Things to do in Mauritius
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Mauritius
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, rains end or dry warming weather, calm lagoons and prices below or near peak.
Hot wet summer, warmest clearest sea but cyclone season peaking January to March.
Cool dry winter, hiking and golf season, with south east trade winds strongest June to September.
What's on
- Maha Shivaratri February or March, by the Hindu calendar; check dates
Pilgrims walk to Ganga Talao carrying kanwars, central island roads gridlock for days.
- Thaipoosam Cavadee January or February, by the Tamil calendar; check dates
Tamil devotees carry flower covered cavadees in procession at temples island wide.
- Chinese Spring Festival 6 Feb 2027
Port Louis Chinatown lion dances, firecrackers and food, the capital's liveliest night.
- Holi March
Colour throwing in villages and towns island wide, join where invited.
- Independence Day 12 March
Parades and ceremonies in Port Louis and at Champ de Mars.
- Eid al-Fitr Around 10 Mar 2027, moon dependent
Moon dependent festival in our seasonal calendar.
- Father Laval pilgrimage 8-9 Sep
Catholic Mauritius walks to Sainte-Croix in Port Louis for a night procession.
- Ganesh Chaturthi Sep
Hindu festival in our seasonal calendar.
- Diwali 8 Nov 2026
Houses and temples lit with lamps and LEDs, sweets everywhere, the prettiest night of the year.
Best things to do in Mauritius
Chamarel Seven Coloured Earths Geopark
Oxidised volcanic dunes in reds and purples, best in morning light and after rain, as part of the Chamarel circuit.
Chamarel Waterfall
A 100 metre waterfall viewpoint inside the same park as the Coloured Earths, easy to combine in one south west day.
Rhumerie de Chamarel
Rum tasting down the road from the Coloured Earths, the natural final stop on the Chamarel circuit.
Central Market
The capital in concentrate with spices, vanilla and street food, best done as a morning visit.
Aapravasi Ghat
UNESCO listed landing site for indentured labourers from India and the island's most important historic site.
Le Caudan Waterfront
Harbour front stop in Port Louis that pairs with the market, the Citadel and the Blue Penny Museum.
Fort Adelaide
The Citadel above Port Louis for the harbour view, an easy stop on a morning in the capital.
Blue Penny Museum
Small museum at Caudan for stamp history and island context, best for enthusiasts on a Port Louis morning.
Where to stay in Mauritius
Trou aux Biches / Mont Choisy
best overall base, families and first trip
Best swimming and snorkelling lagoon, a real village strip and Grand Baie ten minutes north.
Grand Baie
social, restaurant and nightlife base
Widest choice of restaurants, bars and boat departures, with swimming at La Cuvette and Pereybère nearby.
Flic en Flac
sunset and value base
Long west facing beach, street food and self catering, with easy access to Tamarin, Casela and Le Morne.
Le Morne / La Gaulette
scenic and active base
Mountain, kite lagoon, Chamarel and the Gorges on the doorstep, with La Gaulette as the budget village version.
Belle Mare / east coast
resort and sand base in season
Longest finest white sand beach and big luxury resorts, windiest in the June to September trades.
Blue Bay / Mahébourg
local life base and first or last nights
Marine park, the most Mauritian town, Monday market and cheap guesthouses, closest to the airport.
Think twice about
- Port Louis
No beach, hot and congested, largely empty at night and home to the main petty theft spots. Visit in the morning, sleep in the north west.
- Curepipe / central plateau towns
Cool wet highlands 30 to 45 minutes from any swimmable beach, with the rainiest weather and no visitor infrastructure.
- Isolated south coast properties without a car
Wild reef less coast near Souillac and Gris Gris with few walkable restaurants and unlit roads, and a beach you cannot swim from.
- Grand Baie strip and Flic en Flac main road
Not unsafe, just bars, traffic and late noise until the early hours in season. Stay one street back for quiet.
Best restaurants in Mauritius
Escale Créole
Mother and daughter table d'hôte serving home style Creole lunch in a tropical garden, reservation only.
Amigo Restaurant
Family run since 1985 for flame grilled lobster, crab soup and catch of the day near the Red Church.
Château Mon Désir
Fine dining in a plantation style colonial house with French Mauritian tasting menus and a rum collection.
