Mauritius offers many stunning beaches that are worth the visit! Read this post and learn 7 things that you should know before visiting public beaches on Mauritius!
1. Free public toilets and changing rooms
The toilets on the public beaches are free and they are cleaned well. On many beaches you can also find changing rooms.
2. Free parking at the public beaches
The parking is free on the public beaches and at the shopping malls in Mauritius. There is plenty of place to park your car or motorbike at the beach!
3. Casuarina trees are growing on almost every public beach
Casuarina trees (also called Filao trees) provide shade on the public beaches and they also serve as the divider of the urban area and the ocean. However, in the future these trees may be replaced with other trees according to The Ministry of Environment. Private resorts have more palm trees growing on their area. So don’t expect public beaches to have plenty of palm trees!
4. All the beaches of Mauritius are public
There are plenty of beaches all around Mauritius and some of these beaches have resorts and hotels. However, all the beaches are accessible to everyone. The part of the beach which is not leased to hotels is accessible to all. This part is between the high water marks and the ocean.
Beaches all around Mauritius look a bit different – some are rocky, some have white sand and some are more private than the others. Explore different beaches and find your favourite one :). I personally loved the beaches on the smaller islands that are located around Mauritius. The beach on the Gabriel island is easily my favourite!
5. Some beaches offer various water activities
At the beach you can find different stalls and people that are offering water activities such as snorkelling, sailing, SUP boarding, parasailing, underwater sea walks, wakeboarding, water ski, windsurfing, kayaking, you name it! If you are not into lying on the beach and just tanning, you won’t get bored! For example; there are many boats at the Trou aux Biches that offer snorkelling tours with sea turtles.
6. Many beaches have roped areas for swimming
Several beaches have yellow buoy ropes near to the beach for marking the area where it is safe to swim. Since at some beaches there are boats coming near to the beach it might be safer to stay in the area inside the ropes. For example, Grand Baie Public Beach is quite busy with boats and catamarans. Also, there may be sharp coral or sea urchins near some beaches, so if you want to swim in areas that are not that touristic, I recommend that you swim in your beach shoes. You should definitely be aware of sea urchins at the beaches of Ile aux Cerf!
7. Street food stalls are found on the beach
Some of the beaches have stalls offering fresh fruits and local dishes. Here you can find samosas, farathas, roti, fried rice, burgers etc. My favourite vendor was Le Blu Vital at the Trou aux Biches beach. The food was amazing and the prices are very cheap! This stall was very popular among locals and thus we also chose to eat here!
