September 16, 2026

Celebrating forty in Mauritius 

Chiara Di AFRICA, TRAVEL Chamarel, Grand Baie, Island Life, Le Morne, Mauritius, Travel Wanderlust 0 Comments

This year’s girls trip called for somewhere with a little extra pizzazz as it was the year of forty.

So, I jetted off to Mauritius for the first time with my bestie, our mums and her sister to celebrate. With a direct eight-hour flight from Perth with Air Mauritius, I’m surprised more West Aussies aren’t visiting.  

Saying that, it was a little refreshing not coming across one other Australian our entire trip which is a far cry from the Bali girls trips we are used to. In all fairness, Mauritius was missing the vibe of those trips except a bit of nightly entertainment at our hotel, the sunsets at The Cloud Rooftop and the crew on our catamaran cruise.

Being there in August was considered winter with temperatures in the low-to-mid-20s and periods of rain. It was a bit cooler than we were expecting, so only one ocean dip and more sitting around the pool than being in it.  

After a long wait through border control, we met our pre-booked Solis 360 transfer. It seemed easy enough to get a taxi too, with a flat rate utilised for most routes. Our journey to the hotel was our first taste of the speedy Mauritian drivers; they sure know how to push the limit.  

We stayed in Grand Baie, the main tourist area, for ease of access to dining outside the hotel and shopping for the mums. It didn’t end up being as convenient as we’d thought; we spent two days exploring the south-west of the island which was a 90-minute drive each way, most of the nicer restaurants were at hotels in other beach areas, and we had big lunches and days out so when it came to dinners we weren’t as fussed about dining out.   

The beach in the bay is also not the nicest, especially when we’re spoilt by the beaches back home. I will definitely stay in a nicer beach area next time. 

We stayed at the Veranda Grand Baie, a beautifully chic Creole hotel. While we were checked in, we were treated to a welcome drink of anything off the menu which was a nice touch and not something I’ve experienced before.  

It was a very photogenic hotel, especially the views out over the infinity pool and during sunset (it was very popular for weddings). The hotel’s only downfall was its lack of late-night dining offerings.  

We soon learnt the hotel didn’t have a concierge and the best way to book touring in Mauritius was through our Solis 360 representative who we were connected with as part of our arrival transfer service.  

We also learnt pretty quickly it’s worth pre-booking boat tours as we weren’t able to get on a single north-west tour for the duration of our stay. Due to the time of year, the western waters of the island were considered the best to explore. So, we opted for the south-west catamaran tour meaning a 90-minute drive south to the Le Morne Angler’s Club to embark. But, no complaints as it was one of our favourite days of the trip, and I only want to cruise by catamaran now. 

We set sail on our BlackRiver Charters catamaran and were greeted by a pod of dolphins almost instantly. They were soon bombarded by numerous boats, and people jumping over to swim with them from other vessels. It didn’t feel right. 

We snorkelled and swam around Fiord Blanc. The water clarity wasn’t great and neither was my snorkel. I managed to see a school of fish and not much else, so I returned the snorkel and relaxed on a noodle instead. 

We were back on board and off to our next anchor around Crystal Rock, which used to be coral beneath the surface. A lunch of barbecued chicken drumsticks, sausages and marlin fillet with an array of salads was served. The flamed banana dessert was the highlight.  

After lunch we took the tender to Île aux Bénitiers island, a small island off the coast of Le Morne. We walked the length of the market stalls and I bought a couple of bracelets and a coconut. There was the option to add alcohol to your coconut, but the alcohol bottles were a little questionable.  

On the way back to the marina it was time to turn up the music, join the dance floor and have a Jungle Juice. It had rum, Midori, Grenadine and lemonade. Needless to say it went down easy. We also bumped into another pod of dolphins who enjoyed our presence. It was much calmer for them on this occasion, with only our boat in the vicinity. 

