The most beautiful road trip in Mauritius

The most beautiful road trip in Mauritius

The island of Mauritius looks like a paradise for road-trippers. The island has a well-maintained road network of nearly 2,500 kilometres which takes you to some of the most prestigious places you ever dreamed of visiting.

Around 100 beaches are scattered along the scenic coastal roads encircling the mainland. Inland, you can in the comfort of your rental car discover more than 100 places to visit in Mauritius. 

Did we mention that we are here to offer you the cheapest car rental prices in Mauritius with prices starting 20 € per day? To stay on the economic side of things, it is nice also to note that the price of fuel is relatively low too. 

One tip that we firmly believe in is: take your time! There is so much here that you will not be able to visit them all even if you stay for one month. So grab a map or download the location map for Mauritius on Google maps and just drive.

If you want to enjoy the best road trips in Mauritius, advance planning can be helpful, but once you are here, you will have the feeling that you are being driven by the road. Scenic roads can be found anywhere, but if you are going for the best, here it is:

The wild south

If you have chosen car rental at Mauritius airport, you are in the best place to start your exploration. The southern part of the island offers some of the most panoramic roads of the island. But to be honest, we are holding back. We’ll get to that later on in the article.

So, as soon as you leave the airport, a plethora of options open in front of you. If it is early in the day and you’re not in a hurry to check-in at your hotel, take the link road on the right of the first roundabout. In a few minutes, you should be luxuriating on the beautiful beach of Blue Bay. You can enjoy a quick bath or stay a little longer to snorkel as the beach is home to the only marine park on the island. Just take a quick taxi boat (available on the beach) to reach the marine park located just 4 minutes away.

After that, stay on the coastal road and drive your way to Pont Naturel to Le Souffleur, known to be the island’s most dramatic scenery. Pont Naturel which translates as “Natural Bridge” is a unique natural phenomenon caused by years and years of wild waves crashing against the cliff. We won’t tell you more other than it is not to be missed. Le Souffleur located just a few minutes away is also interesting. But you can skip one of them as they offer a similar show. 

Following the coastal road on your way to the west, you will come across Senneville Waterfalls which invites hiking and exploring the untouched vegetation of this side of the island. Senneville Cliffs are also quite popular for a quick stop. In the next few minutes, two other beautiful natural attractions await you, La Roche Qui Pleure (The Crying Rock) and Gris Gris. These places need no invitation, they will be there on your way and not stopping would be a terrible mistake because soon the landscape will completely change in front of your very eyes.

After a few turns, as you enter the region of Souillac, you will be tempted to discover what certainly is the most beautiful waterfall of the south and believe us, there are a lot of good ones there. What makes Rochester Falls so unique is its rectangular-shaped rocks which make the perfect background for water to fall. But before that, you will have to take a natural road in the middle of sugarcane fields to reach. If you swim, it will be difficult to resist the refreshing waters of Rochester Falls. 

You might need to stop at the village for a quick street food tour. The roadside restaurants are very good. Now take the same road back to reach the peaceful fishermen village of Riambel. This region is reputed to have some of the most deserted white sand beaches on the island. Public beaches like Riambel, Pomponette, St Felix and Rivière des Galets are attractions of their own.

If you are a nature lover, Heritage Nature Reserve will definitely entertain you for the whole day. But you can also stop for a quick visit as the reserve will be located on the right side of the road. 

After that, you will find the island’s most prestigious resorts, hotels and villas lined up one after the other in the most luxurious natural setting ever. Some of the world-class resorts are So Sofitel, La Plantation, Outrigger; Villas Valriche Resort and the Heritage Groups of Resorts. 

Just after Baie du Cap, the coastal road of Maconde Rock awaits you. Climb a few stairs to reach the top of the rock where on one side you will see the Indian Ocean surging in front of you and on the other side, the Maconde Road which has made headlines for being one of the most beautiful roads of the world. Its curved shape encircling the ocean offers the best drive. 

Le Morne Brabant

Our next stop is a historical village that is home to two beautiful treasures in addition to its friendly inhabitants. The first one and probably the most popular is Le Morne Brabant, a world heritage site by UNESCO but also the country’s most important place from a historical perspective. The Peninsula of Morne Brabant contains a sad chapter of local history. In fact, it was used as a refuge by slaves to run away from masters. And on the first day of the abolition of slavery, many slaves decided to jump from the top of the mountain unaware that they were being announced liberty.

Today, the place, as beautiful as it is, holds emotional importance more than anything else. You can trek the same route taken by slaves to reach the top of the Mountain where dazzling views over the ocean and Ile aux Bénitiers awaits you.

Hopefully, the atmosphere is a little more enthusiastic in the second place of the village. That is its public beach, famed as the cleanest and best preserved public beach of the island. Due to its remote location on the south-western tip of the island, this beach is very often deserted, especially during weekdays.