Hiking the Central Plateau & Black River Gorges

Introducing Hiking the Central Plateau & Black River Gorges

The mountain ranges fringing the Central Plateau offer a variety of rambles and longer hikes. One of the most popular is the excellent but steep ascent of Le Pouce, on the plateau’s northern edge. To the west near Rose Hill, Corps de Garde is more of a challenge but equally rewarding.

The most varied hiking, however, is to be found in the beautiful highland area southwest of Curepipe, where the Black River Gorges National Park offers a range of environments from dry lowlands to the wet, forest-cloaked peaks. Surrounded by casuarina and conifer trees and tumbling waterfalls, it is like no other part of Mauritius. Of several hikes traversing the park, the classic route follows the Macchabée Trail down the Black River Valley to emerge on the west coast.

While Le Pouce and Corps de Garde can be reached by bus either from the plateau towns or Port Louis, accessing the trailheads within the national park will require private transport or a taxi ride.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009