The south coast has no reef along a stretch near Souillac, so the ocean arrives unbroken, and it has the highest ground, so it gets the rain. That makes it green, dramatic, and mostly empty of hotels. It is a day-trip coast, best done with a car and no plan beyond the road.
01 · South
A crater lake at 550 metres that is the holiest Hindu site outside India, with a 33-metre Shiva at the gate and temples around the water.
Culture & historyNatureFreeRainy days
02 · South
The island's oldest tea plantation, with a factory tour, a small museum and a tasting room on a hill above the south coast.
Culture & historyFoodViewpointsRainy days
03 · South
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.
ViewpointsBeachesFreeHidden gems
04 · South
A wide, low waterfall over columns of basalt near Souillac, reached through the cane fields. Swimmable at the bottom, and usually empty on weekdays.
WaterfallsHidden gemsFree
05 · South
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.
ViewpointsHidden gemsFree
06 · South
Giant Aldabra tortoises by the hundred, Nile crocodiles, an insectarium and a rainforest walk under the canopy at Rivière des Anguilles.
With childrenWildlifeRainy days