Best Places to Visit in Mauritius
If you are an avid traveler, you might have visited many countries to date. Mauritius is considered to be heaven for enthusiasts and adventure junkies filled with various surfing, sand activities, and other water sport sports. Mauritius has so many wonderful beaches for spending leisure time with family and friends. A popular honeymoon destination, Mauritius places to visit are filled with shopping hubs, forts, parks, museums, monuments, and the list goes on! It is a surreal place for a quiet and peaceful vacation with beautiful waterfalls making hiking a fun activity. Mauritius has offers for even an avid shopper or an avid traveler.
Mauritius is a place equal to paradise, courtesy to its hidden gems that offer an amazing opportunity to experience diverse sides of nature under a single roof. It is an ideal spot for a family holiday as it features everything from monuments, shopping malls, museums, parks, forts to the island. If you want to make your tour to Mauritius extremely memorable then here is a list of best places to visit in Mauritius:
- Charamel Colored Earth
The Charamel Colored Earth is an out of the world experience in Mauritius leaving you in awe. This is one of the most unique tourist attractions in Mauritius that has gained immense popularity with its seven different colored sand leaving you perplexed looking at the same. The colors might not be prominent to you with changes in the tropical climate but the mixing of colored earth makes a remarkable difference. Among the predominant colors, you will see purple, black, red, cyan. This Mauritius placest o visit is often crowded with people coming to see the magic of seven distinct colored grains of sand in Mauritius. From Mauritius, you can take Bus no 119 or 120 going via route 5A.
- Flic EnFlac Beach
If you are a beach lover, Flic EnFlac Beach is the longest beach in Mauritius giving views not found anywhere else. Adding this place to your itinerary is great if your heart desires for coral reefs. All the coral reefs found on this beach simply can blow your minds off. Swimming and snorkeling are other exciting activities along with the presence of luxurious resorts on the beach providing the best of amenities to all its travelers. There are many taxis and buses to Flic EnFlac Beach from Port Louis. Without any doubt, this beach is listed amongst one of the best places to visit at Mauritius.
- Trou Aux Beaches
Trou Aux beaches always top the list when exploring Mauritius tourist attractions as people love visiting it first. With clear water and gentle warm sands, these beaches are a perfect picnic spot ideal for family and friends. Even if you are a foodie, you have an array of stalls providing delicious knack and bits while strolling along the beaches. Many cruises sail from these beaches making it an unforgettable experience. Take a private cab for reaching Trou Aux Beaches from Port Louis by A4.
- Ilot Gabriel Beach
Located about 24km from Mauritius, it is one of the perfect places of visit in Mauritius for witnessing some unexplored beaches that you might not be aware of. If you are at Grand Bay, you can take a charter boat for reaching Gabriel Beach. The sunrise looks magical and picturesque adding up to the romanticism of the place. This beach is so peaceful that you can spend hours at such amazing tourist attractions of Mauritius. The Catamaran Cruise is the attraction of this beach showing the nightlife of Mauritius filled with food and drinks for the night.
- Le Pounce
Standing at an elevation of 812 m, it is one of the largest mountains in Mauritius tourism. It is a great experience for all the nature and adventure lovers with the thumb-shaped peak giving amazing views of Port Louis at a single glance. It is a great place for all travelers planning a hiking or even experienced ones can stand on this peak. The hiking is easy with steep slopes allowing movement easily. It gives some of the greatest views of Port Louis from up to the peak there becoming one of the best places to see in Mauritius.
- Rochester Falls
Waterfall lovers must visit Rochester Falls filled with exciting and exotic flora. Soak yourself in the lush greenery surrounding the waterfall. The flank rocks in the waterfalls stand out as an exception and you can dive into the waterfall and taste some delicious tropical fruits. It is sure enchanting and has the power to capture your heart and mind. Rochester Falls is famous for its peaceful environment making people leave out on the hustle and bustle of city life.
- Casela World of Adventures
Excited about safaris and getting close to wildlife? The wildlife safari at Casela is by far the best one in Mauritius. It is an open jeep ride meeting the daredevils of the jungles along with elephant rides delving deeper into the jungles. Get ready to come in face to face with leopards and tigers roaming freely in the jungle. This safari is surely not for the faint-hearted! It is amazement going for the jungle safari filled with surprises with each turn.
- Photo Museum
Without history, nothing seems to complete. Photo Museum is entering into the world of history with people having an equal interest in the collection of photographs. If you are an avid photographer, make sure of visiting this museum on your trip to Mauritius. This museum hosts some of the best collections of photos from all the oldest and finest cameras. It has certain iconic photographs from the 1800s. It also has fantastic historical photographs of islands.
- Light House of Albion
With Mauritius being popular for beaches, the Lighthouse of Albion serves exactly the purpose of providing light to all. It is situated on the West Coast of Mauritius making it a must-visit place. The architecture is marvelous depicting the perfect navigation for all the soldiers boarding at this beach. It reads like one of the historic landmarks on the island of Mauritius. You will get breathtaking views from the top of the lighthouse.
