Aapravasi Ghat

Aapravasi Ghat is the surviving part of the immigration depot built in 1849 on the Port Louis waterfront, where indentured labourers arriving by ship were registered, inspected and held before being sent to the sugar estates. Between 1834 and the early twentieth century roughly half a million people passed through it, most from India, in what the British authorities treated as an experiment in replacing slave labour after abolition; the system spread from here to colonies across the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean and the Pacific. What remains is a fragment of the original complex: the stone steps up from the landing, parts of the hospital block, the sheds and the courtyard. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2006, and an interpretation centre nearby explains the system.

What you actually see

• The landing steps - the sixteen stone steps arrivals climbed from the boats.
• The depot remains - foundations of the sheds, hospital and service buildings.
• The courtyard - the enclosure where new arrivals were assembled.
• The interpretation centre - the exhibition on indenture and its spread.

When to go

May to December for cooler weather in the city. Mornings avoid the heat of the waterfront. The site is open on weekdays with limited weekend hours, so check before travelling.

Honest expectations

Only a small part of the original depot survives and much of it is at foundation level. The setting is hemmed in by modern city development and a motorway. The subject is difficult and the site is a memorial as much as an attraction. Guided tours need booking.

Nearby

The Caudan waterfront and Blue Penny Museum are a short walk away.