A Solo Guide to Mauritius
Off the coast of East Africa, Mauritius is a beautiful island full of pristine beaches, jaw dropping landscapes and amazing people. I explored the island alone for one week by car and came up with a simple guide on navigating the island and its highlights.
Quick Facts
Getting Here: Flight deals to Mauritius are sort of like Beyoncé concert tickets. They are gone as soon as they come out. You can randomly find deals here if you search on websites like the flight deal and secret flying. Otherwise you can expect to pay over $1000 from most US cities. You can also get direct flights to Mauritius from major European cities like Paris and Rome for around $500 or a major African city like Johannesburg for $400. I arrived in Mauritius by a direct flight from The Seychelles. I paid $466 USD round trip.
Getting Around: The easiest way to get around Mauritius is by car. Taxis are extremely expensive so as a solo traveler I rented a car from a local company through my hotel. I was intimidated with driving on the left side being that I’m American and I’m only used to driving on the right. After a few minutes I got the hang of it and had no issues. One taxi ride to the from the north to the south would run almost 3000 rupees. My rental car was around 2800 rupees or $100 USD for five days.
The Weather: Mauritius has a tropical climate year round with some spurts of rainy days. In my opinion there is no wrong time to visit Mauritius, but for the sake of knowing, summer times from October to December. From December to March you are likely to find more crowds and higher chances of rain. I visited in February and the weather was hot every day. Perfect for the beach.
Cards vs Cash: The local currency is the Mauritian Rupee. Visa and Mastercards are accepted everyone but be warned that sometimes the card machines will be down so you must have cash. American Express credit cards were accepted in the more larger establishments such as the gas stations and high end clothing stores.
People & Language: Mauritius is mostly a Hindu nation making it the largest Hindu population in Africa. The people speak three languages: French, English, and Creole. So luckily I didn’t have to break out Google Translate during my time here.
Things to Do:
Mauritius has loads of activities for everyone to enjoy. Whether you like hiking, swimming, snorkeling, or just being lazy on the beach, Mauritius will have something for you.
Beach Hopping: Mauritius is known for its beautiful beaches and they definitely did not disappoint. Although I didn’t get to see them all, my favorite one was Pereybere located in the north. Some other favorites were Mont Choisy and Trou de Biches
Botanical Garden (Pamplemousses): For my last few trips I have been finding myself stopping at gardens more often because I didn’t really appreciate them in the past. Make a stop here towards the late afternoon to avoid the heat. It was around $6 to enter.
Blue Waterfalls: Still considered a hidden gem of Mauritius as not many tourists visit here, this was my favorite activity. I had the place to myself for most of the afternoon with respect to 3 locals who came for a quick swim towards the end. You can get to the blue waterfalls in the south by car and there is no hiking involved. You can simply walk down to them while maneuvering through the rocks and dirt. I would advise to bring bug spray to avoid being bit by mosquitoes. If you want to take this adventure, the waterfalls are free to enter. There are a total of 4 waterfalls altogether and you can get to each of them by walking along the trail of rocks but be sure to take your time to avoid slipping.
Water Activities: There are countless tour companies along the streets that offer many excursions to swim with dolphins, snorkeling, scuba diving and island hopping. You may also have people approach you on the beach trying to sell packages. I would recommend walking into one of the tour offices and taking your pick.
Things to Do (cont’d):
Hike Le Morne Mountain: A popular attraction In the south west is Le Morne mountain. I stayed in the northern part of the island and it took me about 90 minutes to get to the entrance by car. Parking and the hike itself is free. The hike in total is about 3-4 hours depending on your pace. The first half of the hike is a pretty clear trail with some hills. The second half it gets intense with rock climbing. The trail isn’t as clear so I wouldn’t recommend doing the second half of the hike alone. I hired a tour guide at motrek adventures.
Le Morne Beach: To reward yourself for your hard work from this hike, visit Le Morne beach to relax and cool off. It’s a 15 minute drive from the start of the mountain.
The 7 Colored Earth: One of the most popular attractions in Mauritius is The 7 colored earth national park. This natural phenomenon has different colors of soil. I visited here after I went to Le Morne beach. The park is drive-able so no long walks in the sweltering heat and costs about $6 to enter (you can pay with cash or use a Visa/Mastercard)..
Chamarel Waterfall: Located in the same park as the 7 colored earth, this waterfall is worth making a quick stop to see even though you are not able to swim in it.
Where to Eat:
If you’re on a budget, I strongly suggest you eat at the local food trucks or as the people call it “fast food”. Here you can get a full meal for around $8 including a drink. The fast food trucks are found near many of the public beaches and inside the local towns. I found a great variety of street food at Mont Choisy beach.
Land Shark Bar & Grill : This place is more for tourists and serves mainly western food.I enjoyed it because the food / drinks were good, it’s right on Pereybere beach, and just a five minute walk from my hotel. Also, it was one of the few places that accepted American Express.
La Rougaille Creole:: Recommended to me by a local, this place served me some very authentic (and spicy) vegetable curry.
Happy Rajah: Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines. So I stopped in this upscale restaurant for dinner and loved it. “Upscale” meaning I had an appetizer, two sodas, and a main course that came out to $30USD.
Super U: This isn’t a restaurant but more of a Super market / mall where you can find anything you need from electronics, food, groceries, clothes and much more. There is a food court with affordable options for lunch and dinner.
Where to Stay:
Mauritius is a relatively small island. You actually can drive from one side of the island to the other for a day trip so in my opinion it doesn’t matter where you stay as long as you rent a car. Each of these neighborhoods have hotels and airbnb’s for all budgets.
Grand Baie: This neighborhood in the north is close to a few of the best beaches on the island along with a street markets and restaurants. I stayed in Toparadis hotel which I found to be affordable, clean and convenient (my room was $60 per night) with free parking on the premises.
Flic en Flac: This city in the west caters to a lot of tourists because it houses the longest beach on the island.
Le Morne: Located in the south, Le More hosts a lot of other nearby actives besides hiking such as kayaking, and paddle boarding. Not to mention it’s also close to the Seven Colored Earth.
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