THE 15 BEST BEACHES IN MAURITIUS
April 13, 2024
From the picturesque Le Morne to the white sands of Ile aux Cerfs, the beaches in Mauritius are a true paradise. Here are the 15 best beaches in Mauritius!
One of the trips that will remain etched in our hearts is definitely our unforgettable nine-day tour to Mauritius. This wonderful island, Mauritius (because it’s only one island, you don’t go ‘to islands Mauritius’!), is most famous for its enchanting beaches, lined with luxurious resorts.
In fact, Mauritius is an ideal place for the independent traveller, with many places to explore both along the coast and inland. In this article, we offer you our ’10-Day Mauritius Travel Itinerary’ to discover the wonderful sights of this island, from the beaches to the hinterland.
Not being lovers of resort life (except in a few rare cases and especially when there is no other choice), Mauritius had never been a destination we had considered for an itinerant and, above all, inexpensive trip. In fact, after a lot of research, we discovered that our perception was wrong. So we planned a 10-day Mauritius trip itinerary to explore this paradise in the Indian Ocean and came up with our Mauritius itinerary.
In this article, we share with you our ‘Mauritius 10 Day Itinerary’, which we followed to try and discover as much as possible of this beautiful island, from its beaches to its often little known but incredibly fascinating hinterland.
Our trip was planned for September, a time when in Mauritius summer is coming to an end and winter is about to begin but, let’s be clear, winter in Mauritius is characterised by daytime temperatures between 25 and 26 degrees, both day and night. A sudden rain can occur during the day, but it is usually short-lived. Talking to the locals, we learnt that it would be difficult to do some excursions in July due to the influx of tourists, so we highly recommend visiting Mauritius in September if possible.
Our ’10-day Mauritius travel itinerary’ involves exploring the whole island, from north to south and east to west, so we decided not to stay in one place for all 10 days in Mauritius. We have chosen to book accommodation in the northern part of the island for the first half of the holiday and in the southern part for the second half, as the distances to be covered are not short (about an hour, an hour and a half to cross the island from north to south) and the places to visit are spread out a bit.
Our ’10-day Mauritius tour itinerary’ nvolved a fast pace, and on some days we were a little tired, but the desire to admire the wonders of this island always gave us the right charge and every evening, despite our tiredness, we were happy and eager to start a new day of discovery. So, without further ado, here is our ’10-day Mauritius tour itinerary’!
To maximise our time and not lose a whole day on the road, we decided to fly to Mauritius at night. We arrived at Mahebourg airport at dawn, around seven in the morning.
After changing some money (the Mauritian currency is the rupee) and picking up the car we had booked, we set off straight away.
Our destination was the northern part of the island, where we had booked our first apartment.
The drive took just over an hour, although Mauritius drives on the left-hand side of the road, which takes a bit of getting used to if you are not used to it. We arrived at the beautiful beach of Trou aux Biches around nine o’clock in the morning.
This beach is a long strip of white sand with palm trees rising majestically behind it. It is the perfect place for a refreshing dip in the crystal clear waters, a quick nap and a quick lunch from one of the takeaway vans that can be found in the car parks near the beaches.
After a great lunch (trust the takeaways, you eat well and spend little), we went to pick up the keys to our apartment, located not far from the beach at Mont Choisy. After unloading our luggage and sorting out a few things, we set off on foot to the beautiful beach of Mont Choisy. This enchanting bay is surrounded by greenery and offers a breathtaking view of the sunset over the sea.
In the evening, we opted to have dinner in the area of our apartment and discovered a typical restaurant, Refresh, which left us extremely satisfied!
10 days in Mauritius travel itinerary: Trou aux Biches beach
The second day of our ’10 Day Mauritius Travel Itinerary’ was dedicated to exploring the northern beaches. We started early in the morning and drove to our first stop, Anse la Raie beach. This beach is not one of the most beautiful in Mauritius, but it has a wild character and is perfect for water sports enthusiasts. It is a lagoon with a gentle current that attracts kite surfers and windsurfers.
Next, we drove just five minutes to the beach of Bain Boeuf, stopping on the way to admire the church of Notre Dame Auxiliatrice. This small church, surrounded by greenery, offers a spectacular view of the sea. The white building with the red roof creates a truly magical contrast with the blue of the sea and we strongly recommend that you stop here to admire the view and take some photos.
