Experience an Amazing Road Trip to the North of Mauritius

You can never get tired of beaches in Mauritius. Each beach offers something new, unique and exotic! The North of Mauritius is a collection of some such beaches. The icing on the cake is the fact that it is not simply limited to that. You get to take a tremendous array of marvels on this roadtrip.

A world famous ‘botanical marvel’ and ‘Port Louis’, the only bustling city of Mauritius awaits you in your journey up North. We started from Flic-en-Flac early in the morning.

If you have missed out on our experience at Flic-en-Flac, click the link below:

Flic-en-Flac, Our Ultimate Base To Explore The Beautiful Island Of Mauritius!

A Glimpse into a Palm Tree Fringed Beach of North Mauritius!

If you are a purveyor of DIYs or a connoisseur of adventures, we suggest you drive the rental car yourself. The route is pretty straightforward, and Google Maps have never been so helpful earlier as they are currently.

We had planned our road trip the same way and hired a self drive vehicle for the day. This first hand experience of driving along the beautiful roads in an exotic foreign location gives you the much needed dopamine surge.

En-Route North Mauritius in our Self-Driven Car!

We started of from our base Flic-en-Flac, West Mauritius. The places listed below were our planned destination stop points throughout the road-trip:

Port Louis City Tour
Pamplemousses Botanical Garden
Grand Baie
Beach Hopping

Port Louis City Tour

a) Le Caudon Waterfront

Our first taste of a city and hustle was when we entered into the Capital city of Mauritius. Our first stop, after a 40 min drive was at Le Caudon Waterfront, the commercial frontier and the entry point for Port Louis.

Le-Caudon Waterfront – The Commercial Frontier of Mauritius!

b) Blue Penny Museum

As we entered reservoir of Mauritian culture, art and architecture, we were witness to the rarest of the rare red one penny and blue two-penny stamps. This museum is a definitely a must visit for all history lovers.

Witness the Red One Penny and Blue Two Penny Stamps in the Blue Penny Museum! (Photography prohibited inside)

c) Waterfront Casino

Shaped like a pirate ship, the themed Casino is a one of its kind. Stuff your pockets with some pennies you are willing to lose. Sip some finest wine from their double bar as you to try your hand at poker or electronic roulette. This miniature Casino promises you unlimited fun.

We tried our luck at the mini-Casino and failed miserably! Do tell us if you had an alternate experience. . .

d) The Ins and Arounds

The capital is the economic Centre point of trade. The fiscal paradise is a real hive for trade, banks, offices, hotels and enterprise. The city is a hustler – The only place in entire Mauritius where you see people in a rush and with a crease in their foreheads, contrary to the pretty chilled out locals we had earlier encountered at Flic-en-Flac.

Exploring the City. . .

Trade and Tranquility in Tandem! Place Courtesy Le-Caudon Waterfront

Stopping by at the Street-Side Cafe for the much needed dose of Caffeine!

As we took a walk along the City-Centre we came across arrays of fruit shops, juice corners, coffee joints and restaurants on either side of the streets. We found ourselves in a dungeon like alley leading upto the souvenirs shop.

It’s time to carry a bit of ‘Mauritius’ Back Home! Courtesy The Souvenir Shop, Port Louis. . .

If you wish to carry back a bit of Mauritian culture to your place, make sure to collect some local artifacts and handlooms. The souvenir street is a paradise for Indians. Do haggle for a good deal, you can get items at a dirt cheap price. “We picked up a bohemian jute handbag, a pair of wooden dodos and a few souvenirs to gift our friends and dear ones”.

In a nutshell, we felt the city was definitely worth a short visit to catch a glimpse of an alternate Mauritian culture. The capital of Mauritius is rich in yesteryear’s treasure while merging beautifully with our present landscape.

Pamplemousses Botanical Garden

After driving further north for about 12 minutes and a distance of 12 km we reached the ‘Pamplemousses Botanical Garden’. A haven of botanical marvels and a heaven for nature lovers and botanical enthusiasts, the garden is definitely a breathtaking destination for a day’s trip. Featuring an extravagant variety of exotic and rare species of plants along with some endemic animals on the verge of getting endangered, this enormous garden spreads its carpet over a massive 37 hectares.

