Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens, Mauritius

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These attractive gardens are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mauritius, but the shady avenues of palms seem to swallow the numbers. One key attraction is the park's giant Victoria regia water lilies, native to the Amazon. Other attractions include golden bamboo, chewing-gum trees, fish poison trees and a 200-year-old Buddha tree.

These gardens were started in 1735 by Governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais as a vegetable garden for his Mon Plaisir Château. The grounds were gussied up by French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre in 1768 in his bid to introduce spices, but afterwards lay neglected until 1849, when a British horticulturalist, James Duncan, took over. His legacy is seen today in the garden's array of palms.

The fragrant flora of the garden - ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, camphor and sandalwood - is a high point, as are glimpses of Mauritian wildlife that are all but unavailable elsewhere on the island. Look for enclosures of Java deer and giant tortoises. There's also an art gallery and a cemetery, whichever way your tastes run.

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