The Bain Boeuf beach, smaller than Anse la Raie, is very beautiful and well maintained. A long wooden walkway leads to the white sand overlooking a picturesque bay with shades of azure and blue. We spent some time here, snorkelling between the low rocks close to the shore and enjoying a delicious freshly picked coconut.
At lunchtime we moved on to Pereybere beach, a little more crowded but just as beautiful. It is one of the beaches most frequented by the locals and was our first opportunity to immerse ourselves in Mauritian culture, listening to the Sega, a lively music that reflects the diversity of cultures present in Mauritius, particularly Indian and African.
We spent a pleasant first afternoon at this beach, between dips, before moving on to the beach at Grand Baie.
This is a large bay close to the centre, bordered by the main road and lined with shops and clubs. It is also the starting point for many boat trips from the north. Although it was not our favourite beach, it was nice to sip a beer (strictly Phoenix, the local beer) while admiring the sunset. After a quick change of clothes, we wandered around the shops on Grand Baie’s main street before stopping for an aperitif (or two!) at a lovely waterfront venue.
For dinner we went to an amazing place called Le Poivrier, a garden restaurant where we enjoyed an excellent dinner!
Mauritius tour itinerary: Aperitif at sunset at Grand Baie
Mauritius tour itinerary: Pereybere beach
The third day of our ’10-day Mauritius itinerary’ took us to the Jardin de Pamplemousse, a vast park in the northern hinterland of Mauritius, known for its rich variety of trees and plants. We spent about two hours in the garden, including a visit to a typical colonial house in the park. This stop was really impressive: at times it felt like we were in the middle of a forest with majestic trees and impressive trunks. Unfortunately, September is not the ideal season to admire some of the garden’s attractions, such as the lily ponds in full bloom.
After leaving the botanical garden, we drove to Tamarin Beach on the southwest coast. After almost an hour, we arrived just before lunchtime. Tamarin is a wild beach, far from the atmosphere of the big resorts, where small cottages right on the beach are the embodiment of many a happy French pensioner’s dream. The waters in this bay are calm and peaceful and there is even a small river where you can learn to surf. We had a picnic lunch (usually a stuffed baguette from the bakery where we had breakfast the morning before we left) and after a relaxing walk and a few dips, we were back in the car heading for the beach at Flic en Flac, which is about 20 minutes from Tamarin, our last stop of day 3 of our 10-day Mauritius Itinerary.
Mauritius itinerary: Jardin de Pamplemousse
Mauritius itinerary: Tamarin beach
Mauritius itinerary: Sunset at Flic en Flac beach
Flic en Flac is a long and beautiful beach and is one of the areas where the big resorts are concentrated, but it is also very popular with the Mauritians who enjoy their time under the trees along the beach for picnics, singing and playing games. Here we were able to go snorkelling as there were some interesting spots, although unfortunately some of the boats from the surrounding resorts went past the shore very quickly.
The sunset at Flic en Flac was simply stunning, perhaps the most beautiful we have seen in Mauritius. After the sunset, we went back to the car to change and decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the Coconut Café in Le Pirogue Resort. After a delicious meal and a good rum, we drove back to our apartment in just over an hour.
From the picturesque Le Morne to the white sands of Ile aux Cerfs, the beaches in Mauritius are a true paradise. Here are the 15 best beaches in Mauritius!
On the fourth day of our 10-day Mauritius itinerary, we headed for the east coast of the island. We set off early in the morning, packed lunches in hand, and took just over half an hour to reach our first stop: the beautiful beach of Poste la Fayette. This beach is lovely, set in a quiet bay with shallow water, ideal for snorkelling between the rocks just off the shore. That morning we were practically the only ones on this very long beach, which turned out to be one of our favourites.
At mid-morning, we drove just five minutes to another equally beautiful and characteristic beach called Bras d’Eau. This beach is characterised by the presence of small mangrove islands nearby. The sand is white and the sea takes on intense colours. Along the beach there are some trees that offer shelter and relaxation. Both Bras d’Eau and Poste la Fayette were uncrowded beaches, perhaps because there are no large resorts nearby, only small houses or B&Bs.
In the afternoon we moved on to Belle Mare beach, which is about fifteen minutes away from Bras d’Eau. This beach is also very long, although narrower than the others and the sea is a little rougher as it is not protected by a bay.
