Mauritius, beyond the hotel beach.

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• Hidden gems in Mauritius

  The places Mauritians send their visiting friends: a natural basalt bridge, a waterfall over hexagonal columns, a Monday market, an empty national park and a coast with no reef.

• Best beaches in Mauritius

  Which beach for swimming, which for snorkelling, which for sunset, which to avoid. Every public beach here is free and reachable without a hotel.

• Waterfalls in Mauritius

  Chamarel, Tamarind Falls, Rochester, GRSE and the pools nobody signposts. Which ones you can swim in, which need a guide, and the months they actually have water.

• Hikes in Mauritius

  The island's walks ranked by effort: two big mountains, a rainforest national park, a gorge of waterfalls, and the flat forest nobody visits. Trailheads, times and the months to go.

• Best time to visit Mauritius

  Which months are hot, which are windy, when cyclones happen, when the sea is warmest, when waterfalls flow and when prices drop. A straight answer by month.

• Where to stay in Mauritius

  North, east, south-west or south: each coast is a different holiday. Which one for beaches, for quiet, for sunsets, for hiking, for a short trip, and where not to bother.

By coast

• The north
• The east
• The south
• The west
• The centre

Six places to prove the point

1. 

   West

   Black River Gorges National Park

   The island's last big native forest: 60 km of free trails, a gorge viewpoint from the road, and the best chance of seeing a Mauritius kestrel or echo parakeet.

   When

   May to October, cooler and drier underfoot

   Time

   Fifteen minutes for the viewpoint; three to five hours for a trail

   HikesNatureViewpointsWildlifeFreeHidden gems

2. 

   West

   Tamarind Falls (Sept Cascades)

   Seven waterfalls stepping down a gorge near Henrietta, with natural pools you can swim in. The island's best half-day canyon walk, and best done with a local guide.

   When

   April to November; never during or after heavy rain

   Time

   Two hours for the upper pools; a full day for all seven

   WaterfallsHikesNatureHidden gems

3. 

   West

   Tamarin Bay

   A river-mouth bay below Rempart mountain: dolphins most mornings offshore, the island's only surf, and salt pans and a dark-sand beach that few visitors bother with.

   When

   May to October for calmer seas and better dolphin viewing

   Time

   A morning for dolphins; an hour for the bay

   WildlifeBeachesSunsetsHidden gems

4. 

   South

   Gris Gris and La Roche qui Pleure

   The one stretch of coast with no reef, so the Indian Ocean hits the cliffs at full strength. A cliff walk, a wild beach and the 'weeping rock' outside Souillac.

   When

   June to September, when the winter swell is biggest

   Time

   One hour

   ViewpointsBeachesFreeHidden gems

5. 

   South

   Rochester Falls

   A wide, low waterfall over columns of basalt near Souillac, reached through the cane fields. Swimmable at the bottom, and usually empty on weekdays.

   When

   March to June after the rains, while there is still flow

   Time

   One hour

   WaterfallsHidden gemsFree

6. 

   South

   Pont Naturel

   A natural basalt arch over the open sea on the south coast, reached by a cane-field track from Le Bouchon. No railings, no shop, almost no one there.

   When

   May to October, dry tracks and lower sun

   Time

   One hour

   ViewpointsHidden gemsFree

All the hidden gems →

Itineraries

• 7 days in Mauritius — A one-week route with a hire car: north, west, south and east, one big walk, one boat day, one market, and enough beach.
• 3 days in Mauritius — A long weekend or a stopover: one mountain, one wild coast, one boat or one market, and the best beach on each day.
• 10 days in Mauritius — Split between the north-west and the south-east, with all the hikes, the wild coast, two boat days, both national parks and rest days built in.