Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Mauritius is a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean, roughly east of Madagascar, almost completely ringed by a coral reef. Inside that reef you get calm, clear lagoons; above them rise jagged green peaks, waterfalls and the plateau forests of the interior.
This guide walks you through the places that make a trip here memorable, from the UNESCO-listed sites of Port Louis and Le Morne to the crater lake at Grand Bassin and the coloured dunes of Chamarel.
Few islands pack this much variety into such a small area. In one day you can swim in a lagoon in the morning, hike through native forest at midday and eat street food in a bustling capital by evening.
Mauritius also has real history to explore. It was uninhabited until European sailors arrived, and the dodo, the island's famous extinct bird, became a symbol of what can be lost.
Conservation is another draw. Local organizations have brought species such as the pink pigeon, the Mauritius kestrel and the echo parakeet back from the edge, and you can see some of that work on Ile aux Aigrettes and in the national park.
The capital sits on the northwest coast, backed by a ring of mountains, and is the best place to understand the island's people and past. The north beyond it holds the botanical garden at Pamplemousses and the busy resort strip of Grand Baie.
This modest set of stone ruins beside the harbour was the immigration depot where indentured workers, most of them from India, landed from the 1830s onward. Many Mauritians today descend from those arrivals.
Aapravasi Ghat in Port Louis is the former immigration depot where indentured labourers arrived in the nineteenth century. Photo: Suyash Dwivedi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Central Market is where Port Louis feels most alive. Under its roofs you find stacks of tropical fruit, piles of chillies and spices, herbal remedies, textiles and stalls selling dholl puri and other snacks.
The Central Market in Port Louis sells produce, spices and street snacks in the heart of the capital. Photo: Oderuth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Known simply as Pamplemousses after the village around it, this is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Southern Hemisphere.
The giant water lilies are one of the best-known sights in the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden at Pamplemousses. Photo: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Grand Baie is the north's busiest town, with a sheltered bay, plenty of places to eat and the departure point for catamaran trips to the islets off the coast, such as Coin de Mire, with its sheer cliffs.
The east coast catches the trade winds, which keeps it fresh in summer, and its lagoons are among the widest on the island.
This small island in the lagoon off Trou d'Eau Douce has long sandy beaches and shallow water that glows turquoise on sunny days.
Ile aux Cerfs sits in the lagoon off the east coast near Trou d'Eau Douce. Photo: Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Blue Bay is a protected lagoon with coral gardens close to shore, which makes it one of the easiest places on the island to snorkel. Glass-bottom boats run from the public beach for people who prefer to stay dry.
Blue Bay Marine Park protects coral and fish life near Mahebourg on the southeast coast. Photo: NordNordWest, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
This coral island off Mahebourg is a nature reserve run by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Guided walks take you through restored coastal forest where you may see pink pigeons, giant Aldabra tortoises and the endemic Telfair's skink.
The most dramatic scenery on Mauritius lies in the southwest and on the central plateau, where forests, gorges and volcanic landforms replace the beach strips.
The national park protects much of the native forest that survives on the island. Viewpoints along the road between Chamarel and the plateau look down into deep green gorges, and trails such as the Macchabee Forest walk suit different fitness levels.
Black River Gorges National Park protects much of the native forest left on Mauritius. Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Near the village of Chamarel, a small area of rolling dunes shows bands of red, brown, violet and ochre sand formed as volcanic rock weathered. The same park includes a viewpoint over Chamarel Falls, a long single drop from the edge of the plateau, and a tortoise enclosure.
Chamarel Falls is the tallest single-drop waterfall on the island, and the platform inside the park gives a clear view down into the gorge. Come before midday, when cloud often drifts over the plateau and hides the top of the falls.
Nearby, the Alexandra Falls viewpoint and the Gorges viewpoint on the road through the park are worth a stop on the same drive.
The Seven Coloured Earth at Chamarel is a small area of multicolored dunes formed from weathered volcanic rock. Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
This crater lake on the plateau is the most sacred Hindu site in Mauritius. Temples line its edge, and two giant statues, of Shiva and the goddess Durga, stand near the entrance road.
Grand Bassin, also called Ganga Talao, is a sacred crater lake and the main Hindu pilgrimage site in Mauritius. Photo: Moonik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Le Morne is the basalt mountain that rises from the southwest peninsula, surrounded by one of the island's finest lagoons and beaches. Escaped enslaved people once sheltered on its cliffs, and the Slave Route Monument at its foot honours them.
Mauritian food blends Indian, Creole, Chinese and French cooking, and the best of it is sold from roadside stalls and markets.
For main dishes, look for rougaille, a Creole tomato, onion and thyme sauce cooked with fish, sausage or salted fish; vindaye, fish or octopus pickled in mustard, garlic and turmeric; and briyani, served at weddings and festivals.
Wash it down with alouda, a sweet milk drink with basil seeds and agar jelly, sold at the Port Louis market.
Popular dishes to try in Mauritius
The north, around Grand Baie, Pereybere and Trou aux Biches, suits travelers who want restaurants, nightlife and easy access to boat trips. Beaches here are calm and the area is the most developed on the island.
The west coast, including Flic en Flac and Tamarin, is drier and sunnier, with the best sunsets and quick access to the national park and Chamarel.
Le Morne and the southwest suit couples and kitesurfers who want spectacular scenery and a slower pace.
Where to stay in Mauritius
Mauritius is warm all year.
Summer, from November to April, is hot and humid, with more rain and the risk of tropical cyclones, mainly from January to March. Sea temperatures are at their warmest and diving visibility is often good.
Festivals follow several calendars.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, near Plaine Magnien in the southeast, receives flights from Europe, the Gulf, Africa and Asia.
Renting a car gives you the most freedom. Traffic drives on the left, roads are generally good but narrow in villages, and traffic around Port Louis is heavy at rush hour.
Public buses reach almost every village and are cheap, though slow and less frequent in the evening.
Arrive, settle in and spend the afternoon on your nearest beach to recover from the flight.
Head to Port Louis for Aapravasi Ghat, the Central Market and lunch from the street stalls, then drive north to the Pamplemousses garden in the afternoon.
Take a boat day in the north, sailing to the northern islets from Grand Baie, and end with sunset at Cap Malheureux.
Drive into the interior for Grand Bassin early, then the viewpoints of Black River Gorges, the Seven Coloured Earth and Chamarel Falls, with a late lunch in Chamarel.
Hike Le Morne at dawn, then rest on the beach at its foot for the afternoon.
Go southeast to Mahebourg, take the guided tour of Ile aux Aigrettes and snorkel at Blue Bay.
Spend your last full day on Ile aux Cerfs and the Grand River South East waterfall, then enjoy a final seafood dinner on the east coast.
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