Mauritius in 7 Days: The First Timer's Itinerary

Mauritius is about 65 km long and 45 km wide, which fools first timers into thinking they can see it all from one hotel. You cannot. Off the motorway, roads run at 40 to 60 km/h through villages and roundabouts, so the 45 km from Grand Baie to Chamarel is a real 90 minutes each way. This mauritius itinerary is built around that fact: two bases, one anchor activity a day, afternoons left empty. It assumes you land on Day 1 and fly out on Day 7, which gives five usable days.

Getting there, and the paperwork

• Air Mauritius flies non-stop from Mumbai and Delhi, roughly 6 hours and 7 hours 30. Return economy is approximately Rs 45,000 to Rs 75,000 by season, so book 8 to 10 weeks out. From Bengaluru, Chennai or Hyderabad, connect via Mumbai.
• Indian passport holders currently get a free visa on arrival for tourism, generally up to 60 days, with a return ticket, confirmed stay and proof of funds. Rules change, so confirm on the official Mauritius immigration portal before booking.
• You land at SSR International in the south east. Nothing is over about 90 minutes away, and the north is farthest.

Where to base yourself

Two bases, not four. Every workable mauritius travel plan starts with that decision.

• Nights 1 to 3 in the north: Grand Baie, Pereybere or Trou aux Biches.
• Nights 4 to 6 in the south west: Flic en Flac, Tamarin or Le Morne.

The north has calm lagoons, walkable restaurants and the boat out to the northern islands. The south west has Chamarel, Black River Gorges, Le Morne, dolphin mornings and the better sunsets. Moving once costs you a single 90 minute transfer. Staying only in the north costs three hours of driving on each of three days. The east coast (Belle Mare, Trou d'Eau Douce) is a resort base, not a touring base.

The seven days

Day 1: Land, drive north, do nothing. Take the hire car or a pre-booked transfer (approximately Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,500) straight to the hotel. Walk to Pereybere or Mont Choisy for sunset, eat dholl puri from a street cart for under Rs 100 for two, sleep early.

Day 2: Anchor is the northern islands sail. A full day catamaran to Coin de Mire, Ile Plate and Gabriel Island, approximately Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,500 per person with lunch. Back by 4 pm.

Day 3: Anchor is Port Louis. Leave by 8.30 am to beat commuter traffic. Central Market for vanilla tea and street food, then Aapravasi Ghat, the UNESCO-listed depot where most Indian-origin Mauritian families first landed. Pamplemousses botanical garden on the way back. Home by 3 pm.

Day 4: Anchor is Grand Bassin, then move south west. Check out, drive through Curepipe with a 20 minute stop at the Trou aux Cerfs crater, then on to Grand Bassin (Ganga Talao), the crater lake with the 33 metre Mangal Mahadev statue. Carry a stole and expect to remove shoes at the temples. Check in at Flic en Flac or Tamarin by evening.

Day 5: Anchor is Chamarel. Seven Coloured Earths and the Chamarel waterfall sit inside one ticketed loop, and the rum distillery next door does a good lunch. Add the Alexandra Falls viewpoint only if you are enjoying the drive. Back by 3 pm.

Day 6: Anchor is Le Morne, at sunrise. Either hike the public section of Le Morne Brabant (leave by 6.30 am, 3 to 4 hours return, and the stretch past the cross needs a guide), or take the south west catamaran to Ile aux Benitiers and Crystal Rock with a dolphin stop off Tamarin Bay. Not both.

Day 7: Anchor is Blue Bay, on the way out. With an evening flight, drive the south coast, stop at Gris Gris for the cliffs, then take a glass bottom boat over Blue Bay Marine Park (approximately Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,800 per person). The airport is 15 minutes away. With a morning flight, skip it and sleep near Mahebourg on Night 6.

What most guides get wrong

Most itineraries hand you 25 sights and reassure you the island is small. The result is a week of eight-stop days where you photograph a coloured hillside, get back in the car, and never once swim. One anchor before lunch, then nothing, works better.

The second mistake is Ile aux Cerfs. It gets sold to everyone, including people staying in the north, which means two hours of driving each way to a beach taking over a thousand visitors a day. If you are not already on the east coast, drop it. Day 2 gives you the same water with a fraction of the crowd.

What to skip on a first trip

• The seaplane over the Le Morne underwater waterfall illusion: roughly Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per person for about 15 minutes, and the effect only reads in a photograph.
• The lion walk at Casela. Plenty of travellers regret it once they see how the animals are handled.
• Parasailing and tubing sold by touts on the sand: three to four times a licensed operator's rate, with a thinner safety briefing.
• Any one-day tour selling north, south and east together. That is 220 km of driving.

Eating well, including pure vegetarian

About two thirds of Mauritians are of Indian origin, so vegetarian food is easy here in a way it is not in most beach destinations. Dholl puri (a split pea flatbread with bean curry and chutney) is approximately Rs 25 to Rs 40 for two pieces from a street cart, and gateaux piments, farata and briani are everywhere. Resort buffets lean hard on seafood, so state your requirement when you book, not at dinner. Jain or no-onion-no-garlic meals need about a day of notice.

Know before you go

• One Mauritian rupee is roughly Rs 1.85 to Rs 1.95, approximate and moving. Double the price and shave a little off.
• Best months are April, May, September, October and November. January to March carries cyclone risk.
• Driving is on the left, same as India, so self-drive is manageable. Carry your Indian licence plus an International Driving Permit. Hire is approximately Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500 a day.
• A my.t or Emtel SIM at the airport costs approximately Rs 900 to Rs 1,200, with enough data for the week.
• Reef shoes matter. Much of the lagoon floor is coral rubble and those cuts get infected fast.

See→

Seven days built this way gives you five anchors, five free afternoons and one hotel change. That is the mauritius trip plan most people wish they had booked the first time rather than the second. Extra days in Mauritius belong on the south west leg, not the north.