Ile aux Cerfs is a picturesque island spread over 87 hectares of land off the east coast of Mauritius. It is well known for its white sandy beaches, its turquoise lagoons and for the wide range of restaurants, water sports and land activities on offer.
Ile aux Cerfs in English means deer island but nowadays there are no more deers on the island.
The Ile Aux Cerfs offers a five star hotel with a golf course, several water sports activities, and restaurants. Water sports include water skiing, banana, glass bottom boats and more.
Ile aux Cerfs
It is also home to one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, the Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer.
You can get to Ile Aux Cerfs from the mainland by speed boat, catamaran or even yacht. These are available at various points on the east coast of Mauritius. There are several organised tours available which can be cheaper than individual tours. Most organised tours provide lunch and drinks as part of the package.
The Ile aux Cerfs Leisure Island is open everyday from 09:00 to 18:00. The Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club is open everyday from 07:00 to 20:00.
The Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park is home to various species of animals, reptiles, and plants. It is in a rain forested valley with freshwater springs. Banana plants, palm trees and giant bamboo provide shade for the crocodiles and the giant tortoises.
Crocodile park
During your visit to the park you will get a chance to feed, pet and play with giant tortoises. There is maximum safety to enable you to watch thousands of Nile crocodiles and giant tortoises.
In the park there is also a mini zoo of Mauritian fauna where you can find most of the Mauritian mammals and reptiles including skinks, phelsumas (geckos), giant tortoises, turtles, bats, deer, mongooses, monkeys, pigs, as well as domestic livestock such as goats, fat-tailed sheep and donkeys. There is also a Jungle Adventure Playground for kids to play.
You can visit the tortoise nursery where you will encounter Aldabra giant tortoises and you can feed them.
Hungry Crocodile Restaurant
Hungry Crocodile Restaurant built among tree tops offers various local food and international dishes. You can also taste various dishes made out of crocodile meat. Snacks and beverages are also available.
The park is open from 9:30 to 17:00 and the price per adult is 13 euros and children (3-12) 7 euros. Visit the Tortoise Nursery is priced at 14 euros for adults and 9 euros for children.
Featured Image : Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash
It’s recommended you hire a taxi for the full day for this tour. Usually this can be done for about 2,000Rs for the day.
Casela nature reserve is one of the best places in Mauritius to enjoy breathtaking views of the island and also take in a majestic safari that includes sights of Zebra, ostriches, giant tortoises and more in their natural habitat.
There are also separate areas dedicated to birds (peacocks can often be seen roaming free and frequenting the restaurant), fish and other assorted animals. There are some nice gardens to have a stroll through too.
If you’re feeling even more adventurous, you can get your own quad bike and go on a safari tour where you take on terrain that includes rocky hills and streams.
You should allow three hours for this tour and some time to enjoy refreshments at the Casela restaurant – which offers some wonderful vistas over the park area from a height.
Your taxi will then take you through the Black Gorges national park and stop off at some of the best viewing points available.
Allow three to four hours for this, you’ll see Alexandra falls as well as the main Chamarel falls along with the seven colored earths. Some of the best views in Mauritius will be seen along this tour.
Along the way you’ll have a chance to pick up some souvenirs from many of the stalls that can be situated by vista points.
Featured Image : Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash
Grand Baie has come on as one of the main tourist hubs developed within Mauritius and it’s well worth a visit.
Along with some nice beaches there are some good shopping opportunities – for example, the shops along the coastline gives you a chance to stock up on souvenirs or just splash out on a few clothes. Beware though, the prices here aren’t exactly cheap.
After you’ve strolled along the coast line and bought a few nik-naks, you can enjoy a relaxing meal at one of several good quality eateries along the coastline. Sunset Café serves up some good fare including pizza, burgers and cocktails.
They do some huge deserts (hint – you may want to share, they’re impossible to finish) and the balcony seats afford some stunning views over the Grand Baie coast.
Here, you’ll find some of the best beaches in Mauritius – some sensational blue waters and diving/snorkelling opportunities are available here. It’s beautiful here and you shouldn’t leave the island without experiencing this wonderful place.
The island is actually very near to Ile de l’est , a smaller little island and on low tide you can actually wade over and lie in the sands on this isolated island.
