Grand Bassin — also known as Ganga Talao — is the holiest site in Mauritius, a sacred crater lake in the mountains of the south that Hindus believe to be spiritually connected to the Ganges River in India. It is the centre of Maha Shivaratri, the island's largest religious event, when up to 400,000 pilgrims — more than a third of Mauritius's population — walk barefoot to the lake carrying ornate bamboo structures called kavadi, collect water from the lake to carry back to their temples, and fast for 24 hours in devotion to Shiva.

The approach to the lake is dramatic even outside the pilgrimage season. Enormous statues line the road as you descend from Plaine Champagne — a 30-metre statue of Shiva, a towering Durga, and dozens of smaller shrines and temples that have grown up organically around the site over decades. The lake itself sits in a forested crater, still and dark, with temples built along its shores and priests conducting puja (prayer rituals) throughout the day.

The setting has a genuine spiritual atmosphere. Families come to bathe in or carry water from the lake; the scent of incense and flowers is heavy in the air; the sound of prayer bells carries across the water. Visiting respectfully — dressed modestly, removing shoes at temple entrances, being quiet near active ceremonies — allows you to witness one of the most authentic expressions of Mauritian Hindu culture without it feeling like a spectacle.

If you can time your visit to Maha Shivaratri (usually February or March, depending on the lunar calendar), you will witness something extraordinary: a continuous stream of pilgrims walking through the night over mountain roads, singing devotional songs, their kavadi decorated with peacock feathers and flowers, arriving at dawn at the water's edge.