Mauritius, Mauritius

Lagoons, luxury, and a Creole-Indian food scene. Cooler and drier May to November.

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Best time to visit

Month	High	Low	Rain	Season
Jan	26°	21°	233 mm
Feb	26°	22°	199 mm
Mar	26°	21°	158 mm
Apr	25°	20°	104 mm
May	23°	19°	73 mm	prime
Jun	21°	17°	47 mm	prime
Jul	20°	16°	54 mm
Aug	21°	16°	50 mm
Sep	21°	16°	46 mm	prime
Oct	23°	17°	51 mm	prime
Nov	25°	19°	68 mm	prime
Dec	26°	20°	136 mm	prime

30-year averages (1995–2024) from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo. Rain is the monthly total.

Serves travellers at Budget→Ultra-luxury level. Typically around $300 a day on the ground.

Ranges are typical costs, not quotes. Check the real price before you book.

Cards in resorts and supermarkets; cash at markets, street food and small taxis. Tipping is modest and not obligatory.
money · editorial
The island is slower to cross than the map suggests. A base on one coast makes the far coast a day trip rather than an outing.
know before · editorial
The southern summer is hot, wet and the cyclone season. The east coast is windy year round, which suits kiters and irritates everyone else.
when not to go · editorial
Grand Baie in the north for restaurants and nightlife. Flic en Flac on the west for sunsets and diving. The east coast for wind, space and resorts set apart from towns. The south around Le Morne for kitesurfing and cliffs.
where to stay · editorial
A hire car or taxis. Buses exist and are slow. Driving is on the left and the motorway is the only quick way across the island.
getting around · editorial
One international airport, in the southeast. Transfers to the north and west coasts take an hour or more by road.
getting there · editorial

Le Morne Brabant
A 556-metre monolith where escaped slaves took refuge. A UNESCO site.
The coloured earths of Chamarel
Seven shades of volcanic clay that will not mix, not even in the rain.
Chamarel waterfall
A hundred metres in a single drop, into a crater full of forest.
Port Louis central market
Fruit, medicinal herbs and dholl puri, all under one roof since 1844.
Aapravasi Ghat
The gate through which half a million indentured labourers entered the island.
Île aux Cerfs
An islet in the eastern lagoon, the water shallow and clear a long way out.

Eat dholl puri from a street stall
Dholl puri
Split-pea flatbread with bean curry. Two for a dollar, on the street.
Rougaille
A Creole tomato sauce with thyme, over fish or sausage.
Alouda
A milk drink with basil seeds and agar. Ice cold, at the market.

See the sea at Le Morne at dawn, before the wind
Séga played live on the beach
Ravanne, maravanne and triangle. It was born among slaves and it is still music from outside the hotels.
The lagoon in three different blues
The reef rings almost the whole island, and the change of colour marks where it lies.