Aapravasi Ghat

There's nothing wrong with the site, and I agree that the indentured servant phenomenon that moved so many millions around the globe deserves some sort of World Heritage recognition. There's just so little to see at this site. Just one restored building, really, and a few other foundations/walls. The small rooms do have signage that do a good job of explaining the whole "movement of indentured servants as a solution for getting cheap labor" idea once nations had banned slavery, and it was interesting to learn the history. Unfortunately, the downstairs museum exhibit hall was closed during the hours we visited (even though there were staff at the front desks, as they allowed me in to use the toilet), so we missed seeing that.

I visited this place in May 2022 and think it was wonderful. It seems that older reviewers could not benefit from the excellent exhibition in the museum which is really great as it explains in a very good didactic way (explanations, exhibits, reconstructions) the life of the first immigrant policy in the world. Mauritius is the site of the first large-scale use of indentured labour in the modern world. Between 1830 and 1910 more than 462,000 people arrived in Mauritius. Appr. 70% of modern Mauritians are descendants of these workers. Really impressive. The mueseums shows a lot of very illustrative items, e.g. the way the new arrivals were registered and how and where they waited to be allocated to work. Having seen this exhibition, the (yes few) buildings outside can be understood and valued much better.

Access is easy, it is right downtown the capital city of Mauritius, Port Luis. 

I was really lucky I could enter, as the site was already closed when I arrived on a Saturday at 12:30. The friendly keeper let me in, so I could have a look at what is unfortunately a very underwhelming WHS. The area itself is tiny. You can see it in about 5 minutes. The only decent building is reconstructed. From the rest, only a few walls or even less is left. It has very limited opening times. Mon-Fri 9-4. Sat 9-12, Sun closed. Fun fact is that it’s basically signposted from the airport on the other end of the island.

I just visited this site a week before with my wife during our one week trip in Mauritius.

Actually I have went the palce twice, first day I can't find the entry and just took a picture due to Sunday.So I went to the site on Monday again.

I didn't know there is a World Heritage in Port Louis before, I just happen to meet the site while we walk through the main street.

Aapravasi Ghat is right in the center of Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. The site is signposted from all over town, displaying its WH status proudly.

From the outside the complex looks like the remains of a fortress: not unlike those in Ghana, or even the Defense Line of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. It’s now located just a few meters from the water line in the harbour.

Entrance to the site is free, as is the guided tour. The first thing that I noticed is that it all looks very recently restored. I had heard bad reports about its status in the past, but right now the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund is taking things seriously. Even a whole new interpretative center is under construction at the moment. That would be a good addition I think, as the remains of the site are small and it’s hard to imagine what happened here from some crumbling stone walls. Archaeological digs are still underway too, in the hope of recovering more. Only about a third of the site is left now, the rest has been paved over during the construction of the main road through Port Louis.

The best-preserved parts are the lavatories & baths for the immigrants and the small hospital. I went around with a guide once and after that did another round on my own. I knew beforehand that there isn’t much to see, and I already was glad to see that the caretakers are making …

I think it is a wonderful site.I first visited the site a couple of years ago and I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion,just standing on the very place where my ancestors landed and where temporarily housed.I enjoyed the slide shows and the talk,including the guided tour.That same year I went to Bihar and traced my ancestral village and roots.It was a tremendous feeling!I wish the organisation my best wishes and I congratulate them for their excellent work.