Flic-en-Flac is a seaside village on the west coast of Mauritius in the district of Black River. The name most likely comes from an Old Dutch phrase, “Fried Landt Flaak”, meaning free, flat land.
Flic-en-Flac
Flic-en-Flac is in a non-industrial part of Mauritius, with a coastline of about 13 kilometres. There are many luxury hotels, resorts, rental apartments, restaurants, bars, clubs and souvenir shops in this area. which attract about 500,000 tourists a year. Flic-en-Flac is lively both during day and night.
Flic-en-Flac aerial view
Weekend Activities
On the weekend, a lot of locals go to the beach to spend the day with their families and friends. Some of them will engage in water sports like swimming, snorkelling, diving etc. Some of them will sing and dance to the typical Sega music. They also enjoy delicious street food such as DhalPuri and fried noodles with Mauritian meatballs. DhalPuri is multi layered thin flat bread with some flavorful curry and sauces wrapped in.
Night Life
The nightlife is very vibrant as a lot of locals and tourists go out to the nightclubs and restaurants to enjoy the night and meet people.
The Gris Gris beach is at the southernmost point of Mauritius. It is a few kilometers southeast of the village of Souillac, a historical village that dates back to the French colonial period. This little piece of beach does not have a coral reef, the big waves come breaking on the shore offering amazing views to the visitors. Swimming is strongly discouraged for hobbyists and professionals because of strong currents and huge waves that break on this part of the island make it totally impractical.
Gris Gris Beach
Gris Gris is well known for its sea cliffs and offers visitors a magnificent view from the top. At the southern end of Gris-Gris, you will have a great viewpoint on the cliffs and will see the crashing of waves against the flanks. There is a small garden offering many quiet spots for you to relax on one of the many benches, while having a view of the sea, waves and rock cliffs.
Gris Gris Beach
Further down the road from the Gris Gris Viewpoint is the ‘Roche qui Pleure’ (Weeping Rock). This is also another fantastic viewpoint where if you look at the rock from the right angle, it will appear as a face with tears constantly streaming down, as the waves continually crash. There you will have a perfect view of a large rock where the waves break with great violence, accompanied by a large thud.
Electric bikes and quad bikes are available for hire in this area. These are suitable for exploring the nearby areas on your own at a leisurely pace. Horse riding is also available if you are accustomed to horses.
Le Souffleur is one of the most unique natural attractions in Mauritius. It is located between Blue Bay and Souillac. It is accessible through the village L’Escalier and due to the rugged terrain, it is highly recommended to access Le Souffleur with a four wheel drive.
There is an impressive cliff from where you will be able to get a spectacular view of the Indian Ocean crashing against the lava rocks of the cliff. When the waves crash against the cliff with sufficient force, water entering the small holes in the cliff will make a ‘whistling’ sound. On a day when the ocean is very rough, you might even witness the spectacular blowhole effect.
Pont Naturel
Pont Naturel, a naturally formed bridge, is not far from Le Souffleur, and you may want to include it in your itinerary. Pont Natural is famous because it is a natural bridge formed by the powerful waves crashing against the rocks that once stood as a wall and created a bridge. The bridge is supported by hanging cliffs on the left and right and offers spectacular views. You can cross the bridge but caution is advised as it is a bridge fully formed by rocks only hence it is very rugged. You may also be splashed by the incoming waves. Make sure to wear good hiking shoes as the rocks are very sharp in this area. Swimming and any other water activities is not advised due to the rough sea.
At Pont Naturel there are a couple of stalls selling food and fresh fruits.
Going downwards to the right of Le Souffleur you will find two more natural bridges. From there you can go to the beautiful golden sand beach of Savinia which is, by far, the most uncrowded beach in Mauritius.
Le Plate Island is also known as Île Plate and Flat Island. The island is located 11 kilometres north of Cap Malheureux, the main island’s northernmost point. It is part of the administrative area of Rivière du Rempart District. The small nature reserve of Coin de Mire lies between the two islands, Îlot Gabriel and Pigeon Rock.It covers an area of 2.53 square kilometres. The area is in danger of possible submersion due to the historical rise in the sea-level
The Catamaran
Le Plate Island is uninhabited, though there is a small army base on the island. This the largest islet of Mauritius with an extent of 253 hectares.
Historical significance of Flat Island is that it served as a quarantine station from the mid-19th century to the 1930s. It was reserved for immigrants to Mauritius, mostly indentured labourers, undergoing quarantine for cholera, although it was sometimes used during other epidemic outbreaks such as smallpox and malaria.
Infrastructure built between 1856 and 1870 consisted of stone and wooden buildings comprising living quarters and offices for medical, police, and immigration officials.Kitchens, stores, toilets, privies, two hospitals, and a distillation plant used for water supply were also constructed. Many of these structures are still preserved.
Llighthouse
A lighthouse, built in 1855, on the southwest side of the island is still operational.
Le Plate Island is a popular venue for snorkellers, and access to the island is possible via chartered yacht and catamaran. Pigeon Rock harbors an internationally famous dive site called The Shark Pit where divers can witness sharks swirling within the pit for the rich oxygen available due to the crashing waves against the cliffs of Pigeon Rock. The place is popular among tourists as well as locals.
Nearest hotels and restaurants are found only in Cap Malheureux. Breakfast and lunch is served in the catamaran.
Tamarin is a small fishing village on the south-western coast of Mauritius.Tamarin Beach surrounded by salt pans, is close to 1.5 kilometres in length. Much of the beach is lost to the incoming waves at high tide. But a gap in Tamarin Beach’s coral reef allows large waves to reach its white sands. This gives the opportunity to the surfers.
Salt production dates back to the French period and the tradition of its making is almost unchanged after nearly two centuries. Water is pumped directly from the nearby sea and allowed to evaporate in the basins.