We would have liked to stop there for dinner, but there are not many restaurants nearby. So we returned to Mont Choisy in about an hour, where we opted for dinner near Grand Baie.
10 days in Mauritius travel itinerary: Poste La Fayette beach
On the fifth day of our Mauritius trip itinerary we decided to devote the day to a two-island excursion as we love snorkelling. We left from Grand Baie and the boat trip took about an hour. Unfortunately we found the sea a bit rough, but the passage near Coin de Mire was exciting. This small island is a nature reserve, completely uninhabited and characterised by impressive cliffs.
After passing Coin de Mire, we arrived at Ile Plate, where we went snorkelling and then enjoyed an excellent lunch of grilled chicken, rice, sausages and, of course, lots of punch, a drink made from rum and fruit juice.
After lunch we headed to Ilot Gabriel, a small island with a long white sandy beach that looked like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Here we snorkeled again and saw some sea turtles.
If the sea was rough on the way out, it was completely different on the way back, with calm seas and bright sunshine. We celebrated to the rhythm of music and punch, stopping briefly at Coin de Mire for a swim.
On our return to Grand Baie, we paid a quick visit to the nearby market, where there are several bazaars selling attractive souvenirs for tourists as well as local handicrafts. In the evening, as this was our last day in the northern area, we stopped again at our lovely Refresh.
On the sixth day of our ’10-day Mauritius trip itinerary’ we changed our base and moved to Blue Bay. In the meantime, we decided to visit a few attractions along the way, including the Trou aux Cerfs volcano and the Tamarin Falls Park.
The Trou aux Cerfs volcano is located in the interior of the island and is easily accessible by car. You can walk around the crater of the volcano on a footpath and take beautiful panoramic photographs.
After visiting the Trou aux Cerfs volcano, we set off for the Tamarin Falls Park, despite the threatening weather. As we approached the park it started to rain, but we still tried to walk down a path that led us to the first waterfall. The trails are quite rough and require proper equipment, such as hiking boots, but especially not in rainy weather as they become slippery. Fortunately, we met a local guide who had already helped some tourists and we joined him on the way back to the car park. The directions to the park are poor and due to the rain we were not able to visit as we would have liked. However, we realised that next time we come back we will use this fantastic guide to explore the park better.
After visiting Tamarin Falls, we headed to Blue Bay, where we had booked our second apartment.
In the afternoon we took the opportunity to relax on the beach. Blue Bay is a small bay from which many excursions depart every day, so you have to watch out for boats if you want to go snorkelling. It was the bay where we found the greatest variety of corals and where it was possible to snorkel directly from the beach. Around Blue Bay there are many take-away kiosks where you can order a tasty and cheap lunch.
In the evening we went to dinner at the beautiful Jardin de Beau Vallon, a restaurant set in an old colonial house surrounded by a large park. The cuisine was typically Mauritian and we had the opportunity to try the Seven Curries, a traditional and inevitable dish at Mauritian weddings, to be eaten exclusively with the hands. This dish consists of seven different vegetable-based preparations, served with rice and small pitas to be filled as desired. Eating the Seven Curries was a truly unique experience.
10 day in Mauritius travel itinerary: Blue Bay
10 day in Mauritius travel itinerary: Volcano Trou aux Cerfs
The next morning, on the seventh day of our Mauritius tour itinerary, we woke up early for a hike in the Black River Gorges Natural Park, a vast natural park located in the southern part of Mauritius. The park offers many trails, but we chose to follow the main trail that leads to Macchabee, a panoramic point that offers views over the entire park down to the sea, where it is possible to meet some cute monkeys (be careful not to feed them, they can become aggressive). The route is very easy and well signposted, through a lush forest with a variety of plants and trees. We also saw parrots typical of the area, which are not easy to find. The walk took about two hours, while on the way back we chose a longer route, bringing the total walk time to about 6 hours.
On the way back to the apartment we stopped at Ganga Talao, a lake with some Buddhist temples.
In the evening we had dinner at Chez Marylin, a typical trattoria frequented mainly by locals. Marylin is an experience worth trying, as is the cuisine, which offers rich and substantial dishes, just like having dinner at your grandmother’s house.
Mauritius trip itinerary: Black River Gorge Natural Park
Mauritius trip itinerary: Black River Gorge National Park
Mauritius trip itinerary: Ganga Talao
What places to visit in Mauritius hinterland? It’s not just tropical beaches, here are 10 wonderful places to explore in Mauritius hinterland!
