Mauritius is so much more than a luxury getaway in a five-star resort. It’s filled with unique things to do and beautiful natural attractions. I spent almost a week exploring the southwest and southeast side of the island staying in three different areas: Mahebourg, Le Morne, and Trou d’Eau Douce.

For Nature Lovers:

Mauritius offers a lot for nature lovers like me. Hiking, national parks, waterfalls, white sand beaches, rainforests… Here are some of my favorites things to do:

Hiking Le Morne Brabant

This half day hike is one of the most popular hikes on the island and will give you spectacular ocean views. This mountain is also a cultural landmark, and it used to be a refuge for runaway slaves.

Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel

This geological formation is an area of sand dunes where you can see seven colors of earth swirled together.

Chamarel Falls

Situated just close to Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel, this waterfall is definitely the most impressive one on the island. I also saw another waterfall when I did a boat trip to Île aux Cerfs, but it wasn’t nearly as beautiful as this one.

Black River Gorges National Park

Black River Peak viewpoint gives you the best view on the island, and the national park also offers some small day hikes.

For Beach Life:

Le Morne Beach

Le Morne Beach is the best beach on the southwest side of the island. It’s more expensive area with big resorts but if you’re looking for a budget option stay at La Gaulette. La Gaulette offers reasonably priced guest houses/apartments and it’s only a short taxi ride away from Le Morne Beach.

Île aux Cerfs

Île aux Cerfs is an island on the east coast of Mauritius and taking a boat trip there is a must! The beaches are one of the most beautiful ones in the country, and there’s also a really cool lagoon. There are a few restaurants and also a large selection of different activities. This is a nice full day trip from the mainland.

For Water Activities:

Mauritius offers a variety of different water activities. I had planned to do scuba diving when I was there, but unfortunately, they were fully booked on the day I had scheduled diving. I did snorkeling instead in Blue Bay Marine Park, and I wasn’t disappointed. Coral reefs, many different types of fish, and crystal clear water ensures a good snorkeling experience. They also have cool glass bottom boats so if you’re not into snorkeling, you can just sit on the boat and watch. Other water activities to try are for example parasailing, kayaking, water skiing and jet skiing.

For Culinary Experience:

Rhumerie de Chamarel

I honestly didn’t know that there are rum distilleries in Mauritius before I heard about this place. This place offers a distillery tour and rum tasting in a beautiful setting. They cultivate their own sugarcane for the rums and offer a variety of different rums. Being a relatively new distillery, they still don’t have too many aged rums, but I’m sure they will expand their selection in the future. If you do the tasting, they offer quite a lot of rum. We started with nine different rums, and there was still more coming after that. So beware, don’t drink too much in the beginning! They also have a restaurant on the site, and I had a delicious vegan lunch there.

Eating Out

Mauritius is surprisingly multicultural country, and you can see this in their cuisine. It’s a blend of Chinese, Indian and European (especially French) influences. For vegans, this means a great variety of different options, and I found supermarkets to offer better vegan options than for example in South Africa.

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