- Mahebourg
Apart from the rich culture and history of Mauritius, Mahebourg is a pleasant visit for enjoying quality time in Mauritius. With historical museums on both sides of the streets, Mahebourg is a great tourist attraction known for its wide sand beaches stretching to the other side of the road. This place offers some great and delectable seafood popular in Mauritius, including street food as well. Most people come here to have only the street food which transfers you into another world its satiating and delicious taste.
- Rodrigues
If you are planning of getting away from the hustle and bustle of Mauritius city life, Rodrigues is the perfect lookout and hideout place for you. The lush greenery and vegetation on both sides of the road defined Mauritius around 25 years ago. Choose any local restaurants for mouthwatering specialty foods leaving you licking off from your plates. Sit with the locals and try to understand their culture and history from their mouths. Fishing and zip lining are two adventure sports that can be tried out on this island.
- Grand Bassin
It is one of the most sacred places for Hindus having a Shiva temple at around 1800 ft above sea level. Apart from Lord Shiva, there are other temples of Lakshmi and Hanuman as well and all are individually made. The place is serene and so refreshing, making you want to come to this place time and again. Do not miss out on the MahaRatri celebrations whenever you find yourself in Mauritius.
It is nothing but an extinct volcano which is located above sea level of 1800 feet. Here you can also spot temple of Lord Shiva and rated as a sacred place in Mauritius where Hindu pilgrims gather in huge number. Grand Bassin also falls under a category of one of the most soothing places where people come to relax their mind and body.
- La Vanille Crocodile Park:
Though crocodile is considered as a star of the show here, you will also come across several other creatures including insects, monkeys, turtles and bats. It is truly an awe-inspiring experience to stroll through the breathtaking flora and fauna here. The park also features a highly reputed restaurant that serves a unique dish named crocodile curry.
- Pereybere:
It is one of the highly famous destinations among adventure lovers and no wonder why it is so crowded with young travelers. Here you can participate in several water sports activities including snorkeling and sea diving. The water is quite deep here when compared with other beaches at Mauritius that tempt everyone to try swimming in its crystal clear waters.
- Tamarind Waterfalls:
There are various reasons that separate this place from the rest of the sightseeing locations in Mauritius. Here you can spot seven cataracts that are situated exactly above Tamarin River. This is also a reason why this Mauritius places to visit is referred as Seven Cascades. While been here, you can get extremely close to nature and enjoy the ultimate peace of mind.
- Blue Bay Marine Park:
If doing snorkeling is your dream then you will get an ideal setting to enjoy it at Blue Bay Marine Park. When you are underwater, you will feel every bit of your heart which is an extremely thrilling experience to try at least once in a lifetime. This park also features several other unique species such as even algae, seagrasses and mangroves.
- Blue Penny Museum:
If you love getting into the typical history of strange places in the world then you will love visiting Blue Penny Museum. It features several unique things ranging from world-famous stamps, paintings to historical artifacts. When you visit this grand museum, you will get a glimpse of how this spectacular island of Mauritius evolved over the years.
Not just the attractions, but markets of Mauritius unfold into providing an indigenous mix of global products. Handicrafts are available in all stalls near beaches providing good places for picking up souvenirs. Some of the best shopping places are listed as under:
- Le Craft Market
This craft market does the hosting of 36 stalls providing unique craft collections famous in Mauritius. Starting with exquisite woodwork to detailed baskets being made, it also hosts some great glass souvenirs. The market comprises of two-storied building selling artistic things like conch items and seashells. People can buy ground spices and embroidered linen catch.
2. Port Louis Market
It is one of the convenient and cute shopping places to visit in Mauritius selling personal items to home décor. It is famous for bamboo products and herbal things. Being one of the greatest markets, it is everything you can find here. From food items to handcrafts, you can buy everything here. Also, discover coffee shops and dining places in this cute market.
3. Flacq market
This is another of the large markets in Mauritius with so many souvenir stalls, clothing stalls, and food stalls lined up for the enjoyment of travelers. If you are interested in knowing about the rich culture of this place, mind entering the Flacq market in your itinerary. If you are a spicy food lover, make sure of visiting this place once.
What’s next waiting for you?
The above list of best places to visit in Mauritius has innumerable gems to put in your bucket list. What are you waiting for? Plan a trip to Mauritius soon for making your dream come true and explicitly getting the beach life! On the virtue of the magnificent beauty of Mauritius, the number of tourists giving a visit to this island is increasing day by day. In very less time it has secured a place in the list of most sought after travel destinations in the world.
About Author:
R Bhabanasree: A fun and adventurous person, loves traveling, writing and eating different cuisines. A CA by profession and a writer by heart!