The eighth day of our Mauritius trip itinerary was all about the sea and the coral reef that surrounds the island. The boat trip to Ile aux Cerfs was really fun and convenient for us as we started from Blue Bay. First we took the boat out to sea to snorkel in a beautiful area of Blue Bay. After an hour of snorkelling, we boarded another boat driven by Cristoph, along with seven very nice French guys. By sharing a (good) bit of punch we immediately created an atmosphere of complicity and the company was fantastic!
After a bit of navigation, we arrived at a spot with coral pinnacles perfect for snorkelling, and we had the opportunity to admire numerous anemones and clownfish (there were so many!).
After the fun of snorkelling, we visited a lighthouse that sits on the ring of coral reef that surrounds Mauritius, providing valuable protection from the tides. The lighthouse is located next to one of the few openings in this coral reef for boat access. From there we were able to take some wonderful photographs of Mauritius and the lighthouse itself, which has an almost surreal, frozen-in-time atmosphere inside.
Mauritius tour itinerary: View of the interior of the lighthouse
Mauritius tour itinerary: Visit to the lighthouse
We then headed to the Grand River South East Waterfalls, which can be reached by boat through a canal surrounded by lush vegetation and populated by friendly monkeys.
After visiting the waterfalls, we finally arrived at Ile aux Cerfs, a little paradise on earth, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled chicken and lobster on the beach, followed by a refreshing swim in the sea. Ile aux Cerfs does not have many attractions inside, as it has been largely taken over by a golf course, but the surrounding sea is simply exceptional.
On the way back, we stopped at the Ile aux Oiseaux, an islet that is a marine reserve and a refuge for some rare bird species.
In the evening we returned to the Jardin de Beau Vallon for a memorable dinner.
The last day of our Mauritius tour itinerary began with a visit to the Bois Chéri tea factory. Inside is a small museum, included in the ticket price, which gives an overview of the tea production process. The tour allowed us to see the factory up close, understand how the machines work and learn the complete process of obtaining the different varieties of tea that are sold. At the end of the visit, we enjoyed a tea tasting at a café located near the tea fields, surrounded by nature. During the tasting we were offered the different types of tea produced, some of which were then available for purchase in the adjoining shop.
After visiting the tea factory, we headed to Le Morne, a beautiful location on the south-west coast of Mauritius. The beach at Le Morne is simply spectacular, with the green mountain from which it takes its name as a backdrop, a white sandy beach and a crystal clear sea. Without a doubt, Le Morne was one of the most beautiful beaches we saw in Mauritius.
In the evening, we returned to our apartment as the weather was not good and opted for a takeaway dinner at Ajoupa. This restaurant is a typical place frequented mainly by locals. It might seem a little dark at first, but within five minutes we were sitting at the bar sipping rum in the company of some friendly Mauritians!
Mauritius itinerary: Bois Cheri Tea Factory
Mauritius itinerary: Le Morne beach
On the last day of our “10 day Mauritius itinerary” we visited the Rhumerie Chamarel. This rum distillery is incredibly well kept and we have to admit that we had the best pork cheek of our lives here. We also had a guided tour of the distillery for about an hour, during which we learnt about the process of making rum, from the harvesting of the sugar cane to the distillation. At the end of the tour, we had the opportunity to taste several different types of rum (a hearty tasting, so don’t go home empty-handed!). For more information about the visit and the rums produced, please visit the official website of Rhumerie Chamarel at this LINK.
Next we headed to Chamarel to visit the Land of the Seven Colours. We arrived in the afternoon, so the light wasn’t the best, but the colours were still evident and the show was fascinating.
After visiting the Land of the Seven Colours in Chamarel, we went to the nearby Ebony Forest, where you have the opportunity to take walks and do some trekking amidst nature and beautiful ebony trees.
Mauritius travel itinerary: Chamarel Coloured Earths
In this article we have presented our “10 day Mauritius travel itinerary”. Mauritius is an island that has given us many emotions and will always remain in our hearts. We hope that we have encouraged you to plan a travelling holiday to this beautiful island, which deserves to be explored thoroughly! If you would like to know more about some aspects of Mauritius, such as which beaches to visit, which places to visit inland, or what you need to know to organise a holiday on this island, we recommend that you read the related articles and above all…trip to try!
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