Mauritius

Home / Destinations / Mauritius

Plan This Trip

Search flights and hotels for Mauritius right here — no extra tabs.

Prefer another search engine? Kiwi.com →

Why go

Mauritius packs an entire trip's worth of scenery into an island you can drive across in about two hours. The coast does the postcard work — lagoons calmed by a near-unbroken coral reef, powder-white beaches on three sides of the island — while the interior is where the surprises are: a hillside of naturally-coloured sand, a rainforest gorge full of waterfalls, and a mountain, Le Morne Brabant, with its own UNESCO listing and a heavy history behind the view. Add genuinely good Creole and Indian Ocean seafood, and you've got a week that doesn't need much padding.

Where to Stay

The west coast is the classic base for sunset and calm water; the north for nightlife and watersports; the south for something quieter and greener.

LUX* Grand Baie

Right on the island's liveliest strip in the north — walkable restaurants and bars, plus the resort's own private lagoon pools.

Le Méridien Île Maurice

West coast, on a long stretch of sand with sugar-cane fields behind it — a reliable mid-to-upper resort with an easy beach entry.

Hotel La Pirogue

Flic-en-Flac, with Le Morne visible down the coastline — thatched-roof architecture and one of the west's most reliable sunsets.

Further South

Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort

Bel Ombre, on the greener southern coast — golf course, spa, and far fewer crowds than the north or west.

Château de Bel Ombre

A restored 19th-century plantation house nearby, now a fine-dining restaurant — book a table even if you're staying elsewhere.

Beaches & Islands

Nearly the whole coastline is protected by reef, so the lagoon stays calm and shallow — good for swimming, not much for surf.

Flic-en-Flac

The west coast's longest public beach — wide, shaded by casuarina trees, and the best spot on the island for a free sunset.

Mont Choisy

A long, quieter public beach in the north, with fewer resort crowds than Grand Baie a few minutes down the road.

Le Morne

One of the best beaches on the island, set right beneath Le Morne Brabant — also the island's top kitesurfing spot.

Île aux Cerfs

A boat-only island off the east coast — the classic day trip, with a golf course, a waterfall stop en route, and a beach that gets crowded by midday.

Le Morne Brabant — the basalt monolith towering over the southwest tip of the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, chosen for its role as a hideout for escaped slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. The hike to the base is doable in a morning; the summit trail is steeper and best done with a guide.

Chamarel & the South

The island's interior does the heavy lifting for anyone who wants a day away from the beach.

Seven Coloured Earths

Volcanic sand dunes in bands of purple, red, and ochre — a genuine geological quirk, and one of the few Mauritius sights that photographs exactly as advertised.

Chamarel Waterfall

A single 100-metre drop into a forested gorge, viewable from a platform a short walk from the coloured earths — easy to pair as one stop.

Black River Gorges

The island's largest national park — native rainforest, marked hiking trails, and viewpoints looking clear down to the coast on a good day.

Tamarind Falls (Les 7 Cascades) — seven linked waterfalls cutting through a canyon in the island's centre, best seen from the marked viewpoint or, for the more adventurous, on a guided abseiling and canyoning trip down through the pools.

Culture & Day Trips

SSR Botanical Garden

Pamplemousses, north of Port Louis — giant Victoria water lilies, a spice garden, and giant tortoises, all under 200-year-old trees.

L'Aventure du Sucre

A former sugar mill turned museum — the clearest explanation you'll find of why sugar cane shaped so much of the island's history.

La Vanille Nature Park

In the south — giant Aldabra tortoises you can walk among, plus a lemur enclosure, on the way to or from Bel Ombre.

Where to Eat

Fresh fish and seafood are the constant — ask what came in that morning rather than ordering off the menu by default.

Chez Tino

A local favourite for grilled lobster, crab, and mussels — casual, generous portions, and usually needs a reservation on weekends.

Le Barachois

Tented pontoons out over the lagoon — go for sunset and book ahead; the setting alone is worth the trip.

Château de Bel Ombre

Fine dining in a restored colonial plantation house in the south — the occasion-dinner option if you want to dress up once during the trip.

Getting There

Air Mauritius

The national carrier flies into Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) from a wide network of African, European, and Asian cities, with a modern A350 fleet on its longer-haul routes. It's usually the most direct way in, though European and Gulf carriers also run frequent connections via their hubs.

A Simple 7-Day Route

Good to Know