The north coast is Mauritius’s busiest holiday area, with beaches on a mostly calm, shallow lagoon around Trou aux Biches, Mont Choisy and Pereybère, and Grand Baie as its main hub for restaurants, shops, dive centres and boat trips. It suits swimmers, families and travellers who want beach time alongside dining and nightlife, while inland Pamplemousses and Mapou add gardens, a sugar museum and an estate visit.
The airport to Pereybère is about 60 minutes by car; Port Louis to Trou aux Biches is about 20 minutes. Drive times in this guide are by car without traffic, rounded up. The north includes Grand Baie, Pointe aux Canonniers, Cap Malheureux, Grand Gaube, Trou aux Biches and Pamplemousses, so choose a coastal or inland focus rather than trying to fit every stop into one outing.
Beaches from Trou aux Biches to Cap Malheureux
The north’s beaches make an easy sequence of short coastal stops. At Trou aux Biches Public Beach, a long sandy shore and reef-protected lagoon sit beside the village; the public beach is separate from nearby hotels. Where: Trou aux Biches.
Mont Choisy Beach is a public shoreline between Trou aux Biches and Grand Baie, while La Cuvette Beach is a public beach beside Grand Baie. Both work as stops when you want an open stretch of coast without entering a resort. Where: Morcellement Choisy and Grand Baie.
Pereybere Beach is another proclaimed public beach in the Grand Baie area. Farther north, Bain Boeuf Public Beach is a public coastal place in Cap Malheureux, making it a straightforward stop on an outing towards the northern tip. These are public shorelines, not hotel services; conditions vary from day to day. Where: Grand Baie and Cap Malheureux.
Boats, diving and the northern islets
Grand Baie is the departure point for a day on the water. Croisières Australes runs a full-day shared catamaran cruise towards Coin de Mire, Flat Island and Gabriel Island, with snorkelling, time to explore and a barbecue lunch on board. A shorter sunset cruise follows the northern coast. Where: Grand Baie.
For a submarine outing, Blue Safari Submarine operates from Trou aux Biches. Its submarine excursion includes a 40-minute dive to around 35 metres to see reef life and the Star Hope wreck; the full experience, including briefing and transfers, takes about two hours. Where: Trou aux Biches.
The north also has dive centres in several coastal villages. Panorama Divers in Grand Baie is a PADI Instructor Development Centre running small-group guided trips for different experience levels. Dodo Divers is based at Calodyne and offers recreational and technical diving as well as training, with northern reef and wreck sites among the options. Where: Grand Baie and Calodyne.
At Bain Bœuf, Just Diving offers underwater activities that range from an introduction with mask, fins and snorkel to scuba diving. It is a practical option for visitors staying around Cap Malheureux or Grand Baie. Where: Cap Malheureux.
Pamplemousses and the inland estates
In Pamplemousses, the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden, formerly the Royal Botanic Garden, is a place to walk among tropical plant collections and ponds. Its broad paths suit a relaxed visit, and the garden’s long history of cultivation adds an island-heritage dimension to the grounds. Where: Pamplemousses.
A short drive away, L’Aventure du Sucre occupies a former sugar factory at Beau Plan. Exhibits trace the sugar industry and its place in Mauritius’s wider history, using the mill’s machinery and industrial setting as part of the visit. A tasting of sugar-cane products is included in the visitor experience. Where: Beau Plan.
At Mapou, Château de Labourdonnais combines a historic house with gardens on the Domaine de Labourdonnais estate. The self-paced visit takes around an hour and a half; a longer guided option adds the underground museum and takes about two hours. Both include a tasting of estate products. Nearby, Quartier des Serres hosts pop-up markets, artisan events and food gatherings, including a gourmet market at La Halle, bringing local makers and producers into the estate. Where: Mapou.
For a different kind of heritage stop, Maheswarnath Mandir in Triolet is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and associated with the island’s first pilgrimage to Ganga Talao. Its Bengali architectural style reflects a tradition rooted in eastern India. It remains a place of worship, so visitors should be respectful and follow guidance at the temple. Where: Triolet.
Where to eat
Grand Baie covers several styles. Le Capitaine serves Mauritian and Creole cooking alongside fresh fish, lobster, prawns and calamari. Botteghita Ristorante & Bar has an Italian menu arranged around antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci, with wines and cocktails. For a daytime break, Fynbos Meeting Place is a café serving breakfast, lunch and New York-style cookies, with outdoor seating. Where: Grand Baie.
