Mauritius: Spoilt for choice

India Outbound

Jan-Feb 2015

Of the 330 km coastline that Mauritius has, nearly half, or 160 km, are sublime beaches that offer plenty of options for tourists. Exploring and enjoying these can take a good part of any vacation in this Indian Ocean island.

Unlike the beaches in India that are exposed directly to the open seas, Mauritius has several beaches that can claim a calm lagoon of their own, almost entirely encircled by a coral reef. And, for an Indian tourist, good news is that all beaches are public, with parking areas and toilets, although hotels have subtly claimed the best ones. The north has the greatest concentration and variety of beaches, including small coves shaded by casuarina trees. The most celebrated stretches of talcum-white sand, gently sloping into a warm azure sea, are found in the glamorous east. The west coast has golden sand, shallow water and the best sunsets. Surf pounds the shore in the wilder south and offshore, are Robinson Crusoe-style islands. We bring you some of the best beaches in this tropical haven which offers a multitude of choice.

Belle Mare Beach

The Belle Mare beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of Mauritius. The Belle Mare is one of the longest if not the longest beach of Mauritius. The beach starts at Belle Mare village and stretched all the way south till the village of Trou dÈau Douce.

It’s known for calm waters as there is a great deep lagoon that runs between the shoreline and the beach. The Belle Mare beach sand is very white and pristine.

Because of its length the beach of Belle Mare is perfectly suited for sport activities like jogging and walking along. The walking along this beautiful beach is a real treat. The Belle Mare beach is also famous for its unique combination of colours. The turquoise deep blue lagoon ends, changes to turquoise crystal clear water in the beach area and ends up in a white, clean beach, bordered by lush green grassland covered by many trees and plants. Though it lies vacant for most of the week, locals fill it up on the weekends.

Ile aux Cerfs (Island) Beach

Just off the east coast of Mauritius and easily accessible from Mauritius mainland by boats, is situated the paradise island of Ile aux Cerfs. Located inside the large east coast lagoon, it benefits from the calm waters of the lagoon and the beautiful crystal clear colours. A visit to this island is ideally a day-long programme to allow the visitors to enjoy the many facilities and excursions offered. Ile aux Cerfs has full facilities for the benefit of its visitors. There are restaurants that cater to almost every palate, local bazaar, water sports kiosk and of course the beautiful beach which surrounds the entire Island.

Tamarin Beach

The Tamarin beach is situated at the bay of Tamarin between Flic en Flac and the village of Black River. The beach comes with a bay and has the Black River mountain range in the background. The sand here is yellowish and consists of soft sand mixed with little stones. The sea in this area is clear from corals, stones and sea urchins. With no coral reef to cut off the waves, the sea here is rather rough but makes for a great bathing experience.

Le Morne beaches

The Le Morne peninsula is situated on the southwest tip of Mauritius.

Many of the Le Morne beaches are now the setting of several top hotels. The public beach of Le Morne is beautiful with white coral sand, very clear waters providing great visibility, trees scattered along the beach, and beautiful scenery with the Le Morne Mountain as an impressive background. This beach is particularly popular for windsurfing and kite surfers. The perfect wind conditions almost all year-round makes this beach one of the top kite and windsurfing destinations in the world. Perfect wind conditions are almost all year-round. Also for all non-surfers among us it is worth making a trip to the beach to watch the professional surfers.

Large lagoons lined with fine white sand are the embodiment of paradise to those who want to enjoy the sea and the sun

Swimming at this beach is possible. However, you should be aware of all the surfers and kite surfers gliding and surfing along the beach.

The Le Morne beach can be quite busy during any day of the week. This mainly depends on the surfing conditions on the day. During weekends, the beach is busy with both locals and tourists coming to enjoy this beautiful beach, the ideal surfing conditions or watching the amazing surfing skills of the professional surfers visiting the beach.

Flic en Flac Beach

Located on the west coast of Mauritius, the Flic en Flac, meaning free and flat land in Dutch, is one of the longest beaches of Mauritius. The beach is ideal for a great walk, lasting over an hour.

It is also great for bathing, swimming, snorkel and for spending a day of relaxation. The beach here has white sand and a turquoise blue lagoon and is entirely protected by the coral reef and offers best swimming possibilities without strong sea currents. But beware of sea urchins as stepping on one can be very painful and this is why it is highly recommended to wear sandals or swimming shoes when entering the sea. The highlights of Flic en Flac are the beautiful sunsets filling the sky with range of colours.

Blue Bay

As the name suggests, the Blue Bay beach comes with a deep blue bay. The colors of the sea are incredibly powerful and consist of a variety of many different blues. The Blue Bay has a very nice public beach, perfectly suited for swimming and relaxing. Blue Bay, as well as the general area in the south and south-east is not so much touristically tapped. That is why the beach of Blue Bay is very quiet during the week. On weekends, however, one has the feeling that the half population of Mauritus pilgrimages here to spend some nice free days at seaside. Blue Bay is particularly famous for its snorkeling trips. Since 1997, a 353-hectare area which is located in the sea just in front of the public beach is appointed as the first and until now the only Marine Park in Mauritius. The reasons for the foundation are the unusual and unique coral gardens, which are situated here. The marine ecosystem is rich in flora and fauna, mainly corals, with a repository of 72 different corals and 32 different species of fishes. Some of the corals are up to 800 years old.

To reach the park the best way is to go out with a glass bottom boat. The trip will take at least 90 minutes and can take half a day easily. First the boat will take you through the park, which is already an experience. Through the glass bottom, you can spot different corals and fish. After going out a bit in the Ocean, the boat drops anchor and allow you to go snorkeling. After the dive, you can also visit the Ile de Deux Cocos, a small island with exotic beaches. The boat picks you up later to bring you back to the public beach of Blue Bay.