Our second day in the south-west was spent exploring some of the waterfalls and waterholes on the way to the main attraction of Chamarel. We booked a taxi service for the day for 6,500 rupee which was more cost efficient for five of us than booking an organised tour. The only downfall was we didn’t receive the usual commentary of a tour guide.  

With the taxi service you have the flexibility to alter the itinerary, but having not done too much prior research ourselves, we went with most of the recommendations on the list. Our first stop was one-hour south from Grand Baie at the dormant volcanic crater, Trou aux Cerfs. You couldn’t see too much from the viewing point except the lush greenery and our visit was dampened by rain, so we didn’t walk the full perimetre.

We did a drive by of the Reservoir (the largest water basin in Mauritius) and stopped at the Grand Bassin lake (Ganga Talao), Alexandra Falls and Black River Gorges National Park. It was all quite scenic but had nothing on Chamarel, which was the highlight of the day. 

We received a voucher for entry into Chamarel from our hotel. We discovered later that the park and our hotel had the same owners leading to the complimentary entry. There was a long line of cars waiting for tickets when we arrived, but having the voucher allowed us to go through the purchased tickets line and enter quickly.  

Chamarel Waterfall was the first stop and it sure made a statement with its powerful double waterfall. There were two viewing areas and a beautiful path to meander through its tropical gardens. 

Our next stop was Chamarel 7 Coloured Earth Geopark where entry looked to be 750 rupee from the ticket we received. Once you walk through the turnstile, you are greeted by the colourful rolling sands of this natural spectacle. The sand dunes have seven distinct colours – red, brown, yellow, purple, violet, green and blue – which were formed over years of volcanic activity, weather and chemical breakdown. 

The Geopark is also home to giant Aldabra tortoises (originally from the Seychelles), with the habitat designed to reflect their natural environment. They sure lived up to their slow-moving nature.  

We also visited the tortoises at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden on another day, as well as the giant lily pads. The gardens were quite a peaceful space and getting there early meant we had most of the park to ourselves before large groups started arriving from 10am.  

Another highlight of our south-west day was lunch at Le Chamarel Restaurant. Do yourself a favour and book ahead as we had to initially wait two hours for a table. A few of us ordered the chicken and prawn curry which was delicious and came with a side tomato and onion salad. The desserts were nice too. Aside from the delicious food, the Creole chic decor was very on brand with our hotel and the view over Le Morne and Île aux Bénitiers island was spectacular. 

Another highlight meal of the week was dinner at La Rougaille Creole in Grand Baie after we found it recommended on a blog. They were fully booked but managed to squeeze us in before a later seating, so again recommend booking. We received fried eggplant patties with tomato salsa on the house and I ordered the red snapper in Creole sauce which was packed full of flavours. There was a choice of four levels of spice, and the mild was plenty of spice by their levels.  

We also dined at Sunset Restaurant overlooking Grand Baie where the staff brought us out a roti starter so we could taste some of the island’s Indian influence. We tried more Creole delicacies at La Kaza; it was the red snapper with Creole sauce again for me – La Rougaille’s had more flavour. And, we tried street food at Beach Cuisine along Grand Baie Beach. 

After failed attempts at a beach club day (due to closures and unavailability), we booked our official birthday lunch at La Plage in Trou aux Biches where seafood was the stand-out. I had the uber fresh and yummy seafood trilogy which included a fillet of fish, baby calamari and shrimp.

Shopping-wise we explored the Grand Baie Bazaar, Grand Bay Coeur De Ville and markets at Black River Gorges National Park. I came home with some gorgeous starfish earrings and a shell serving bowl. The mums also enjoyed a day at La Croisette. 

We also wandered around the waterfront, art installations, shopping centres and Bazaar in Port Louis, Mauritius’ capital city. 

Aside from all this, any spare time was spent amongst the serenity of our hotel – poolside or at the indulgent Spa – which was exactly what I needed before my onward adventure. 

It was a beautiful first wander to Mauritius which gave me some good bearings and insight to make my next visit even better.  

Next up I will share all about my wild and wonderful wander in Kenya and Tanzania. 

Until then… 

LWL xxx