Great beaches, luxury hotels and honeymoon are the 3 words that come to our mind when we hear about Mauritius. A very common assumption is that there is not much to do on this island nation located east of Madagascar and southeast of Seychelles, but you’d be surprised that there’re a lot of fascinating sights to offer. Here is a list of things you could do wandering around here on this beautiful island.

1. Cap Malheureux

Starting from the north, this town is set to the extreme north of Mauritius and the while its name is still a mystery on where it came from but stands Cape of Misfortune. You will find the most picturesque church with its characteristic red roof – Notre Dame Auxiliatrice. Not as popular as one may think, if you are looking for something a little quiet and scenic then this is your best option.

Top attractions in Mauritius — Image credits: Pixabay

2. Maheswarnath Mandir Temple

About half of the Mauritian population are Hindus and this is one of the main reasons that you would see a lot of temples around. This temple is open from 6 am to 6 pm, and the admission is free of charge. However, the triolet- north-west of Mauritius is where the largest and oldest number of temples are located; this one will be much more beautiful than the rest.

3. Pamplemousses Botanical Garden

This town is home to one of the most beautiful most-visited sights in Mauritius: the botanical garden. Don’t google up and get confused with its real name as it’s quite a handful but is commonly known as Pamplemousses Botanical Garden. With a giant population of turtles, ponds full of Victoria Amazonica water lilies and lotus this garden is one of a kind. It’s open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and the entrance is about 300 MUR.

4. Port Louis

Located in the northeast of the island is the island’s capital Port Louis, also the cultural and religious centre of the country. Port Louis offers a lot more than you think, from Chinese Nam Sun Tin How Temple, Jummah Mosque, the central market, and the Cathedral are all worth a visit.

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5. Black River Gorges National Park

Situated in the south-western part of Mauritius, just beside the Chamarel is the green lung of Mauritius- the Black River Gorges National Park. This park covers around 3.5% area of Mauritius, spread over 6754 hectares. Offering more than one hiking trails, numerous waterfalls, and breathtaking views, this park is a real beauty in itself and a very well protected one.

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6. Chamarel Falls & Seven Coloured Earths

On the west coast of Mauritius near Tamarin and Le Morne is the small village of Chamarel. On your way to Seven Coloured Earths, you’ll pass the infamous Chamarel Waterfall on the St. Denis River that down more than 90 meters. Admission to this place costs about 225 MUR, seven coloured earth is a natural phenomenon that shimmers in different colours due to the conversion of basaltic lava to clay minerals.

7. Trou aux Cerfs

Trou aux Cerfs – a 650-meter high dormant volcano which is a perfect example of ‘cone and crater’ volcano. located about half a mile west of the city of Curepipe. almost 2,000 feet above the surrounding landscape and is 80 m deep, there is a small lake in the crater. This entire area is covered with lush flora, and the wide-area around the crates gives you a great view of the island in all directions.

8. Ile aux Aigrettes

An island paradise located off the east coast of Mauritius, is also known as Deer Island. Home to beautiful sandy beaches and lagoons, outcrops of volcanic rock and little lakes sprawling over an area of 100 hectares, this should surely be on your list of places to visit in Mauritius. You’re set for a fun ride of water sports on this island as this is the hub for it. Water sports like swimming, snorkelling, water skiing, glass-bottom boats and many more fun-filled activities you could do to make your holiday memorable. Also not to forget to catch a long glimpse of the breathtaking corals reef and the marine life here, snorkelling here would be absolutely worth it.

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9. Grand Baie

In Riviere du Rempart district of Mauritius, is a seaside village with a long beach of grand bay. The emerald waters here will leave you coming back for more and get you mesmerised by its beauty. You could do a countless number of water sports here as well as swimming, sailing, windsurfing, underwater sea walk, submarine excursion, underwater scooter and water skiing. If you would want to go island hopping, boat excursions to the islands in the north of Mauritius like Gunners’ Quoin, Flat Island, Round Island, and Serpent Island is very much possible as this is the departure point. Adding to this, it has lots of shopping hotspots, bay-view restaurants and the nightlife is an absolute bliss.

10. Le Morne and Le Morne Brabant

In the extreme southwest of the island, is this 556-meter high mountain which is one of two World Heritage Sites. Earlier a refuge for slaves, at the foot of the mountain is the Slave Route Monument that recalls the pain borne by the slaves from earlier. The beach of Le Morne is very easy to access and is a beauty in itself too, overall mountains plus beachy vibes and crystal clear waters equals to a happy you.

Also Read : Things to do in Le Morne Brabant

These are just some of the attractions that you should consider visiting during your time here, apart from them the Market in Center de Flacq, Vallée de Ferney, Mahebourg and the Cavendish Bridge and many more small islands which are often more beautiful than the mainland itself is also there for you to explore in Mauritius. I certainly would rethink the number of days I would want to spend here if I want to relax and cover all these beautiful sites here. So if I were you, I’d make my way to hop on sites and plan myself a customised trip to Mauritius and start packing. Please do check out our Mauritius trip from India.

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