Mauritius without a car

You can see a large part of Mauritius without ever driving. The island is small enough for everything to be within reach, and well enough served for a hire car to be just one option among others: buses, light rail, taxis, organised excursions, boats, bicycles, and the shuttles many hotels run themselves. What matters is to choose your base accordingly.

Three kinds of place lend themselves to it. The first is Grand Baie, the liveliest town in the north, with its bars, its beach clubs, more than fifty restaurants and its Grand Bazar. From the Mauricia Beachcomber, right in the heart of the town, the shops, the nightlife and the casino are all reached on foot. The second is Flic-en-Flac, on the west coast: from the Villas Caroline, on the beachfront, the casino, the shopping centre and the restaurants are within walking distance. The third is Port Louis itself, where the Labourdonnais Waterfront stands on the seafront and Le Suffren on the marina.

Other addresses make up for their distance with a shuttle. Maison du Nord, at Pointe aux Canonniers, two kilometres from Mont Choisy beach, drives its guests there every day. The Veranda Paul et Virginie, at Grand Gaube, takes its guests to Grand Baie twice a week, and in the evening at weekends. The Veranda Pointe aux Biches shuttle leaves on weekdays for Trou aux Biches beach at 10am and returns at 3pm, on reservation. On the east coast, the Friday Attitude is served by a bus, and the Tropical Attitude and the Laguna Beach both run the crossing to Île aux Cerfs.

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Buses and light rail

The bus network covers the whole island. There are two kinds, ordinary buses and express buses, faster and air-conditioned but less frequent. In towns, buses run from 5.30am to 8pm; in the countryside, from 6.30am to 6.30pm. A late service links Port Louis and Curepipe until 11pm. Expect a bus roughly every fifteen minutes, and ask at reception for the timetables before setting out.

The Metro Express, a light rail line, links Port Louis and Curepipe. You travel with a MECard, a prepaid, rechargeable smart card that comes in five versions, adult, child, student, senior and priority; cards and tickets are sold from the machines in the stations. At the other end of the line, Curepipe has the Trou aux Cerfs crater, at an altitude of 605 metres, and a botanical garden two kilometres from the centre, open from 7am to 7pm from October to April. For lunch on the plateau, Wapalapam Les Arcades is in the Currimjee Arcades.

The centre of Port Louis can be covered entirely on foot: the Caudan Waterfront, the Central Market, the Aapravasi Ghat and Chinatown are all within walking distance of one another. A day there can be arranged without a single motorised journey. In the morning, the Blue Penny Museum, at the Caudan, open Monday to Saturday; then the Central Market, its fruit under the market hall and its dholl puri stalls; then the lanes of Chinatown, around Royal Road. For lunch, Lai Min, at 58 Royal Road, has served Cantonese and Hakka cooking since 1946, every day except Monday. In the afternoon, the Odysseo Oceanarium, at Les Salines, is five minutes’ walk from the station by the Caudan Waterfront footbridge.

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Boats, excursions and drivers

For Île aux Cerfs, the Pointe Maurice jetty at Trou d’Eau Douce sends out a boat every thirty minutes, from 9.30am to 6pm. For the other islands, you hire a water taxi or join a boat trip; a boat operated commercially carries a registration number beginning with PC.

Organised excursions, by the half day or the day, are often booked at the hotel and run by minibus for groups. For more freedom without driving, a private driver-guide picks up passengers and shapes the tour to their pace; you can also keep a car and driver for a full eight-hour day. These outings are booked with officially licensed companies.

In the evening, once the buses have stopped running, Mauritians take a taxi. You will find them outside hotels and shopping centres, but it is better to have one called by the establishment, and to agree the fare before getting in. There is no Uber in Mauritius; apps such as Yugo book a taxi at a price fixed in advance.

Many hotels rent out bicycles or can point you to a hire shop nearby. An ordinary bicycle is enough for the quiet roads around your base; an electric bike gives the stamina needed to go further. The Friday Attitude even offers bicycles fitted with child seats. As for walking, the waymarked trails of Le Morne Brabant and Black River Gorges National Park are best done with a certified local guide.