位于毛里求斯北部的庞普勒穆斯皇家植物园(Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden)占地约 37 公顷,是南半球最古老的植物园。这片土地的历史能追溯到 1770 年,由法国植物学家皮埃尔·波瓦(Pierre Poivre)创建。非本地游客入园门票价格目前为 300 卢比,园内汇聚了超过 650 种植物,其中最出名的当属直径超过 2 米的巨型王莲。对于追求深度游的朋友来说,这里不只是拍照打卡地,更是一部微缩的非洲殖民与引种史。
很多人冲着巨型大睡莲(Victoria amazonica)而来,但这种植物的生长状态受季节影响极大。想看到那种像巨大绿盘子一样铺满水面的壮观景象,建议安排在毛里求斯的夏季,也就是 12 月到次年 3 月之间。这段时间雨水充沛、光照强,叶片直径能轻松突破 2 米,甚至能承载一个婴儿的重量。到了 6 月至 8 月的凉季,叶片会缩小甚至出现枯萎破损,视觉效果会打折扣。王莲的花期极短,通常只开两天,第一晚是纯白色,第二晚转为淡粉色,随后便沉入水下结实。
园内拥有超过 85 种棕榈树,其中最让人唏嘘的是塔里波棕榈(Talipot Palm)。这种树的寿命通常在 30 年到 80 年之间,它一生只开一次花,花序巨大且壮观,长在树冠顶端。一旦花朵凋谢结果,整棵树就会耗尽所有养分而枯死。由于园内树龄分布不同,运气好的话能看到正在“燃烧生命”的盛开个体。建议在入园后的主干道附近多留意那些挂着拉丁文标识的高大棕榈,每一棵都可能正处于生命的不同阶段。
植物园最初是为了打破荷兰人对香料贸易的垄断而建立的。在香料园(Spice Garden)区域,能亲眼看到肉豆蔻(Nutmeg)、丁香(Clove)和肉桂(Cinnamon)这些改变了世界航海史的作物。说真的,如果没人指点,你很难把树上的青涩果实和厨房里的调味品联系起来。你可以尝试轻轻揉搓掉落在地上的叶片,那种纯正的辛香味比干货铺里的瓶装品要辛辣得多。这里的空气里混合着泥土和精油的味道,是其他海滨景点体验不到的嗅觉记忆。
在园区深处靠近出口的位置,圈养着一群阿尔达布拉象龟(Aldabra Giant Tortoise)。虽然它们不像塞舌尔野生的那样自由,但近距离观察这些百岁老人的厚重甲壳和缓慢动作,依然能感受到时间的流逝。不远处矗立着那座著名的白色大门,以及为了纪念小说《保罗与维吉妮》(Paul et Virginie)而建的纪念碑。这两位虚构人物在毛里求斯的地位相当于中国的梁祝,传说他们的凄美故事就发生在这片岛屿上。
园内虽然树荫多,但由于缺乏大面积的空调休息区,上午 11 点到下午 2 点之间依然会闷热难耐。最佳入园时间是早晨 8:30 开门时,或者下午 3:30 之后。清晨的植物园有薄雾,光影穿透棕榈林的效果最适合人像摄影。建议自备充足的饮用水和驱蚊液,这里的蚊子对游客非常“热情”,尤其是靠近水池的王莲区域,尽量穿长裙或薄长裤,否则游览完你会收获满腿的红包。
如果你从路易港(Port Louis)出发,车程大约 20 分钟;如果从大湾(Grand Baie)过来,开车约 15 分钟即可到达。大门口有免费停车场,但经常有不穿制服的人员过来指路索要小费,直接礼貌拒绝即可。售票处附近会有很多持有证件的持牌向导,他们通常收费每人 50 到 100 卢比。说实话,如果你不是植物学发烧友,买张地图自己逛完全没问题。但如果你想听关于殖民时期权谋斗争和香料偷窃的故事,花点小钱请个老派向导讲解 45 分钟,体验感会丰富很多。
对于非毛里求斯居民,成人票价目前为 300 卢比,5 岁以下儿童免费。支持现金支付,建议准备好零钱,售票处有时找零不便。12 岁以下及 60 岁以上游客可能有优惠,建议购票时主动出示护照确认。
普通游客按常规路线游览王莲池、香料园和象龟区,大约需要 1.5 到 2 小时。如果你热爱摄影或者想在长椅上发呆,预留 3 小时比较稳妥。园内禁止骑自行车,全程只能步行,建议穿着舒适的平底运动鞋。
园内本身不设置正式餐厅或咖啡馆,只有大门口附近有小摊位售卖简单的瓶装水和零食。为了保证游玩体验,建议出发前在超市买好充足的补给,或者逛完后驱车 5 分钟前往附近的 Pamplemousses 村镇用餐。
11 月到次年 1 月是最佳观赏季,此时园内的凤凰木(Flamboyant)正值盛花期,满树火红,同时王莲也处于生长旺盛期。虽然此时气温可能高达 30 摄氏度以上,但景观的丰富度是全年最高的。
David Gillingham A must visit on a visit to Mauritius. The gardens are well managed. It's also fun watching the deers playing in their stream. There is a large free car park. It's £5 entry which you can pay on the day.
H S R25 entrance fee for locals during weekdays and R300 for foreigners. Beautiful, mostly shaded botanical garden. Nice walk for the whole family including the kids. Pram friendly walkways. Lots of mozzies, carry insect repellent or wear long sleeve clothing. The deer enclosure looks a bit neglected. Some parts of the garden require a good maintenance.
Majid Khan Great place to visit Giant tortoise, deer, different types of fauna and giant lilies are the main attraction. Good for a walk, has guided tours as well. Prices are 300 entry and 75 if you want a guided tour Locals pay 75 every
Nicole Naicker The Botanical Gardens is beautiful. Tickets cost 300 rupees per person for foreigners. You can get a local guide at an additional cost, but we did not do this. It would have been nice had we had the time. I'd suggest you spend the day here as the gardens are quite vast and you need adequate time to thoroughly explore it. We didn't have too much time so we rushed through, but what we did see was beautiful. The gardens are well maintained but it is a little difficult to navigate. Maps are available for all, but I survive on GPS and reading maps is not a strong suit. However, the people who work at the gardens were very helpful and we did eventually find our way around. As beautiful as it is, I would suggest not getting your hopes up based on images you see on social media. While the giant lily pads are a sight... It's one of those "Instagram vs reality" type of situations. Overall, if you're into nature, this is a good place to visit and just take the time to enjoy it.
Tap 92 For 300 rupees you get to enjoy a very beautiful garden which is about 300 years old. I can only recommend to enjoy one of the tours there which is about an hour and 150 rupees per person. Our guide was quite entertaining and told us a lot about the plants and even let us smell some special scents of the leaves. This made the tour very interesting and informative.