Things to Do in Mauritius: The Ultimate Adventure Guide

Every destination I travel to, one of the first things I do is look into the adventurous activities each place has to offer. While I can spend hours lying on the beach, my partner Tom always needs to doing something. To my surprise, Mauritius, an idyllic island paradise located in the continent of Africa proves to be more than just a stunning palm fringed island. Here, amidst the many beautiful beaches and beautiful scenery, you can find a plethora of awesome activities and things to do. Here are a few of our top picks.

Things to do in Mauritius

When deciding on which places to go to in Mauritius, you can choose from a few different areas, all of which would depend on what type of activities you are interested in doing. The good thing about it is that you are spoilt for choice as there is always something to see and do.

Quad Biking

One of the things we enjoy the most when we are traveling is exploring a place using motorcycles or quad bikes. Mauritius is no exception as you are able to drive through sugar plantations and natural reserves. The terrain is quite varied with lots of off-road paths leading you to rocky trails and clear green spaces. Some people have even noted spotting some wild animals like rare birds and deer, especially when riding within the nature reserves.

Helmet Diving

For non-divers, helmet diving is a great way to get a glimpse of the underwater marine world without having to go through the certification course itself. Off the famous beach of Belle Mare, you are able to go down a platform and explore the ocean at a depth of 3-4 meters using just a helmet. While helmet diving feels like an odd sensation, as soon as you see the plethora of colorful fish and marine life, you will instantly begin to feel comfortable. Trust us, as soon as you get down there, the entire experience will open doors and soon, you will find yourself itching to go diving and see more of the underwater world.

Skydiving in Mauritius

As you can imagine, jumping a couple hundred feet from the sky with gleaming white sandy beaches and turquoise blue seas as your background makes for an unforgettable skydiving experience. Personally, if we had the chance to, Skydiving is something we would do in almost every place that we go to. We absolutely love everything about it. The thrill, the inevitable nervous feeling that you get, and the wonderful adrenaline filled rush that you get after each jump. Doing it in Mauritius would be no different, except the views would be so much more incredible. If you haven’t tried it yet, what better place to do it than here?

Related: 7 Reasons Why You Should Go Skydiving 

Diving

Naturally, in a place whose marine life is so rich and abundant, diving would be a big must-d0 activity. Beginner divers can choose to explore the shallow yet vibrant coral reefs while more experienced divers can opt to explore wrecks, caverns, and coral arches. With an abundance of incredible dive sites, seeing dolphins, humpback whales, large pelagics, and sharks become a common sight. If you’re as addicted to scuba diving as us, you can’t miss out on this one while in Mauritius.

Submarine Ride

When I first read about it, my head was immediately flooded with images of me spending countless hours obsessing over underwater documentaries with submarines. The submarine can go down to up to 35 meters, taking you through the depths of the ocean floor to see shipwrecks, turtles, and other various marine life. I mean, come on? Where else will you ever get the chance to ride an actual submarine? Too cool! A company called Blue Safari operates the experience which lasts for about 40 minutes or so.

Hiking

Hiking is one of those experiences that I love doing just because it is always a great way to get yourself outdoors as you explore a local area. In Mauritius, you will find a wide range of hiking trails that will take you along coastal lines, rivers, and endemic forests. If you’re interested in doing any hiking, here are a few trails that are worth checking out.

• Black River Gorges National Park
• Signal Mountain
• Black River Peak
• Le Morne Village to La Prairie Beach
• Rodrigues
• Central Plateau
• Lion Mountain

If you were to only do one trail during your time in Mauritius, I highly suggest doing Lion Mountain. The mountain is popular for its sphinx-like profile and offers travelers a fun yet challenging half day hike. While most people tend to hire local guides, you can do this activity yourself once you reach the trailhead beside the police station on the Northern side of Vieux Grand Port. From there, its a steady ascension up the lion’s back towards the head. The entire experience is made worthwhile due to the incredible coastal views that you will see along the way.

Dolphin Watching

While I am always wary of recommending any tours which involve animals, the dolphins in Mauritius are completely wild and often just go to the area in the mornings to feed. The tourists are banned from feeding the dolphins to avoid domesticating them or changing their usual patterns. While some people try to swim with them, the dolphins were way too fast so the entire experience is best enjoyed from the boat where you can watch them play and frolic about in the water. Unlike going to ocean parks where you watch captive dolphins perform, these animals are in the wild and are free to do as they please.

Island Hopping

Naturally, as the entire country is studded with incredible beaches and lagoons, island hopping and going from one secluded beach to the next is a must. While you’re at it, you can also check out the incredible snorkeling opportunities in each place. Here are a few of our top picks for the best beaches in Mauritius.

• Trou aux Biches Beach
• Ile aux Cerfs
• La Cambuse
• Pereybere
• Belle Mare Plage
• Flic en Flac
• Le Morne
• Mont Choisy

Kiteboarding

Another adrenaline fuelled sport that you can easily do while in Mauritius is kiteboarding. As the entire island is surrounded by clear lagoons and reefs, as soon as the wind starts blowing (May-November), the entire island becomes an adventure playground. If you’ve never kiteboarded before, you can take lessons and within three days, you can find yourself cruising along some of the clearest waters imaginable. The turquoise lagoon at Le Morne is known as the kite lagoon and is the main go to spot to enjoy this awesome underwater adventure.

Apart from these experiences, you could also go deep-sea fishing, deep sea diving, parasailing, and a whole lot of other incredible adventure opportunities. While it’s so easy to just laze around by your resort, we urge you to spend at least a day exploring the adventurous side of Mauritius. We promise it won’t disappoint.

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Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out our other articles from the continent of Africa

•  South Africa Bucket List
• Top Adventure Holiday Destinations in Africa

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