On the coast, Top Deck Bar & Grill pairs fresh seafood and flame-grilled dishes with Mauritian flavours and a sea view. In Pointe aux Canonniers, La Payotte serves French-inspired food and tapas beside the sand, with a menu that includes a smoked captain’s fillet. Where: Grand Baie and Pointe aux Canonniers.
For lunch or dinner at Trou aux Biches, Le Pescatore serves seasonal seafood and local produce under a Creole veranda beside the water. At Domaine de Labourdonnais in Mapou, La Table du Château cooks with estate-grown fruit, local fisheries and Mauritian ingredients; La Terrasse is the estate’s open-air option for breakfast and lunch among the gardens. Where: Trou aux Biches and Mapou.
In Pereybère, Paradisio Pizza Maurice makes contemporary Neapolitan-style pizzas for delivery or collection. It is a kitchen rather than a dine-in restaurant, so it suits a meal at your accommodation or a planned collection. Where: Pereybère.
Where to stay
Grand Baie and Pointe aux Canonniers suit travellers who want restaurants and village facilities close by, with choices ranging from self-catering to full-service hotels. Gästehaus Heliconia has self-catering apartments with kitchenettes, balconies and a garden pool. Domaine de Grand Baie offers equipped studios, apartments and penthouses alongside hotel services, restaurants, pools and a spa. Where: Pointe aux Canonniers and Grand Baie.
For a family resort within walking distance of Grand Baie’s restaurants and shops, Mauricia Beachcomber Resort & Spa has family apartments, two restaurants, a pool and a kids’ club. Maison du Nord is a smaller tourist residence at Pointe aux Canonniers, about 2.5 kilometres from Grand Baie and two kilometres from Mont Choisy Beach. Adults seeking a boutique base on the lagoon can consider La Maison 20 Degrés Sud, an adults-only hotel with rooms, suites, a villa, two pools and three restaurants. Where: Grand Baie and Pointe aux Canonniers.
Trou aux Biches and Balaclava offer beach and resort stays along the north-west coast. Le Palmiste Resort & Spa is in the village, a short walk from the beach, with family rooms, three pools and a children’s pool. For suites or villas beside the beach, Trou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa has several restaurants, a main pool and a complimentary kids’ club. Where: Trou aux Biches.
At Balaclava, The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa, Mauritius combines rooms and family suites with a kids’ club, spa, pools and boat tours beside Turtle Bay. The Oberoi, Mauritius offers rooms and villas among sub-tropical gardens on the same coast, with dining, a pool, spa and cultural activities on site. Where: Balaclava and Pointe aux Piments.
For a far-north base outside Grand Baie’s centre, Coin de Mire Attitude faces Bain Boeuf beach and has two pools, lagoon activities, a spa and a kids’ club. Lagoon Attitude at Anse la Raie is adults-only, with rooms and suites, several restaurants and activities such as paddleboarding, snorkelling and catamaran outings. Where: Cap Malheureux and Anse la Raie.
In Grand Gaube, LUX* Grand Gaube has rooms, suites and villas on a peninsula between two coves, with several restaurants and facilities for families; The Banyan is a separate adults-only area within the resort. Veranda Paul & Virginie is an adults-only lagoon-side hotel with ocean-view room options, a spa and activities including boat trips and cycling. Where: Grand Gaube.
A day in the north
For an inland day from Grand Baie, drive from La Cuvette to the botanic garden in Pamplemousses in about 15 minutes. Walk the paths among the tropical collections, then continue from the garden to Château de Labourdonnais in about 7 minutes. Explore the house and estate, and have lunch at La Table du Château before returning to the coast. This plan combines a garden visit, local history and a meal without trying to cover both the northern tip and the inland villages in one day.
Weather and when to go
Long-term figures for the Mauritius Meteorological Services station at Pamplemousses record 148 days a year with more than 1 mm of rain; that is more than the western station at Medine (64 days) and fewer than the eastern station at Fuel (173). February is the wettest month and September the driest. Mean maximum temperature reaches 31.1°C in January, compared with 25.7°C in July, when the mean minimum is 16.1°C. October and November are the sunniest months in the table, averaging 8.2 to 8.7 hours of sunshine a day; see the north climate table for the long-term figures.
The north links lagoon beaches and boat trips with inland heritage, gardens and food. For the full range of places to stay and eat, see the north area page; for weather patterns across the island, use Best time to visit Mauritius.
