Chamarel, Mauritius

I visited Mauritius with a great group of people. This is us at the Chamarel distillery

Ah, Mauritius. Just from writing that I can already smell the sea air and feel that peaceful excitement of being on an island paradise. I love Mauritius – it’s a beautiful island getaway and most of the people are quite friendly. That’s before you discover its culinary delights and its warm waters. I cannot recommend it enough.

I have had the privilege of visiting Mauritius for many years so I have stayed at different hotels on different parts of the island. I’ve also experienced the all-inclusive and the bed & breakfast options. The style of accommodation is really down to your preferences and how much extra work you want to do – do you want to pay it all upfront and not worry on holiday or would you like the opportunity to have some meals at local hotspots? Those are not the questions I’d like to answer today. Instead, I would like to share a few of the many fun things you can do in Mauritius besides soaking up some sun on the beach. I have quite a few tips so I’ll have to share these over a few blogs. Today, let’s chat about Chamarel.

Chamarel

This little village is probably best known for the 7-Coloured Earth Geopark or the rum distillery, depending on the preferences of the person you ask. The village is also home to the Black River Gorges National Park – the location of the Chamarel waterfall. If you’re staying nearby, you may want to split up your Chamarel activities into two days so you can take it slow and really enjoy everything. If it’s a bit more of a distance to get here, you can try and squeeze everything into one day or rather just choose one or two activities. I recommend the latter so you can enjoy what you do.

7-Coloured Earth

I know you’re reading the name and wondering what on earth this is. Well, it’s a geopark where the earth is seven colours. I only counted about four or five but others could see all seven. You can let me know how many you can count when you visit. It’s a great spot for photos and outdoor fun. They have some old, old tortoises (like 100 years old) that you can see at the park and you can stop for a meal. This is not where you will be spending hours and hours of your time so keep that in mind. 

Distillery

La Rhumerie de Chamarel is a local rum distillery where you can learn about the rum-making process (from sugarcane) and tour the distillery. There’s also an on-site restaurant with a menu that boasts plenty of dishes with – you guessed it – rum. It’s both educational and a culinary delight. For your itinerary planning: expect to spend a bit of time here.  

Black River Gorges National Park

Just as the name says, this is a natural attraction. It’s a great spot for short or long hikes and the best place to see the waterfall. Depending on what you would like to do (a quick photo op with the waterfall or a hike to better vantage points) you can plan to spend a short time or a long time here. This is definitely a must-visit for the nature enthusiasts – there are plenty of native plants and bird species to be seen here.

What fun attractions in Chamarel have I missed?

All photos are mine.