My first trip abroad in almost two years! And boy, it was worth the wait! The beaches are more beautiful than any screen saver, the water bluer. There are dolphins to swim with, hills to climb, waterfalls to chase, and a whole unexplored interior of banana plantations and rolling hills. The people are also great; friendly and helpful wherever you go.
Mauritius is a big island, and the best way to see it is by car. We rented a car which was a great decision, it afforded us the freedom to stop wherever we wanted, and the roads are in good condition. The views around every bend mean you’re never bored! To make this guide clearer, I’ve broken it down into the different parts of the island, and what you can expect to see and do in each.
The South East
This is the area we stayed in. It’s only ten minutes or so from the airport, which I found to be great after a long flight, and you get a longer vacation at the end too! This is also a peaceful part of the island, with fields of sugar cane, cute villages and beautiful beaches. In fact, our favourite beach on the whole island (and trust us, we saw most of them), was right here.
If you want the typical Indian Ocean dream, Point D’Esny is the beach you’ve been dreaming of. Think bone white sand, water in every shade of blue, dotted with boats bobbing, palm trees… you’ll find it here. Every beach in Mauritius is public, and it’s easy to access via a pathway from the road. We used to come here every afternoon, have a stroll on the sand and then sit and watch kite surfers and pet friendly stray dogs. We discovered this beach on our first day at Astroea hotel , but just kept coming back!
Our villa was in Blue Bay, the next town after Pointe D’Esny. We lucked out with this cute area, full of charming houses, friendly stray dogs, villa rentals, and it just felt so real. You could go swimming in the sea first thing, walk through the town by evening, and just be surrounded by locals. You really get a flavour of real life, far from the tourist trail, whilst still being in a lovely, safe neighbourhood close to all the sights. Just avoid Blue Bay beach in the weekends or late afternoon, and come first thing instead for a peaceful swim.
The South
This is an area few tourists see, unless you’re staying in one of the massive hotels, but even these are few. Most of the beaches in Mauritius are protected by a reef, which makes the waves small and bathing friendly. But not in the South, there is no reef, and so the waves come in hard and fast. These are not beaches for swimming, but for exploring, climbing on rocks, and sunbathing, since the constant breeze keeps things cooler and more pleasant.
In particular, La Cambeuse beach is a beauty. And for something really epic, check out Gris Gris. The road here also makes for a stunning drive, with constant views of the sea, threading through small villages and sugar cane plantations.
The West
Home to the famous Le Morne Brabant, the foreboding mountain often seen in pictures of Mauritius, the west is a real mix of wild and tame, between empty beaches and busy resorts. This is also not a bad area to base yourself in, but it is well over an hour from the airport, so keep that in mind.
Our first morning, we joined local company Vitamin Sea for a private boat trip. Honestly, if you do one excursion on the island, make it this one. It’s a three hour trip, and the guides are brilliant. Ten minutes out and we had already found a giant pod of spinner dolphins, and I had the chance to swim with them! It was surreal, spinners are super friendly and curious, so they’d come up so close, I could have touched them if I wanted to. And the guides are great, they keep an eye on you and help you if you are struggling in the water ( as well as take photos, which you absolutely should buy at the end). Afterwards, they take you to a stretch of water near Le Morne nicknamed the Aquarium, where you can snorkel to your heart’s content with thousands of fish, and enjoy unspoilt reef. The water is so clear and glassy it’s unreal. In between, they provide refreshments and funky music, so it really is an excellent morning.
When driving in this area, you’ll encounter some really stunning beaches. Some of them don’t even have names, so I can’t share them with you, which I’m not so sorry about since I hope they stay secret! I’ve never seen more surreal scenes, more Maldives than Mauritius. Just give Tamarin a miss. This town is trying for the surfer thing, so if that’s your vibe, by all means go. But we wouldn’t go back, there’s plenty of way more beautiful beaches to explore instead.
The East
Home to some of the most famous hotels, the East is only accessible by smaller roads, making for some stunning driving. You wind through banana plantations and sleepy villages, with the ocean never far away. There are not many must dos here, the big draw are the long stretches of sand. In particular, Belle Mare is probably one of the most famous. It’s easy to park and walk along, ogle the big hotels (and feel smug that we are paying a fraction to be on the same beach as them), and enjoy the views.
We did chance upon a unique side trip in the area. From the small village of GRSE, you can get a boatman to take you to a hidden waterfall. It’s about a 40 minute round trip, and you get to see some unique back waters and the falls. Well worth it, if you’re in the area.