Tamarin Beach
The beach does attract quite a lot of visitors at times and is also the starting point for the dolphin-spotting trips and angling adventures.
Tamarin Bay was discovered by a wider audience and immortalized after the release of the classic surf documentary “Forgotten Island of Santosha” by Larry and Roger Yates in 1974.
The ongoing development in Mauritius has made this village to become home to a new leisure and commercial area. The surfing area was previously known as Santosha Bay although the villages did not want to give a moniker because they didn’t want outsiders to discover their cache of surfable seas. Now the conditions have changed and the villagers are reaping the benefits of the development in tourism.
Tamarin village is located in the district of Black River and is about 50 km and one hour drive from the International Airport. The capital Port Louis, is about 30 km north of Tamarin and the drive takes around 1 hour. There are bus services between Tamarin and key locations in Mauritius. Visitors can use the public transport to save some money.
There are excellent boutique hotels and self-catering villas to aparthotels, B&Bs, holiday rentals and two to five-star hotels in Tamarin. There is accommodation to suit every budget.
Sands Suites Resort & Spa is a 4 star superior hotel offering five star luxury. From the hotel you get magnificent views of Tamarin Bay and Le Morne Mountain.
Golf Club
Tamarina Golf & Spa Boutique Hotel is a 4-star boutique hotel offers a selection of 50 garden-facing or sea-facing rooms, a choice of three different restaurants as well as bars and a wellness centre and also features an 18-hole golf course. Tamarina Golf Club is a 18-hole Championship Golf Course. This Par 72 challenging course undulates over 43 hectares of rugged savannah land framed with mature trees and crossed by the Rempart River. The holes have been designed to give great views.
Veranda-Tamarin-Hotel-and-Spa
Veranda Tamarin Hotel and Spa is located in the mythical retro surf spot of Tamarin Bay.
There are many more hotels in the area.
Tamarin Bay is also known for the water sports such as surfing, bodyboarding, paddleboarding, kitesurfing, snorkeling and scuba diving, high sea fishing,catamaran cruise and dolphin or whale watching etc.
Cascavelle Shopping Village located in Flic-en Flac is a great destination for shopping.
The Champ de Mars Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse race track in Port Louis, Mauritius. The Racecourse was inaugurated on 25 June 1812, by The Mauritius Turf Club (MTC). Turf Club is the second oldest horse-racing club in the world. The racing season is from late March to early December. The Champ de Mars attracts tens of thousands of people on each racing day.
Within the premises of the racecourse stands a statue of King Edward VII, and the Malartic Tomb, an obelisk to a French governor.
On a racing day.
When Mauritius gained independence on 12 March 1968, the event including the flag hoisting ceremony was held here. Since then and for many years, the racecourse has seen the annual celebration of the accession to independence.
When he came to Mauritius, Colonel Edward Draper enthusiastically promoted horse racing at the Champ de Mars for some twenty years, racing his own thoroughbreds, often riding them in competition, to the point that he became known as the “Father” of the Mauritius Turf Club.
Race Horses
Mauritius’ big horse races include the Duchess of York Cup, Barbé Cup, Maiden Cup, and the Duke of York Cup. The horses and jockeys come mostly from South Africa and Australia. The races are held on weekends.
Notable royal visits include those of Queen Elizabeth II; Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
Mauritius is home to many markets where buyers get a wide variety of handicrafts and local goods. Located in the heart of Grand Baie, the Grand Baie Bazaar is where you will get a variety of stalls with souvenirs such as colorful bags, fabrics, handicrafts and gift items on offer. Stones, silver or gold jewelry can also be bought in several shops.
While you are at the Grand Baie Bazaar, check around the market to see if you can get a cheaper deal at another store. The quality of the mock-designer clothing is average, so do not be disappointed if your dress looks worn out after a couple of washes. The market is usually crowded on weekends and therefore beware of pickpockets.
Grand Baie Bazaar
Grand Baie Bazaar is located away from the Royal Road in what may look like a hidden inland street. The street at the Grand Baie has shops lined at both sides of the alley.
Grand Baie Bazaar is the right place to buy Malagasy and Mauritian Crafts.
A wide variety of street food and snacks are also available in the food stalls in the market.
In Super U Hypermarket, which is located in Grand Baie, a self-caterer gets almost everything he can imagine. Baguette, jam, chocolate, mixed pickles, Indian masala – there is nothing you can not find here. Super U also has a wide choice of fresh foods like cheese, meat and fish, vegetables and fruits. Not only ingredients for a decent meal can be bought in the big supermarket, but also things like souvenirs, snorkeling equipment, clothes, shoes, books, magazines and newspapers.
‘Bluesteel‘, ‘Roxy‘, ‘IV Play‘, ‘Red Snapper‘ are clothing stores for the younger people. ‘Une histoire d´amour‘ provides lovely lingerie. Beachwear can be found at the same-named shop. ‘Lemon Yellow‘ has a wide choice of man´s shirts. If you are looking for jewelry, ‘Mikado‘ is the right spot. For evening dresses you go to the store ‘Tendances’. Even a pharmacy is also to be found.
Shopping in Grand Baie
If you go outside this area you will find even more shops on two floors. ‘Island Haze‘, ‘Fashion House‘, ‘Mr. Price‘, ‘Peace Angels‘ and ‘O`Neill‘ provide you with the latest fashion. Shops like Courts Home2Office and Happy World offer housewares, electrical and electronic devices. Of course you will also find jewelers, perfumeries like Mado or shops with accessories like Gurlz. Also a craft market is to be found which is decorated in an Asian style, where you can bargain not like in other shops. There are shoe shops, a wellness centre, a florist and also an optician.
