Mauritius’ top ten tourist attractions

Make sure you have time to explore the city during your stay. The best place to do this in Mauritius is the capital city, Port Louis. 

 

The small capital is a great place to see how people live on the island, especially if you chose to stay in a resort. The Le Caudan Waterfront is a great place to walk because there are many bars and restaurants along the water and colourful umbrellas hanging over the shopping streets. 

 

The central market is one of the best places to taste and enjoy the tastes of the city. On the ground floor, where all the action is, you’ll find fruit, vegetables, tea, and snacks from the provinces. Upstairs, you’ll find local fabrics and goos. Dholl Puri, which is often called the national dish of Mauritius, is a must-try, especially from the small street vendors. When topped with a spicy chilli paste, the mashed split peas inside these flatbreads make your mouth water. If your taste buds can’t handle spicy food, go easy. 

 

Make it happen: As the capital, it’s easy to get to, and you can even take a local bus there. The market is open from about 5:00 to 16:00, except on Sunday, when it closes earlier. The earlier you go, the better. 

 

The garden was once called Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, but most people call it Pamplemousses Botanical Garden. The wide range of plants will attract both experts and amateurs. 

The oldest botanical garden in the southern hemisphere, which is about 300 years old, is only a short drive from Port Louis, but it feels like a world away when you walk through the tall palms and delicate flowerbeds instead of the busy markets. 

 

The pool of giant water-lilies (Victoria Amazonica) is quite the sight, and their protection is paramount due to facing extension. Give yourself at least an hour to look around the gardens. However, with 90 acres and more than 600 plants, many of which are native, you could spend a long time here. 

 

Make it happen: The gardens are less than 15 minutes by car or taxi from Port Louis and are open every day from 8:30 to 17:30. 

 

Grand Baie is the most popular place for tourists to go in Mauritius, and for good reason. It won’t take you off the beaten path, but it has everything you could want for a day on the water. 

 

Sailing, windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), and scuba diving are just a few of the water sports that can be done along this stretch of the coast. 

 

With plenty of shops, restaurants, and nightlife until the early hours, even if you aren’t staying close by, chances are you’ll find yourself passing through Grand Baie at some point during your Mauritius holiday. 

 

Make it happen: There are many hotels near this popular spot, so you may be close by. This is especially true if you stay at the amazing Beachcombers resort like I did, which is a dream hotel. 

 

One of my favourite things we did in Mauritius was splash around in the cold water of Rochester Falls in the morning. Our group was the only one there until a coconut seller joined us shortly after. With his wrinkly handles, he opened the green balls of goodness for us. 

 

To get to these small falls, we drove our four-wheel-drive over rough mud tracks that were so close to towering sugar cane that we could touch it from the window. When we got there, it was a slippery, muddy climb down to the waterfalls, but seeing the falls and hearing the water wake up was more than enough to make up for the trouble. 

 

Of course, there are many waterfalls dotted across the island, some easier to access than others, but for me, and perhaps it was the memory of that sweet coconut water as my feet cooled in the pool that made this one of my best places to visit in Mauritius. 

You’ll need a bit of courage and maybe a 4WD to explore the thick vegetation out here, but it’s well worth it. Consider booking a quad bike tour to see another side of Mauritius and get to the falls. 

 

In the hilly south of Mauritius, the Black River Gorges National Park is the largest protected forest on the island. It’s a great place to put on your hiking boots and get lost in the forest. The land is beautiful. The rolling hills that meet the rainforest are just as magical as the waves that crash on the heavenly beaches. 

 

Many people come to see the impressive Alexandra waterfall, which drops 150 metres into a lush green area below. But the national park has hundreds of types of plants, monkeys, great places to watch birds, and challenging hiking trails, so you could easily and happily spend a day or more exploring it. 

 

Make it happen: Depending on what you’re interested in, there are many ways to explore and enjoy the national park. If you really want to get into it, you could take an eco-tour with a guide. 

 

Since sugar cane grows all over the island, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a rum distillery is one of the best places to visit in Mauritius. 

 

At Chamarel Rhumierie on the southwest coast, you can look forward to a smooth tour and tasting, from the large grounds to the production rooms and the all-important tasting room, where cocktails are shaken and straight pours are served. Take a taxi, maybe, for this one! 

 

Make it happen: You can go Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm, and the tour with tasting costs less than €15.