The Best Beaches in Mauritius: A Coast-by-Coast Guide

Mauritius has approximately 160 kilometres of coastline and, by most estimates, around 150 individually named beaches. Not all are equal. The island's geography means that the character of the water, the sand, and the reef varies enormously between the north, south, east, and west coasts — each offering a different experience of the Indian Ocean.

This guide covers the best beaches by coast, what makes each distinctive, and who each suits best.

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The North Coast: Calm Water, White Sand, Village Life

The north coast — stretching from Grand Baie west to Trou aux Biches and east to Péreybère and Cap Malheureux — is the most accessible and most visited stretch of beach on the island. The water is calm year-round, protected by an offshore reef, and the sand is white and fine. The north is where most of the island's hotels are clustered, and where the tourist infrastructure is most developed. It's also where the best mix of beach life, restaurants, and activities exists within easy reach.

Mont Choisy is the longest public beach in the north — nearly three kilometres of uninterrupted white sand, backed by casuarina trees and open to the public along its entire length. The water is shallow and turquoise, the reef gentle enough for children, and the beach wide enough that it never feels crowded even on busy Sunday afternoons when Mauritian families claim the shaded spots under the trees.

Péreybère is smaller and livelier, a pocket beach in a north-coast village that has remained relatively uncommercialized despite being popular with both locals and tourists. The beach bar (Gecko) is worth a visit; the snorkelling off the rocks at the northern end of the bay is among the best accessible snorkelling in the north.

Cap Malheureux at the northern tip has the dramatic backdrop of the red-roofed Notre Dame Auxiliatrice church that has featured on every Mauritius postcard for a century. The beach is rocky in places but the views to the offshore islands — Coin de Mire, Gabriel, Flat — are unmatched on the north coast.

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The East Coast: The Island's Best Lagoons

The east coast is where Mauritius's most celebrated beach scenery lies. The lagoon at Belle Mare — protected by the Cargados Carajos reef chain far offshore — is extraordinarily calm, coloured in shades of turquoise and aquamarine that photographers struggle to do justice to in a single image. The water is shallow for hundreds of metres from shore, warm year-round, and so clear that on a calm morning you can see the sandy bottom in detail at three metres depth.

Belle Mare is the postcard beach of Mauritius. The sand is powdery white, the palms lean correctly, and the reef keeps the Indian Ocean swell from reaching the shore. The beach stretches for several kilometres and is backed by the island's most celebrated five-star hotels — but the public beach sections are accessible and free.

Palmar is less visited than Belle Mare and arguably more beautiful in parts: a narrower beach with better shade from native vegetation and a reef that allows for excellent snorkelling near the coral outcrops at the southern end.

Île aux Cerfs (Stag Island) is technically an island accessible by boat from Trou d'Eau Douce, but its beaches — several of them, around the island's circumference — are some of the finest in the east. The lagoon between the island and the mainland is a famous water sports area.

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The West Coast: Sunsets and Surf

The west coast catches the evening sun full-on, which makes it the destination for sunset-watching, and the beaches here have a different character from the north and east: wider, more exposed, with a gentle Atlantic-style swell that makes for better bodysurfing but occasionally rougher swimming.

Flic en Flac is the west coast's main resort beach — several kilometres of public sand backed by a road of hotels, restaurants, and small shops. It's busiest on weekends when families from the central plateau drive down for the day. The sunset here, with the Rempart and Black River mountain silhouettes behind, is spectacular.

La Preneuse (south of Flic en Flac) is quieter, marked by the Martello Tower — one of the British colonial defensive towers built in the early 19th century — and preferred by local fishermen and those who want the west coast view without the crowd.

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The South Coast: Wild, Dramatic, Largely Unspoiled

The south coast of Mauritius is the least developed and the most dramatically beautiful. The reef is more exposed to the Southern Ocean swell, which means swimming conditions can be rougher, but the landscape — basalt headlands, turquoise water, native scrub — is incomparable.

Le Morne is the most famous beach in the south: a long arc of white sand at the foot of the Le Morne Brabant mountain, which rises from the sea almost vertically to 556 metres and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The kitesurfing at Le Morne — driven by the reliable south-east trade winds — is world-class. The swimming lagoon behind the reef is calm and beautiful.

Gris Gris in the far south is the most dramatic point on the island: a black basalt cliff edge above open ocean, with natural rock arches and a blowhole that shoots spray on days of swell. There is no beach here — it's pure coastal scenery, the antidote to the resort-polished north.

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Practical Information

Swimming safety: The east and north coasts are safest for swimming year-round. The south coast should be treated with caution, particularly in the cyclone season (December to March) when swells increase significantly. Always swim inside the reef where one exists.

Snorkelling: The best snorkelling sites require either a boat or a short swim to reach the reef. The reef at Péreybère (north), the coral garden at Blue Bay (south-east), and the marine park at Trou aux Biches (north-west) are the most accessible and most rewarding.

Public access: All beaches in Mauritius are legally public up to the high-tide mark, including those fronting private hotel properties. Hotels may not fence or gate access to the beach in front of their property.

Shade: The north and east coast beaches have limited natural shade; arrive before 10am or after 4pm to avoid direct midday sun. The west and south have more natural vegetation providing shade.