Le Chamarel Restaurant
Open air panoramic lunch on the Chamarel ridge over Le Morne, for palm heart salad and prawn curry.
Varangue sur Morne
Former hunting lodge serving Creole and game cooking in forest quiet above the south west.
Le Palais de Barbizon
Small family restaurant in Chamarel village serving a generous Creole set lunch at cheap prices.
Dholl Puri Mimosa
Tiny locals only courtyard spot for dholl puri off Sir William Newton Street in Port Louis.
La Rougaille Créole
Unpretentious Creole seafood dining in central Grand Baie with rougaille, curries and grilled fish.
Outdoor things to do in Mauritius
Île aux Cerfs
Classic catamaran day with snorkelling, BBQ lunch and white sand, quieter ten minutes from the main beach.
Le Morne Brabant
UNESCO mountain with the island's best summit view, a guided scramble best started at dawn.
Tamarind Falls
Chain of waterfalls for guided walking, swimming and jumping between pools, or canyoning four falls.
Île aux Bénitiers
Island BBQ stop on the west coast dolphin and Crystal Rock day, best with a small watch first eco operator.
Black River Gorges National Park
Largest protected area with endemic forest, waterfalls and real trails, free entry and best started early.
Île aux Aigrettes
Ranger guided coral island reserve rebuilding pre human Mauritius, with pink pigeons and Aldabra tortoises.
Îlot Gabriel
Northern isles catamaran stop for white sand swimming and snorkelling, wilder than Île aux Cerfs.
Île Plate
Flat Island stop on the northern isles sail from Grand Baie, with swimming and often better snorkelling.
Best hotels in Mauritius
LUX* Grand Baie
Design led, food serious luxury flagship on Grand Baie, the north's splurge address.
Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury
Old school understated luxury and service on the north coast near Trou aux Biches.
20 Degrés Sud
Adults only boutique in a former colonial house with 36 rooms, a couples splurge at mid luxury prices.
Veranda Grand Baie Hotel & Spa
Four star on the bay within walking distance of everything, the sensible mid range Grand Baie booking.
Sugar Beach
Big polished west coast resort with superb sunsets and praised half board.
Veranda Tamarin
Surf town mid ranger facing the dolphin bay, with rooftop and live music.
Guest House Chez Jacques
Family guesthouse two minutes from Tamarin beach with home cooking, a budget west coast base.
LUX* Le Morne
Luxury resort under Le Morne mountain on the peninsula, the couples pick on the luxury row.
Is Mauritius expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MUR 3,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MUR 7,500 a person |
| Splurge | MUR 18,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Rhumerie de Chamarel: a few days ahead
- Blue Bay Marine Park: a few days ahead
- Casela Nature Parks: a few days ahead
- LagoonFlight: weeks ahead
- Île aux Cerfs: a few days ahead
- Le Morne Brabant: a few days ahead
- Tamarind Falls: a few days ahead
- Île aux Bénitiers: a few days ahead
- Book catamarans, Le Morne and 7 Cascades guides, Aigrettes tours and the seaplane days ahead in season.
- Reserve Escale Créole, Château Mon Désir, Hasu and Le Chamarel edge tables ahead.
- Book golf at La Réserve and Île aux Cerfs and kite lessons in June to September before you fly.
Is Mauritius safe?
- Petty theft in Port Louis market and bus stations and on beaches, keep bags zipped and do not leave valuables on the sand.
- Swim inside reef lagoons, never at reef passes and never on the reef less south coast.
- Drive defensively at night on unlit rural roads and use repellent at dawn and dusk for dengue risk.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Mauritius travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Decline taxi detours to duty free or cousin shops, they are commission stops with inflated prices.
- Book boats through a named operator or hotel, not unnamed beach sellers.
- Do not take dolphin swim trips that guarantee swimming and chase the pod, choose a watch first eco operator.
- Do not do the Seven Coloured Earths as a standalone trip, it works only inside the Chamarel circuit.
Getting around Mauritius: public transport and more
- Rent a car to roam, driving is on the left and a small car costs less than two taxi day trips.
- Buses are cheap and cover most towns and beaches by day, thin after about 19:00, so taxi at night.
- Agree taxi fares or the full day rate before the door closes, meters are rarely used for visitors.
- Airport is in the south east, about 60 to 75 minutes to Grand Baie, so pre book the transfer.
Who Mauritius suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Mauritius your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store