We went to Mauritius in October 2022. It was not a planned trip so we booked everything just a week before.
Mauritius was never on our list of countries to visit, but my friends shared that it is one of the most amazing destinations, so I realized I needed to dig deeper into it. It turned out that it’s actually a very nice place to go with kids. The flight from Dubai is not short, it's around 6.30 hours but we had a night flight so more or less it was ok.
Some facts about Mauritius.
Mauritius was first discovered by Portugese soldiers in 1507 but they didn't have much interest in it. The island was under Dutch, then French and in the end British control. The mixture of everything. People here know French and English. But French accent is everywhere so I believe French is much more dominant here. And a lot of French tourists:)
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Le Morne Mountain
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On the top of Le Morne Mountain in the West of Mauritius.
We traveled for 8 days. That is the whole week of school break in Dubai. My husband had a birthday so it was a nice excuse to go for a new adventure.
We stayed in 3 hotels. I don’t like to stay in one place for a long time. Instead of driving and spending a lot of time in the car, we prefer changing our hotels to see more. Although the island is not so big but there are many parts where you need to drive carefully and it takes some time.
It was October so in this part of the world it’s spring time. Dry season. Not much rain.
Since we started to book hotels just a few days before out trip our choices were very limited…
But I believe I found the best options I could.
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Kaz’alala Hostel B&B, Bel Ombre
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Way from the airport to the South. Just after the rain.
Days in Mauritius: 16 - 23 October 2022
The list of places we stayed in (2 adults and 2 kids, 6 and 8 years old), breakfast included everywhere:
South: 16-18 October – Kaz’alala Hostel B&B, Bel Ombre - (417 euros total). We ordered dinner there as well. Fish vindaloo was delicious.
North: 18 – 20 October – Le Beach Club (317 euros)
(this is the only place I didn’t like so much because of the room, although the location and the beach was very nice).
West: 20 – 23 October – Shanti Ghar Guest House, Tamarin, Mauritius. It was the first time we ever stayed in a Guest House, but you know, it was a great experience. It felt very different, because it was in a big house with separate rooms, but I didn’t even see many people.
The atmosphere were very friendly and cosy.
The South part of mauritius
- Le Chateau de Bel Ombre (just a minute walk from our first hotel)
- Rochester Falls
- La Vallée Des Couleurs Nature Park - A must visit place with kids for half of the day.
Hiking places and with beautiful views:
1. Telfair Garden
2. Gris Gris Beach
3. Roche Qui Pleure
4. Alexandra Falls ( park HERE)
Places we missed but I believe it’s worth visiting:
- Bel Ombre Nature Reserve. We missed this opportunity because we had to buy tickets online, at least one day before. But we were informed about it when we were already travelling to the North.
Discovering the North
This part of the island has totally different vibes. It looks more modern and touristic. Much more cafes, malls and streets to walk.
- Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden. To be honest, we didn’t like it a lot because of the staff and it felt too abandoned although you even pay for the entrance.
⁃ L'Aventure du Sucre. It was very exciting to learn and see how cane sugar and rum was produced on the island. A lot of information about the history of Mauritius as well.
⁃ Boat trip to swim with turtles (there was a guy who sold this trip to us whil we had breakfast in our hotel on the beach).
⁃ Street food experience: Bol Reverse and Mine Bouille (bought at Chez Vanessa truck near our hotel)
The West part of Mauritius
- Le Morne Mountain – be ready to hike with kids for around 3 hours.
- Safari Adventures. Book tickets online a day before and come as early as possible (it opens at 9 AM). We spent there half of the day.
- Black River Gorges National Park - park HERE
- Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark - you go inside by Car there
- Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel - A very weird feelings when you walk like in ancient times when this island was only discovered. (it's the same place as Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark, you just pay for the entrance there)
- Flic En Flac Beach - a nice place just to hang around and swim.
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Safari ride in Safari Adventures in Mauritius
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There were many beaches and parks we stopped by and walked along.
If you ever traveled to Mauritius as well and want to share your places, please let me know and I will add them so we can help other people to enjoy this beautiful Island.