Featured Image : Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash
Port Louis is the buzzing capital of Mauritius and is a must-see for any holiday to the island. This tour recommends you start early and get to Port Louis by 9am (you can hire a taxi to take you to the capital from wherever on the island you may be staying).
While it’s not as scenic as other Mauritius destinations you’ll want to visit here on your Mauritius holiday simply because it’s a chance to visit the most developed city in Mauritius.
The markets of Port Louis are definitely worth a stroll through and the craft market in particular can be a good place to pick up some good souvenirs for your Mauritius holiday.
Also within Port Lois is the Museum of National History, the Champ de Mars racecourse and Photographic Museum.
Four hours should be enough to see the majority of the capital, including lunch at one of the decent eateries available. Among the best of these are Namaste, a wonderful Indian restaurant offering some grand views of the port from it’s balcony.
After Port Louis, hop onto a taxi to take you a short way to Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens – these wonderful gardens have some incredible plantlife as well as some stunning animals including giant tortoises and deer.
A tour guide is available for a very modest fee and is well worth the investment. Three hours is more than enough to see everything here (make sure you see the giant water lilies).
Then, have a snack at the nearby restaurant before heading home to your Mauritius holiday resort to chill out.
Featured Image : Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash
The main bar options are the Casino and Kenzibar.
Food places are also plentiful in choice. For Indian, pop in to Moti Mahal, while for a popular Creole restaurant check out Leslie or Sea Breeze. Sea breeze does knock outsome incredible Mauritius food including lamb curry and the sizzling lamb is first class. Good pizza is also available at Casa while those in the mood for an oriental should probably head to Ocean.
Another popular spot that is one of the few places that serves lunch past 2 is Patijoy, located right opposite the beach.
Food is expensive but there are some very nice Chinese dishes available. It’s a very authentic restaurant with straw based walls, basic chairs and no doors – you may wish to sit a little inside as while the tables at the front enjoy sea views, the lack of doors and walls coupled with tasty food can attract a good few flies.
For cheaper dining options, Ah-Youn is a cheery Oriental restaurant on the main Flic en Flac beach road. There is also Jardino D’italia, serving reasonable Italian fare.
If you’re staying on a budget, you can self cater for cheap at Spar supermarket – lots of food options here, and there is also a general souvenir shop as well as an internet café.
If you don’t mind driving a little out of Flic en Flac, Domaine Anna is a seafood place that is well worth a visit – not exactly for the budget conscious but some superb fish dishes are available here.
Featured Image : By S Molteno – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25935306
Port Louis has a fantastic smearing of restaurants. There’s everything from Indian and Chinese to Creole and European, and there are options for all budget levels.
There are some notable Indian restaurants – Namaste on the Caudan Waterfront is one of the more luxurious choices, and some tables offer spectacular harbour views which make for an enchanting dining experiences. If it’s a sunny day, eat on the balcony as some wonderful views of the port can be seen – a great photo opportunity to get pictures of the port area from an elevated position.
Near the shopping area is “Le Capitain” which has a decent menu and fairly reasonable prices.
There are many budget options also available – a lot of the food stalls sell tasty snack foods such as samosas and other foods for low prices. Perhaps not ideal if you’re not the best of travellers food-wise, but can be good for snacking if you’re on an excursion.
Port Louis also has franchises such as Pizza Hut and MacDonalds for those that would rather play it safe.
For a cheaper option, Tandoori Express which whips up reasonable Indian fare for decent prices. It’s also on the waterfront. Another reasonable Indian restaurant is Carri Poule which has a marvellous lunch time buffet.
If you’re in the mood for Chinese, Canton is a budget restaurant which is tacky looking but that offers good quality Chinese food. Slightly more upmarket is Happy Valley which is along the Waterfront.
There are several other choices of restaurant too – La Rose des Vents is a pleasant seafood restaurant which is situated in the Labourdonnais Waterfront hotel. Black Steer is a popular steakhouse right on the Caudan Waterfront. For Creole dishes mixed in with a bit of Indian & Chinese also featuring on the menu, check out La Bonne Marmite. It’s located along Sir William Newton St and is a good choice for budget conscious travellers.
If you fancy a drink, Port Louis has a generous sprinkling of bars, mostly along the Waterfront complex, such as Keg & Marlin (which also has live music on Friday nights) and Sunset Café.
