When you are trying to find some attractive and unusual location to spend your holiday, you probably do not expect nothing spectacular from a village. However, the Chamarel village is different. It is probably one of the rare villages which are competing with other top touristic locations all over the world.
Sand is spontaneously layered into separated stripes by colors, Credits: Travelise.com
Chamarel village can be found in western part of Mauritius Island. The village was once famous by its spectacular waterfalls, only. However, after unusual natural phenomena, which is named the Seven Colored Earths (or the Seven Colors Earth), has been discovered about 50 years ago, it became even more popular and today it is one of the most visited locations in Mauritius.
Tourists are not allowed to walk over the dunes, Credits: Wikimedia
The phenomenon called Seven Colored Earths is a geological formation of small sand dunes which are consisted of differently colored sand, i.e. the sand of seven different colors: yellow, green, blue, purple, violet, brown and red.
Credits: Panoramio
The most interesting and most astonishing fact is that the differently colored sands settle in layers (stripes) spontaneously, and this even happens if you take small amounts of those sands and mix them in your hand, they are going to separate into layered spectrum.
Credits: Panoramio
Scientists believe that this unusual natural phenomena has emerged as consequence of cooling volcanic rocks at different temperatures but the fact that the sands are spontaneously separating into layers hasn’t been scientifically explained, yet.
Another interesting fact is that scientists were unable to record a single trail of erosion of those colorful hills, despite the fact that they are exposed to abundant rains during the rainy season.
Unfortunately, the dunes are protected with the fence and it is not allowed to walk over them.
Credits: Clickthegoodnews.com
If you come to visit this unusual natural phenomena, you certainly shouldn’t miss the opportunity to see the magnificent Chamarel Falls which are more than hundred meters high and they can be found in this village, too.
Credits: Digital-imago.com
Credits: Wikimedia
Credits: Clickthegoodnews.com
Credits: Clickthegoodnews.com
Credits: Clickthegoodnews.com
3 responses to “Mauritius: The Seven Colors Earth, Beautiful and Unusual Natural Phenomena”
Spoiler alert: These photo’s are a bit more surreal than what I observed. I was told the erosion was caused by the deforestation of the area.
Thanks John
It is really an amazing and unique site. My wife is Mauritian, and she is so proud of her country (rightly so). I liked to tease her by saying that I don’t believe that the earth is really that colour, and that this is some fake tourist special effect.
But really it is not. One of the very interesting things about a really beautiful island.