’s far closer to Africa than India, part of the African Union, and as such ranked as the most peaceful African country. French and English are spoken widely here, alongside a French-based creole (the island was a Dutch, French and English colony, prior to its independence in 1968). Its extensive coral reef – the world’s third largest – is home to candy-bright fish and flora, while the hills and forests of its Black River Gorges National Park are rich with parakeets and flying foxes. Watersports, including diving, kitesurfing and snorkelling, are popular on the beaches and lagoons of Mauritius. Meanwhile, Port Louis, the country’s capital, offers diners a spicy mix of Indian, Chinese and French cuisines, often served as curries or in flatbreads, and the country’s sugarcane fields contribute towards its chosen digestif: rhum arrangé, or spice-infused rum.