Port Louis and The North
Port Louis is the capital city and well worth a visit. We were surprised by the modern architecture and very Miami-like water front, complete with cute shops and restaurants. It’s easy to also find the old part of the city with its market and hole in the wall shops. There’s a park and ride close by, but us being us, we just walked, it’s only ten minutes. From Port Louis, it’s just another twenty minutes to Pamplemousse botanical gardens. You can easily lose an afternoon here, strolling amongst the palms. Bring a picnic, and enjoy the shade.
The resorts of the North are about half an hour from Port Louis. This area is much more built up than the South, and had a more Thailandy vibe, with souvenir shops and places to eat on every corner. If you do want to do some shopping, this is your best bet. In particular, Grand Baie and the bazaar there. Likewise if you want to eat out. It was a nice outing, but we were glad to have chosen the south as our base as it felt much more authentic and Mauritian. The beach we visited up here, Trou aux Biches, was surprisingly lovely, with very soft sand.
The Center and Black river gorges national park
Most of the central west of the island is taken over by national park, in particular, the Black River Gorges. There are numerous hiking routes throughout, but if like us you just want to drive, you will still get a very good feel for the place. Lots of people seemed to hire taxis, which was understandable considering the hairpin bends and sheer drops. But we managed on our own and got some amazing views, as well as the freedom to stop wherever we wanted.
For example, Sophie’s walk, a real hidden gem. A cute well maintained woodland, with short, well marked trails so you could get a feel for the dense forest without straying too far. In general, the shades of greens and beiges, the awesome views of the tree clad valley, and the tangled vines make for an epic drive, and a must do away from the beach.
The islands
Mauritius has many small island neighbours, and they are a popular day trip. I only visited one, Ile aux Aigrettes as we thought the others would be too busy, and were probably right, considering the packed catamarans leaving for some of them. Ile aux aigrettes on the other hand, is a nature reserve and you can only visit with a guide.
Famous for the dodo, Mauritius is trying hard to preserve its endemic species to prevent something similar ever happening again. Ile aux aigrettes is totally protected, and as you wander through the ancient forest, you realise how fragile all these ecosystems are. I was lucky to spot the critically endangered pink pigeon, only found here, as well as skinks, other tropical birds and a few giant tortoise. At over a 100 years old, these guys really are living relics. If you chose only one island to visit, make it this one. You can find the ticket office and jetty in Mahebourg, in the south.
Mauritius truly was a dream, still an unspoilt paradise alive with nature. The variety is incredible, from dolphin spotting to trekking through thick forest, to lying on perfect beaches. Some of our favourite moments were the small ones, befriending the local stray dogs, myna birds stealing crumbs from our breakfast, finding an unexplored stretch of road though the sugar cane fields, a laugh with a banana vendor on the side of the motor way. You can squeeze a lot out of your trip, if you want to. And you should! I already can’t wait to return.
Practical stuff
Where to stay – as I mentioned, the South would be my recommendation. Astroea beach is a lovely little hotel right on the beach. And if you want to self cater, which is easy since the shops stock most of what you’d get back home, I can’t recommend the Beach house, in Blue bay highly enough. You can find it on Air bnb.
How to get here – flights can be expensive, so worth booking in advance, most are from the UK, France or Germany, but you can also connect through hubs in the Middle East, like Dubai.
What to do- as I said, there’s so much to do! It really depends on your tastes and interests. You can of course just enjoy the beach all day, but there’s a lot more to the island than that. Definitely try Vitamin Sea for a private boat trip ( book in advance) and a visit to Ile aux Aigrettes is very worthwhile too.
Getting around – we hired a car from Pingouin they were good and responded quickly. It’s easy to drive here, you can use your own license and fuel is cheap. alternatively, there are taxis everywhere and you can also hire a driver for the day.
Other stuff– they use two and three pin plugs widely. You can withdraw money with a foreign card at most supermarket ATMs and can exchange money at the airport, Port Louis, Grand Baie, and most hotels. When we visited, October, the weather was very pleasant. Avoid the cyclone season, from November to April, if you can.
As you can see, i had an amazing time in Mauritius, just what I needed as a first trip abroad after so long. Also, I hope Prune you’re reading this and enjoying the photos, after all, I’m quite sure you had come along with us xxx and thank you to Maya for all the laughs and the lovely photos 🙂
