West Mauritius

West Mauritius is a mixture of the touristy North and the wild South. In our opinion it was the best area to stay in Mauritius. It has fun beaches, historical and cultural monuments, epic restaurants, and plenty of shopping options. Here we are dividing the tourist spots in two parts: South west and West, as we covered these places in this manner.

South West Mauritius is quite popular among tourists and water sports enthusiasts. It has some of the highly rated resorts of Mauritius with private beaches as this place offers the most stunning views in all of Mauritius. There are a lot of sightseeing options here.

We spent the next 4 days of our trip staying at La Gaulette which is 1.5 km from Le Morne on the south west part of the Island. We took a bus from Surinam to Baie du Cap and another from Baie du Cap towards Port Louis/Quatre Bornes for the stop at La Gaulette. The road from Surinam to La Gaulette is a treat for the eyes. It follows along the south coast allowing you the view of the ocean, Riambel beach St. Felix beach, Riviere des Galets beache, Bel Ombre, Maconde Viewpoint, Cap Estuary, La Prairie beach, Mangrove trees etc.

Maconde ViewPoint

We had our first stop at Maconde Viewpoint. The viewpoint is just by the road on a rock cliff at the tip of the hairpin bend of the road. There is parking available for cars, bikes and even buses. You need to climb a few steps (not many) to reach the actual viewpoint. From there, a panoramic view of the South west coast of Mauritius is visible. The water blue, green and dark due to coral reef appear majestic. This is an excellent place to spend some time admiring the views.

The space at the top is quite less supporting maximum of 4-6 adults at a time. When we arrived it was so windy that we were not able to walk straight. We needed to hold on to something for support all the while we stayed at the top. Therefore a short and easy hike like this one became thrilling and fun. And the views from the top were bonus.

La Prairie Beach

A kilometre and half walk from the Maconde viewpoint is the Prairie public beach. You could walk up to the beach from Maconde view point or take a bus if you do not have a car/taxi or a scooter. The beach is right beside the main street. It has no shade, but, on the other side of the street there is lawn/park with a number of benches all under tree shades for enjoying the views. Neither the beach nor the park is very crowded. It was very relaxing to just watching the clear water and the waves rising and crashing gently against the seas side rocks.

Le Morne Cultural Landscape

The Le Morne Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It comprises of Le Morne Brabant mountain, the Slave Route Monument and the beach. The place is about 4 kilometers from the bus stop hence difficult to access if traveling by bus. You will have to take a taxi or a scooter to arrive here.

Le Morne Brabant

The Le Morne mountain stands tall like a stalwart marking the south west coast of Mauritius. It is an important landmark in the geography and history of Mauritius. The Dutch, French and lastly, the British colonized Mauritius. The Dutch introduced slavery and in 1835 the government officially abolished it from the Island. The slaves were brought down from Africa to work in the agricultural fields, mostly sugarcane estates, as servants of the estate owners and labourers. The livelihood of the slaves was so pathetic that some slaves ran away and hid in the Le Morne mountain caves and top. Hence the mountain has kept many dark secrets and stand as a symbol of the fight for freedom. Therefore, it is a UNESCO world heritage site. There is a cross sign at the top of the mountain in memory of the runaway slaves or maroons who took refuge in the mountain.

If you have interest in hiking, you can hike the trail to the Le Morne mountain. It is basically the same route that the slaves took to go into hiding. The hike is of medium difficulty especially at the last bit when the climb is almost vertical. You would need a trained guide if you are not a regular hiker. If you are coming from North or West, after crossing the Le Morne hotel junction, there is sign board indicating the start of the trail. You need to go along that route for about 1.5 km till you reach the start point. The road is good to start with but later it becomes bumpy and rocky. You can park your vehicle at the base and trek to the top.

The hike takes about 4-5 hours if you are very fit. Since, the weather was very poor due to prevailing anti-cyclone, we were unable to go hiking. But it is a must activity, if you want to enjoy the unparalleled views it offers. It offers a partial view of the underwater waterfall.

Slave Route Monument

This is a historic site in Mauritius. This place is a memorial honouring the people who were brought down to Maurtius and forced to serve as slaves and their descendants who form an important part of Mauritius’s identity. It is located right opposite to the parking of Le Morne beach at the foot of the Le Morne mountain. The garden is semi-circular with a memorial sculpture at the centre. There are many other sculptures and stone memoirs depicting how the slaves survived and finally were liberated. The monument weaves the connection between their struggle, survival and the significance of Le Morne mountain. It is a must visit to know about the history of such a lively island.

