Mauritius Beyond the Lagoon: Temples, Peaks and Dholl Puri
Most visitors never leave the beach. The interior holds a sacred crater lake, seven-coloured earth and the best street food on the island.
Mauritius is sold almost entirely on its lagoons, and the lagoons deserve it: a coral reef rings nearly the whole island, which is why the water is so calm and the colour so improbable. But we arrived expecting a beach holiday and left feeling we had visited an actual country, because the interior of Mauritius has more going on than any brochure suggests.
An Island That Feels Familiar
Roughly two-thirds of Mauritians are of Indian descent, the result of indentured labour brought to the sugar estates in the nineteenth century. Bhojpuri plays on the radio. Hindu temples sit near Creole churches near mosques. Tamil festivals fill the calendar. For Indian travellers this produces a strange and pleasant doubling: a place that is unmistakably foreign and quietly familiar at the same time.
Ganga Talao
High in the interior, a crater lake called Ganga Talao is the most important Hindu pilgrimage site outside India in this part of the world. During Maha Shivaratri, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk here from across the island, many barefoot, to carry water home. A towering Shiva statue stands at the entrance. On an ordinary weekday it is quiet, and it feels genuinely devotional rather than arranged for visitors. Dress modestly and remove your shoes at the temples.
Chamarel and the Seven Coloured Earths
Volcanic ash weathered at different rates has left dunes of sand in seven distinct shades of red, brown, violet and blue, which separate themselves back out even after being mixed. It sounds like a tourist trap and is instead genuinely strange. Nearby, the Chamarel waterfall drops around a hundred metres into a gorge, and a rum distillery on the same road makes a reasonable case for stopping.
Black River Gorges
The island's largest protected forest covers the southwest, and it is real hiking rather than a boardwalk. The Macchabee trail runs along a ridge with views across the gorges to the sea, and after rain the waterfalls are running properly. Endemic birds including the Mauritius kestrel, brought back from a population of four in the 1970s, live in this forest.
Le Morne
The basalt monolith at the southwest tip is the most striking thing on the island, rising straight out of the lagoon. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site for sombre reasons: escaped slaves sheltered on its slopes, and the mountain became a symbol of that resistance. The guided summit hike takes around four hours return and starts early to avoid the heat.
What to Eat
- Dholl puri - split pea flatbread with bean curry and chilli, the national street food
- Rougaille - a Creole tomato and chilli stew, usually with fish or sausage
- Mine frite - fried noodles from the Chinese Mauritian tradition
- Gateaux piments - chilli and split pea fritters sold by the bagful
- Vindaye - fish or octopus in mustard and turmeric, a Mauritian take on vindaloo
- Alouda - a chilled milk drink with basil seeds and agar jelly
Getting Around
Rent a car. Mauritius drives on the left, which is familiar for Indian and British visitors, the roads are good, and you can cross the island in about two hours. Buses are cheap but slow and do not reach the places worth going. The south coast around Gris Gris is the one stretch without a protective reef, so the sea there is genuinely dangerous despite looking spectacular.
When to Go
May to December is cooler and drier. The cyclone season runs January to March and is worth planning around. Indian nationals get a free 90-day visa on arrival, and all visitors now complete a single online arrival form covering immigration, customs and health before departure.