At the thought of Mauritius, the only pictures that conjure up are those of its sandy beaches, palm trees and azure lagoons. Pictures are never enough to describe the beautiful and incomparable landscapes of this picturesque tiny piece of paradise.
Being a popular honeymoon destination and luxury spot for celebrities, it is now a high class destination proposing top-notch services in its numerous luxurious hotels, high class villas and bungalows. Mauritius, indeed, is not only about beaches, it has tons of breath-taking views, historic sites and blossoming forests that are to be seen. If you are planning on visiting every corner of the island of Mauritius- Hire a car and visit it at you own pace. Here is a quick guide about the must-see places in Mauritius.
TOP TEN PLACES TO VISIT
1. Le Morne

Le Morne Brabant, found in the South of the island, is a scarcely inhabited place. It is mostly surrounded by hotels. There you will have the chance of seeing Le Morne Mountain, classified as World heritage, a single peak encapsulating so much of Mauritius’ history in it. The mountain was the place, for slaves, to escape from their masters. The place is full of nice viewpoints over the west coast of the island and over the southern part of the island.
2. Black River Gorges National Park

A national park stretching over 6574 hectares of incredible native forests and wildlife, covering 3.5% of Mauritius’ land area and including a range of ecosystems. This dense forest is home to over 300 species of flowering plants. Want to spot one of the rarest birds in the world? Then the national park is your best bet since it is the habitat of the Pink pigeon, a bird endemic to Mauritius, which nearly reached extinction. The national park proposes a number of long hiking trails for those nature lovers. For visitors loving immense outdoors, black river gorges is an ideal place to let yourself be carried away by its set of panoramic views of the island’s landscape, including vistas, gorges, peaks and waterfalls.
3. Chamarel

Chamarel is a small village located in the district of Savanne. Chamarel attracts much since you will have the chance to visit the beautiful places in its vicinity- The highest waterfall in Mauritius at 100 metres and the 7-coloured earths. The Chamarel Falls are as impressive a waterfall as you’ll find anywhere and makes up a perfect spot. Climbing the stairs to the viewing platform reveals an awe impressive view as it hits the pool 100 metres below. The ‘Seven Coloured Earth’, made up of sand dunes of different distinct colours including reds, browns and purples will impress more than one. This phenomenon is due to the cooling, at different temperatures, of volcanic rocks which resulted in dunes of different colours.
Prices: Rs 125 (Uniform- Approx $5)
4. La Vanille Crocodile Park

The star of the show here is without any doubt the crocodile, but you will also see other creatures including giant bats, giant turtles, monkeys and a huge insect collection. While having a walk through the jungle observing the flora and fauna, you will learn more about the endangered species endemic to Mauritius. Its insectarium is one of the world’s largest private collections of butterfly and other insects. And those beautiful creatures are a feast to the eyes. The restaurant of the park even proposes Crocodile Curry on its menu. What is better than ending the visit while having a taste of crocodile curry in the restaurant?
Cost: Adult-Rs350 (Approx. $13), Child- Rs200(Approx. $7)
5. Pamplemousses Botanical Garden

Also known as Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, the plot covers 60 acres of land and features a number of varieties of palm trees. One unique feature of the garden is its giant lily ponds with tadpoles and frogs, fruit bat trees with bats hanging from the branches, lakes with giant turtles and fishes without forgetting the trees planted by famous figures including Nelson Mandela and Indira Ghandi.
6. Château de Labourdonnais

At the heart of a splendid natural estate, the Château de Labourdonnais helps you to rediscover the nineteenth century Mauritian lifestyle… Brilliantly restored, this majestic mansion, built in 1859, has regained all of its original splendour and provides a unique experience to its visitors. After visiting the château you can have a promenade in its garden, then visit its distillery and in the end taste the Rhum locally produced at the Rhumerie des Mascareignes. At the estate you will also have the opportunity to taste typical Mauritian cuisine that will, without any doubt, be a pure bliss to your taste buds!
7. Ile Aux Cerfs

A large outer isle of Mauritius, Iles Aux Cerfs is located off its East Coast, with spectacular white sandy beaches, palm trees and waters of all shades of blue. It remains one of the main attractions of the island. There, the picture-postcard blue lagoon will make you feel as if you just arrived on a Treasure Island. Iles aux Cerfs is the perfect place to relax, enjoy a BBQ and have a go at parasailing to have a majestic aerial view of this pristine isle. The island’s main beach provides basic services including restaurants serving tasty food. It also houses the Bernard Langer golf course.
8. La roche qui pleure / Le Souffleur

This place is simply amazing, superb, relaxing and inspiring. Unique big waves crashing against the volcanic cliffs. The rocks being porous will make you hear, at each backslash, the rocks breathing. An amazing and sole experience everyone should see and enjoy.
9. Grand Bassin