Le Morne Beach

Le Morne beach is a quiet peaceful beach at the foot of the Le Morne mountain. The stunning blue waters along the white sandy beach stretches up to about 1.5 kilometres. It is lined with private beaches of several five star resorts, few restaurants and clubs. At the far south you have the Kite surfing school. You may take a casual stroll along the beach. Although the southern part of the beach is private, nobody stops you in particular from taking a stroll. Just off the coast at the southern end of the beach is the famous Under-water waterfall. Unfortunately, it is not visible from the beach side, but, you may go kite surfing or seaplane riding to see it. There is not much to do on the beach. We suggest you to go during the dusk to enjoy the stunning sunset lying on the beach with your loved ones.

Underwater Waterfall

There is a unique landscape found only in Mauritius. If you ever search about Mauritius, it is probably the first image to pop up. This is the underwater waterfall. Is there really such a thing? No, it is a mere illusion by the difference in depth of the seabed and the coral reefs that from atop appears as a waterfall inside the water. It is located on the South West coast of Mauritius just beyond the reefs. This is one experience to have for sure while you are there. This view is only available from a seaplane or helicopter ride over the South West coast.

Unfortunately, the weather was not suitable for the ride when we were there leading us to miss the experience. But, if you are up for it, we will tell you about it. There are many operators running such services. The cost of the ride depends on the minutes and inclusions. A short 10 minute helicopter/seaplane ride costs ₹12,000-14,000. The helicopters are available for sightseeing all over Mauritius. ou may also book a helicopter ride for the north, east, south-east, and the central part of the island.

You have to pre-book at least 15 days in advance to get a confirmed slot. Try booking in advance as the slots are never available for same day unless someone cancels. In case of bad weather or no ride, they may refund your booking amount as per terms and conditions. So, please check it before booking. Y Different operators offer different packages. which they list on their websites.

Chamarel Earth Geopark

The Chamarel Earth Geopark is a curious place. It is one of a kind of natural wonder. This place has been developed as a combination of several natural and artificial attractions that pique your interest. There is stunning waterfall, the famous 7 coloured earth and a small tortoise farm in the conserved ebony forest. It is located around 7 km from La Gaulette. It is accessible by private vehicles as well as public transport i.e bus. However, there is a small inconvenience if you are visiting by bus. There is only one bus that plies on the route from Case Noyale to Chamarel. It runs only twice a day. There is a bus which runs between Baie du Cap (near Macaonde) to Chamarel . So you have to be very calculated with your timings. This is not the only trouble.

The entrance to the park is right on the bus route, but, the actual places of interest are about 1.5 and 3 km further. There is no buggy or any kind of vehicle facility offered by the administration to cover the distance from the entrance to the main attractions. They allow cars, bikes and taxis to go in. So you better be on any one of these when you are visiting this place or you would have to walk all the way for 3km on a hilly road and back.

Coffee plantations

As soon as you pass the ticket counter, you walk across the coffee plantations to your left. If you wish you may look around the plants to explore more. There is a coffee shop near the geopark that serves coffee sourced from these plantations.

Chamarel Waterfall

After walking for about 2 km from the entrance, you will arrive at your first destination, the Chamarel Waterfall. This is a 100m high waterfall on river Saint Denis. The river flows through the dense forests and then falls into the canyons forming this spectacular single drop waterfall. The winds scatter the droplets making the mists rise up against gravity giving the waterfall a majestic view. The setting is so beautiful that it is undoubtedly among the best waterfalls in Mauritius. The viewpoint is on the left of the road.

7 coloured earth

1 km further from the waterfall, you arrive at the rainbow hued landscape. As you enter, a small garden has all the details about the formation of the different colours of sand with samples on display. There are 7 colours- red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow that stretch across an open area with the backdrop of the tropical dense forest on one side and the ebony trees on the other. Get a few pictures clicked or have snacks at the restaurant overlooking the park. There is a restroom near the parking as well. The place is well maintained. This place is so iconic that you get plenty of souvenirs with the 7 coloured earth all over Mauritius. You can even purchase something from the souvenir shop located in the park.

Tortoise farm & Ebony forest

On the other side of the 7 coloured earth area, there is a small tortoise farm which houses 7-8 huge Aldabra tortoises. You can spend some time with the tortoises. A little further following the signboards along the paved path you enter into the ebony forest. It is not a very dense forest but some ebony trees in their natural surroundings.

