Day trips from Flic-en-Flac
Chamarel and the Gorges in the morning, dolphins at Tamarin at seven, Le Morne in the afternoon and Port Louis on a weekday — from the west coast the whole south-west needs no long day.
- Best
- Chamarel: the Seven Coloured Earth
- At dawn
- Dolphins at Tamarin
- With children
- Casela ten minutes away: giraffes
The west coast is the best base on the island precisely because of the trips: Chamarel and the Black River Gorges are half an hour up the hill, Le Morne forty minutes south, Port Louis forty north. Everything is a morning or an afternoon, nothing is a full day — and everything needs a car or a taxi by the day, because the bus only runs along the coast.
Chamarel and the Black River Gorges — a morning
A road of hairpins with a viewpoint halfway, then the Seven Coloured Earth, a hundred-metre waterfall and a rum distillery with lunch in the garden. Above is the Gorges viewpoint looking across the whole rainforest to the sea, and trails from an hour to six. Go at eight, because after eleven the cloud comes down on the hills and the viewpoint shows nothing. Half a day without a trail, a full one with it.
Dolphins at Tamarin — at seven in the morning
A bay ten minutes south where dolphins come in the morning to rest in shelter. The boats leave at seven; a 2012 regulation requires a licensed boat and a certified skipper, approach from the side at no closer than fifty metres and no sudden acceleration — ask before paying whether the boat has both. One to two hours, back by ten, and the rest of the day is the beach.
WWhere to stayWhich part of the coast these trips are shortest from:Where to stay in Flic-en-Flac →Le Morne and Bénitiers — an afternoon
Forty minutes south: the public beach under Le Morne mountain, the finest on the island, and boats from La Gaulette to Île aux Bénitiers with Crystal Rock standing in the sea. Climbing the mountain itself is a morning affair with a guide and takes three and a half hours return — that is a separate day, not an afternoon.
Port Louis — on a weekday
Forty minutes north: the Central Market, the Aapravasi Ghat, Chinatown and the Citadel, all in one morning. Go on a weekday, because on Saturday the market is packed and on Sunday closed, and come back before three when the city heads home.
What not to do
- The Gorges after noon. The cloud settles on the hills and the viewpoint looks into white; the same road in the morning gives the view to the sea.
- An unlicensed boat. Ten boats around one pod scatter it for everyone; ask to see the boat's licence and the skipper's certificate before boarding.
- Île aux Bénitiers as a full day with lunch on board. The same lagoon, three times the price; a boat from La Gaulette is half a day and priced per vessel.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which trip from the west coast is the best?
Chamarel with the Black River Gorges, one morning: the viewpoint on the way, the Seven Coloured Earth, the waterfall and rum with lunch. Leave at eight, because after eleven the cloud covers the hills.
When do you go for the dolphins at Tamarin?
The boats leave at seven in the morning, because that is when the dolphins come into the shelter of the bay. One to two hours on the water and back by ten, leaving the rest of the day for the beach.
Do you need a car on Mauritius?
For the west coast not necessarily — the bus runs along the shore and taxis are cheap. For the hills, the south and Port Louis in one day you need a car or a taxi at an agreed price; you drive on the left.
Ready for Flic-en-Flac?
Where to next
Where to stay in Flic-en-Flac
→The same beach or the bay next to it — here the part of the coast is chosen by the price per person per…
Chamarel · 16 km
→The hills of the south-west: a village with the Seven Coloured Earth and a waterfall, a rum distillery, and the Black River Gorges above — the one day on the island spent without the sea
How well does Flic-en-Flac suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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