Welcome to Pamplemousses Botanical Garden! Several marvels Awaits. . .

The garden is also a home to 85 varieties of palm trees curated from several parts of the globe.

“Consider yourselves extremely lucky if you happen to spot the Talipot Palm Trees. Chances are that you won’t. . .Because their blossom is a once in 30 years occurrence!”

Palm Trees Adorn the Path. . .The Garden Tour is a Bliss!

But what caught our attention are the spectacular giant water lilies inside the ponds. Check them out, aren’t they wonderful?

The Giant Water Lily – A Signature Sight in Pamplemousses garden!

Giant Water Lily leaves Spread across a Pond. . .Is’nt this a Sight to Behold??

As we were strolling inside the garden we came across a herd of Java Deer, man they are shy!

Say Hi to the Shy Shy Java Deers! Chances are they would hide into the deeper part of the Garden should they hear your footsteps. . .

The rest of the time we walked through the garden, sat on tree branches and laid down on grass.

We sat on the grass and tried to soak in the vibe of the place. . .

Pro-Tip: You can either hire a vehicle to navigate through the entire garden or you can simply take on foot and feel the vibe of the place. If you choose to explore on foot, make sure to take a break under one of the many gazebos present throughout the garden to enjoy the calm and tranquility that surrounds the place.

Grand Baie

After a 20 minutes drive from Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, we reached Grand Baie. This quaint village nestled in the northern shores of Mauritius, dotted with entrancing panoramas is an impossible to miss destination in your North Mauritius road trip. This pristine seaside village also owes its popularity to the enchanting quality of its emerald waters.

With scores of beaches available as options, we decided to go for the La Cuvette Beach, Grand Bay Public Beach and Trou Aux Biches for beach hopping.

a) La Cuvette Beach

A small and intimate beach, La Cuvette is a serene recluse. The water stands calm and the beach is clear of rocks and corals. Surrounded by uneven green carpets of grass and palm trees, the beach offers a nice walk along its coastline to the centre of Grand Baie.

We chose a spot amongst a bed of black rocks and stared deep and long into the turquoise waters. Later on, we took off our chappals and took a walk along the shore.

We kind of settled into a bed of black rocks and stared into the turquoise waters of La-Cuvette Beach

b) Grand Bay Public Beach

This beach runs right along the liveliness of Grand Baie coastal village. Due to the very active boat and catamaran traffic inside the bay, the public beach has only a small area in which tourists can enter the water.

And then we also enjoyed our time at Grand-Baie Public Beach

However, this small fragment of the beach is ethereal enough to make it one of the best beaches of North Mauritius. We selected a spot under a canopy and stared far and long into the gorgeous blue waters.

c) Trou Aux Biches

Ladenned with idyllic palm trees, corseted with uniform stretches of grass, spread over a white sandy beach and turquoise blue waters, Trou Aux Biches is definitely a smell of nature. Touted as one of the favourite beach destinations, we were lucky enough to reach the beach just before sunset.

Ladenned with idyllic palm trees, corseted with uniform stretches of grass, spread over a white sandy beach and turquoise blue waters, Trou Aux Biches is definitely a smell of nature!!!

We posed for some photographs which one of the visitors generously offered to take. We sipped into hot cups of coffee while we watched the sun go down and the sky change colours. It was magical! The seaside of North is rich in colours and variety where one can see all shades of blue.

Ah! The Sunset at Trou-Aux-Biches was Magical!

Scattered corals are characteristics of most beaches, so make sure not to step on one!

Parting Thoughts

The scenic panoramas are inclusive of but not limited to a bustling city, a nature garden and the wide spectrum of beaches. Ideal for a roadtrip, make sure to reserve a day or two to explore the marvels of North Mauritius.

Read the Part-I of our Mauritius Trip by clicking the link below: