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🇲🇺Things to Do in Mauritius
From the lagoons beneath Le Morne Brabant to the Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Mauritius is best known as a honeymoon and luxury beach destination, but the island holds real geological and cultural texture beyond its resorts - a UNESCO-listed mountain tied to the history of escaped slaves, a genuinely unusual multicolored sand dune formation, and a population descended from Indian, African, Chinese and French settlers that shows up clearly in the island's food. Here are 5 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Le Morne Brabant
A UNESCO World Heritage mountain on the island's southwest tip, historically a refuge for escaped slaves, now also known for the 'underwater waterfall' optical illusion visible from the air just offshore.
📍 Le Morne, southwest Mauritius
🚉 Buses from Port Louis and Quatre Bornes run to Le Morne village on the south-west coast, taking about two hours; the guided climb up the basalt monolith starts from the trailhead a short walk from the road.
Chamarel Seven Coloured Earths
A small dune formation where volcanic ash has cooled into naturally distinct bands of red, brown, purple and other colors that famously never erode into each other despite exposure to weather.
📍 Chamarel
🚉 Buses reach Chamarel village from Baie du Cap and Case Noyale, but services are infrequent - most visitors drive or take a taxi, and the geopark entrance also covers the waterfall.
Port Louis
Mauritius's capital, with the Caudan Waterfront and the Central Market reflecting the island's mixed Indian, Chinese, African and French Creole heritage in one compact center.
📍 Port Louis
🚉 The Metro Express light rail now links Port Louis with Rose Hill, Quatre Bornes and Curepipe; the Caudan Waterfront and the central market are both a short walk from the Victoria Square terminus.
Ile aux Cerfs
A small island off the east coast with some of Mauritius's best beaches, reachable by boat and popular for water sports including parasailing and jet skiing.
📍 East coast, Mauritius
🚉 Boats leave from Trou d'Eau Douce on the east coast, a 10-minute crossing - buses from Centre de Flacq reach the village, and the island itself is walked or covered by resort buggies.
Black River Gorges National Park
Mauritius's largest national park, with hiking trails through native forest and viewpoints over the island's rugged, less-developed interior.
📍 Southwest Mauritius
🚉 The Petrin and Black River visitor centres are reached by bus from Curepipe or Quatre Bornes, though services are limited; the viewpoints along the gorge road really need a car.
Mark Mauritius, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Mauritius?
A week is a common length for a Mauritius trip, split between beach resort time and a couple of days exploring Chamarel, Le Morne and Port Louis.
What's the best time to visit Mauritius?
May-December has the driest, most comfortable weather. Cyclone season runs roughly November-April, with January-March the peak risk window.
Is Mauritius good for a first-time visit?
Yes - it's well set up for tourism with a strong resort infrastructure, and taxis or rental cars make day trips to Chamarel and Le Morne straightforward from most resort areas.
Do I need a visa to visit Mauritius?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays. Check the official visa information for your nationality: passport.govmu.org.
What are some things to do in Mauritius on a tight budget?
Public beaches (as opposed to resort-controlled stretches) are free, Port Louis's Central Market is inexpensive for food and souvenirs, and hiking in Black River Gorges National Park costs nothing beyond a modest entry fee.
Can I rent a car in Mauritius, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and it is the practical way to reach the south and west coasts, where buses are slow and stop early. A foreign licence is valid for visitors, and an International Driving Permit is recommended alongside a licence not in English or French. Minimum age is usually 23 with a credit card. Traffic drives on the left, roads are narrow and winding inland, and the motorway around Port Louis is busy at rush hour. The Metro Express and the bus network cover the central corridor well if you would rather not drive. Official visitor information is published by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority at mauritiusnow.com.