Ile Aux Benetiers

Ile Aux Benetiers is a crescent shaped island just off the south west coast of Mauritius in a lagoon. The island is clearly visible from the shores. There are many fishing boat trips to this island which you can take from La Gaulette jetty point or Case Noyale. There are catamaran and speedboat options as well. The operators will take you to an island where you can enjoy some water activities or snorkelling. There is also a clam shaped crystal island near it which you will be able to see on your boat ride. If you are lucky enough you can spot dolphins from the boat. You will have 2-3 hours to bathe in the sun or roam around the island which is roughly 2 km in length and 0.5 km wide. It is not a very exciting trip so you may skip it like we did.

Next, to cover the western part we chose Flic en Flac. To reach west Mauritius we took a bus from La Gaulette to Flic en Flac. We needed to change a bus at Flic en Flac junction as there are no direct buses from La Gaulette to Flic en Flac beach. We spent the next two days stationed at Flic en Flac to explore the island’s western gems. Our plan was to hire a scooter and cover all the places nearby Flic en Flac. This is the only place where we found renting cars and motorbike affordable. More on the transportation and bikes in this post. So we covered all the following places on scooter:

Flic en Flac Beach

Like any other beach in Mauritius, flic en flac beach is very appealing public beach. The coastline is sandy throughout with trees to give you ample shade. There are benches to sit, have food and enjoy. Food trucks and stalls are present near the parking in case you get hungry. Moreover, the main street is lined with restaurants specializing in various cuisines. Flic en flac is a major tourist area of Mauritius and hence you can find tourists as well as locals on this beach.

It was the most crowded beach we came across in Mauritius, probably, because we were here on the weekends. Families came in groups, set up barbeque, lounge chairs, music systems and lots of food. People in Mauritius do know how to enjoy weekends. We spent an entire evening lying idle and just enjoying the waves and vibes on this beautiful beach on the west part of Mauritius.

Casela Nature Park

The Casela Nature Park is like any other zoo but a must visit in Mauritius. It was very near to where we stayed about 10 minutes to reach this place. It lies by the main motorway so you can also take a bus to reach here easily. There is a huge parking available at this place. Two huge statues of a lion and a rhinoceros are at the entrance to welcome you.

Entry & Tickets

The ticket is priced at 1450 MUR per person. Yes, it is costly but worth it. The entry ticket includes entrance, a pick up and drop facility on a shared bus, a safari truck tour and a fun Tulawaka Gold Coaster ride (a mini roller coaster). To cover this 350 hectare park completely you need minimum 4 hours. If you enroll for activities offered here add another 1 to 1.5 hours. We advise you to come here early in the morning as it opens from 9:00 AM. Cover it in the first half and spend second half of the day exploring other places.

The entire park is divided into various sections for different activities. Ensure to carry a map to refer to if you do not want to miss out on anything. You can hop off at any point and after visiting that section, hop on the bus to transfer to any other point. The wild safari has fixed timings, so ensure to reach the departure point in time. There are a few restaurants for you to have lunch or snacks. You can buy souvenirs in the inhouse souvenir shop. The park in set in the natural surroundings with the rempart mountain and les mamailles adding to the beauty of the place.

Animals & Activities

The park houses many animals like the Big Cats (African lion, tigers, serval, caracal, cheetah), tortoises, double horned rhinoceros, giraffe, ostrich, zebra, camel, antelopes, hyenas, farm animals, birds, reptiles etc. Watching the big cats was specially thrilling and worth it. There are many other activities like quad bike safari, zipline, toboggan ride, mini golf, animal rides, animal feeding, and a 4D cinema theatre. Children can enjoy in a dedicated play area. You should not miss this place especially if travelling with kids.

Cascavelle Shopping Mall

This is huge shopping mall in the Cascavelle area of Mauritius. Again it is very close to the Casela Nature Park and you can visit it when you are around. Since, it was close to where we stayed, we went here to spend our first evening. It is a shopping mall very unlike a shopping mall. It felt more like a village setting with high end shops selling everything in between the sky and the earth. The entire complex is beautifully decorated and is bustling with people in the evenings. Sunday is not a great time to visit this place as only the Supermarket stays open.

Tamarin Salt Pans

These are a unique sightseeing option in Mauritius. The salt pans are traditional method of making salt in Mauritius. Tamarin salt pans are probably the last active salt pans in Mauritius. The workers use a 200 years old technique to extract salt from the sea water. These pans can be seen right beside the main motorway (the Royal Road) just a few kilometres south from Flic en Flac. It is not very grand and can easily be missed if you are not paying attention. The workers work in the morning time after which the place is all empty.