Grand Bassin, an extinct volcano, now a lake high up in the mountains about 1800 feet above sea level is the most sacred Hindu place on the island of Mauritius. It is also a well-known place of interest. On the spot you will be able to visit a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The people of the island believe it is filled with holy waters from the River Ganges in India on the occasion of Maha Shivaratree people make pilgrimages from their homes to the lake on foot, carrying religious carts(Kawals) the whole way. There is also a majestic 108 foot statue of Shiva which brings a touch of uniqueness to that specific location.
10. Champ de Mars in Port Louis

Fan of horse races? Then this is surely a must-see place. Put on your best outfit and spend your Saturday at the Champ de Mars race course. The race course is the oldest in the southern hemisphere and the 2nd oldest in the world. There you can enjoy canapés and drinks, and who knows, if you are up for a bet, you might end up with a jackpot. You need not be a big horse racing fan to enjoy the electric atmosphere at the Champ de Mars.
There are,obviously, more places to visit, but the above are those you should not miss to visit. Have a nice trip in over the island!
34 Comments
Thanks for a beautiful tour of Mauritius! I dream of going there with my family one day but it’s a bit soon right now with the kids being so small. I hadn’t heard of the multicoloured sand dunes before – that was so interesting!
It’s only the beginning, we are definitely going to make you discover much more about this wonderful island…keep reading and sharing our articles…
You are very nice & and place too
Wow, the pictures are breath taking. I would love to travel there one day. Now, all I have to do is save up for a plane ticket, but I know all the places I’d like to visit.
It would be a pleasure to welcome you here…continue reading and sharing our articles…
hello
it’s really a beautiful island i’ve been there last year
i like the capital and the nocturne in grand baie
Do check out our article about Nightlife In Mauritius… Ull surely like it 😉
Great place. Waiting to visit there. Really fascinating !
*** Antispam disabled. Check access key in CleanTalk plugin options. Request number 403dff6d59796c1bf2e2e193d85fae5f. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***
pls Adm,how is security like in this country,i want to the island asap
*** Antispam disabled. Check access key in CleanTalk plugin options. Request number bd833da7e5e3eec1e411d6d441e8078f. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***
No need to worry about security…. The island are secure and safe for travelers 😀
Yes
I am going soon
i am going to visit during april-may-2016. any guidance.
Do read our other articles about Mauritius… Any specific query?
great place to visit, a unique heritage place to hang out
Your article is very much liked me . I plan to visit Mauritius in December 2015 , I hope this time the weather is good . Mainly interested in a beach holiday
Hopefully it will be good…. Enjoy your holidays and continue reading our articles for more tips 😉
Hi…M planning to visit Mauritius in the month of Mar’16. Just wanted to understand how should I plan my route?
Hi…M planning to visit Mauritius in the month of Mar’16. Just wanted to understand how should I plan my route ?
Beautifully written article. Love Mauritius.
Thank you very much 🙂
Love every boat trip in Mauritius.walking along the sandy beaches are top way to admire nature.
Indeed this is a great way to enjoy the lush nature of the island 🙂
Walking along the beautiful beaches is a must to admire nature and taking a glass bottom trip boat.
Thanks for the great post, But I do not see La Vallee des Couleurs Nature Park mentioned here and this park is very popular for its 23 Colored earth and also amazing scenic views of the island and the valley of southern part along with its breath taking activities like 3rd longest zipline in the world and 1st longest Nepalese bridge and not to forget offcourse the QUAD rides 🙂
Thanks for your reminder. We’ll try to talk about it in another article soon…
Thank you for your article! I think now I have the whole plan for our trip (as a gift to my braid). I already booked the plane and the hotel but the one last thing which remained is the transfer from the airport. I’m not sure… Iahve seen many transfer companies and this one transfers2airports sounds me really great but maybe I don’t know… what about taxis or buses?
The places look lovely, I am a Zambian I would like to visit this year where can I get a visa
I am coming there in September for a full week with my girlfirends.I cannot wait.
Is there a tour bus we can pay that can take us to all these places?
Hello Gloria we can organize the trip for you
Hi,
I´m planning on going to Mauritius in September with my wife, and we´ll be based in Le Morne .
Any advice on how we should spend our days will be appreciated.
I was thinking on renting a motorbike to ride around the island, since it´s cheaper than renting a car.
Thank you in advanced
@Tiago. Looking forward for your visit in Mauritius. You can read more on our site on how you can spend your holidays on our island or else You can contact us @ [email protected] for more info on the best accommodations etc..
Hi, thanks for the tips! We are traveling to the island in November – we would like to stay in a very quiet and remote area away from the hustle and bustle. Can you recommend which area of the island to look for lodgings? Thanks!
Hello Sara, you’re welcomed. For a quiet stay we recommend Villas Belle Riviere http://www.villas-mauritius.mu/en/
If you’re looking for ultimate privacy, we recommend you choose a beach-front personal villa, which are also cheaper than hotels. Here are two located on tranquil beaches, Villa Shooting star and Villa Cambresi for groups and families.
Happy holidays in Mauritius!