West Mauritius

Introducing West Mauritius

The dramatic mountain outcrops that suddenly shoot up along the otherwise flat landscape as you head south along the western coast of Mauritius are home to one of the fastest-growing regions for tourism in the country. Flic en Flac, which is currently experiencing the biggest building boom of anywhere on the island, will be giving Grand Baie a run for its money very soon as Mauritius’ tourism capital.

However, the west coast is far more than just Flic en Flac; there are some super­lative beaches on and off all the way down to the extraordinary-looking Le Morne Peninsula at the island’s southwestern tip. Along the way there’s some excellent diving to be experienced, a small surfing scene in Tamarin, and Grande Rivière Noire is a centre for big-game fishing and dolphin watching. Inland too there’s plenty to draw people here; the most visited sight in the southwest is Chamarel’s famous coloured earths, in the hills east of Le Morne. There’s also Casela Nature Park, near Flic en Flac, and an old watchtower – now a museum – at La Preneuse, north of Grande Rivière Noire. The Black River Gorges National Park is also within easy striking distance; the park’s western entrance is only a few kilometres ­inland from Grande Rivière Noire.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009