West Coast of Mauritius

The west coast may well compete with the resorts of northern Mauritius, not only in terms of the quality of the beaches, but also in terms of the number of entertainment. Here are some of the best resorts on the whole island: Flic-en-Flac, Volmar, Tamarin Bay and Morne. Divers and surfers come here from all over the world. And the Riviere Noir area is a unique place for fishing.

However, not all local beauties are associated with water: in the west there are the famous “colored lands”, the Shamarel waterfall and two national parks at once: Yemeni and Black River Gorges.

Transport on the west coast of Mauritius

According to allcitycodes, the main bus routes run here from Port Louis to Grand Rivière Noire and from Quatre Bornet to Baie du Cap (via Chamarel). Buses from Flic-en-Flac, Volmar, Tamarin and La Prenaise to the capital run every 20 minutes. You can also catch a taxi, which will cost 400 MUR (from Flic-en-Flac) or 600 MUR (from Tamarin and La Prenaise).

You can get to Le Morne either by bus, which run hourly from Quatre Bornet to Baie du Cap and make a stop near the hotel area, or by taxi. It will take you to Port Louis for about 1000 MUR, to the airport – for 1200 MUR.

From Flic-en-Flac, Volmar, Tamarin and La Preneza taxi to the airport ~ 1000 MUR, to Curepipe ~ 600 MUR.

Beaches on the west coast of Mauritius

The town of Flic-en-Flac(Flic en Flac) opens up a series of gorgeous sandy beaches that stretch south to the very Morne Peninsula. The infrastructure of the resort is developed to “five plus”, because of which, according to some, modern Flic-en-Flac has lost a fair amount of its former charm. But today, tourists have no problems choosing a hotel, restaurant, rental office or gift shop: here all this is presented in abundance. And the urbanization of the town did not affect the quality of the beaches at all – they guarantee the same “paradise” and serene pastime. In the center of the resort, the so-called Pasadena Village, there is a post office, an ATM, a huge SPAR supermarket and a tour desk (opening hours: Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00). On the beach of Flic-en-Flac, you can kill a worm in eateries offering sandwiches, fruits, drinks and other simple food. It is worth to dine thoroughly in restaurants at hotels – there are practically no high-level catering establishments outside hotels. For “high cuisine” we recommend going to Volmar.

Tamarin Bay is wilder and more pristine than other areas of the coast. Due to strong currents, swimming in it is not safe, but for surfers it is a paradise.

Wolmar is considered a suburb of Flic en Flac. There are the best and most expensive hotels in this area.

Tamarin Bay (Baie du Tamarin) is wilder and more pristine than other areas of the coast. Due to strong currents, swimming in it is not safe, but for surfers it is a paradise. A couple of kilometers from the bay is the picturesque town of La Preneuse with an interesting Martello Tower museum, which tells about the battle of local planters with the British in the 1830s.

The low mountain of Morne Brabant (556 m), visible from almost anywhere on the southern coast of Mauritius, gave its name to the picturesque peninsula, which today is considered one of the best resorts in Mauritius. Morne is four kilometers of sandy beaches, upscale hotels and one of the island’s most famous diving centers, the Mistral Club.

Entertainment and attractions of the west coast of Mauritius

A kilometer from Flic en Flac is the Casela Natural Park, home to monkeys, tigers, zebras and over 1,500 birds. From there, a jeep safari is arranged to Yemen Park, where you can see wild boars, deer, monkeys and bats in their natural habitat.

Colored Earth Chamarel

The colored lands of Chamarel (entrance 200 MUR, park opening hours 7:00-17:30) have long been one of the symbols of Mauritius. And for good reason: they are amazingly beautiful. It makes no sense to talk about the long process of soil erosion or the botanical diversity of these places, it is only worth mentioning the hundred-meter Chamarel waterfall located 3 km from the entrance to the park – an obligatory stop so that tourists can “click” photos.

Diving on the west coast of Mauritius

There are several diving centers in the Flic-en-Flac area (among them the popular Ticabo and Apnealogy) offering PADI and SMAC training, as well as directly organizing dives for experienced divers. There are more than 40 interesting and diverse diving sites. Let’s say the Rampart Serpent is only suitable for experienced divers. This is a winding shaft 100 m long at a 25-meter depth, from above it looks like a big snake. There are many tropical fish here, including rockfish and moray eels. Nearby is the dive site Le Cathedrale (“Cathedral”, 22 m) – two sheer cliffs with crevices, grottoes and a huge open cave with gloomy vaults that resemble a temple. These two sites are the most popular on the coast, there are always a lot of people there. Nearby Manioc and Couline Bambou are no less interesting.

There are also a couple of wrecks near Flic-en-Flac: Kei Sei 113 at a depth of 35 m, as well as Tug II, which is suitable for beginner divers, as it lies on the sand at a depth of only 20 m.

On the coast near the Morne Peninsula, divers also have something to profit from: these are the sites of Passe St. Jacques (“Strait Saint-Jacques”), Caisers, Needle Hole (“Eye of the Needle”) and Castle (“Castle”).

West Coast of Mauritius