The legendary early 1970s surf movie “Lost Island of Santosha” helped confirm the potent surfing iconography of the pilgrimage to perfect waves at exotic locations on tropical islands strewn across the planet.

Great waves on Mauritius and Réunion islands in the western Indian Ocean featured in the movie.

Extensive coverage in numerous  surf magazines followed. Australian surfers added Mauritius, in particular, to their ‘must do’ travel experiences.

But the new love affair with Mauritius faded away over the years. Bali and Indonesia were seen as a closer and cheaper winter warm water getaway.

But all that’s now changing for the travelling longboarder.

The introduction of weekly flights from Perth and Sydney by Air Mauritius and the availability of a range of great value packages at the island’s many outstanding resort hotels has made Mauritius well worth considering again for your next great overseas holiday.

It’s eight hours’ flying time from Perth and thirteen hours from Sydney to the island situated 855kms east of Madagascar;  Africa is the nearest continent.
Mauritius’ main surf spots are all located on the island’s south west coast – about an hour’s drive from the international airport on the mid east coast. 

The first destination for waves is either the extreme south west tip along the offshore fringing coral reefs of the Le Morne Peninsular or some 18 kilometres further north at Tamarin Bay.

The peninsular is dominated by the ancient Le Morne basalt monolith rising some 243 metres from just behind the coast.

Folklore says Le Morne was named to mourn for slaves from the sugar plantations who, on being told by the British of their emancipation, misunderstood and, thinking it meant they’d be shipped off to indentured penury elsewhere, climbed to the top and threw themselves to their deaths.
Today, the dominating landmark of Le Morne provides a spectacular backdrop to one of the longest and best beaches in Mauritius and the calm waters of the inner lagoon which face a string of resort hotels. Diving, snorkelling, water skiing and glass bottom boat tours are generally supplied free to guests as part of the resort packages.

Boats will also take longboarders out nearly a kilometre to the two main spots on the Le Morne coast – One Eye and The Pass – which curl along breaks in the reef.

One Eye is a walling left,  with a right-hander on the opposite side of the channel which is rideable on a high tide. The Pass, further to the south, is a left. Be wary of both spots and ask for local advice at the resorts about the conditions. If the offshore wind is gusting on the beach, it will be too bumpy out on the reef and the current could also be too strong. And if there’s a strong outgoing tide, paddling against the water pouring through the narrow opening in the reef can be hazardous. The tides are posted daily at the resort boathouses. Despite the need for caution, both spots are popular and considered safe.

The Le Morne breaks work from small and up to medium swells. Locals say that when One Eye starts to close out, head for Tamarin.

The left reef break at Tamarin is world famous. And with good reason. It’s a classic and you’ll probably never surf anything like it anywhere else on the planet. It  is a stunning wide and deep bay with a river mouth at one end and the beautiful mountains of the Black River Gorge stretching away inland from the sea. Sitting in the water looking back to the land is a memorable experience in itself.

The main break is situated at the southern end of the bay. It’s a short walk from the car park through a grove of tamarisk trees, followed by an easy paddle through the local fishing boats moored on the calm shore behind the surf reef.

The reef is shallow and very sharp. Wetsuit booties are a must. When you wipe out, fall off flat. Don’t dive.

The water is stunningly clear. It is quite unnerving for the first few waves as you watch the coral reef zip past below, seemingly just centimetres from the surface.

But Tamarin Bay is just perfection. The left walls barrel and break fast down the line. The waves just grind along like they’ve been pumped out of a machine. If you fall behind the slot, the curl just runs away from you. If you get too far out on the shoulder, your board slows and you fall back into the slot. The rides are long and GO! And yes, rideable on a longboard.

But that’s the frustration of Mauritius. If you don’t luck out on the swell, you watch perfect, unrideable tiny barrels just pumping away all day across the Tamarin Bay reef. “You should have been here last week!”

Local boatmen told us that the week before our visit when it was eight foot plus at the main reef break, a good quality right hander was also pouring down the black granite boulder point on the northern side of the bay.

And when the swell is running, there’s also often a good quality beach break with long, walling peeling peaks in the centre of the bay which are ideal for the kids on boogie boards, or for an easier fun Mal wave (after the adrenaline rush of the main break).

Tamarin Bay is one of those once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-forgotten wave experiences. But if you don’t get it ‘on’, there’s plenty to do out of the surf on Mauritius to still make it a great holiday.

Mauritius is located some 20 degrees South of the Equator – about the same latitude as Port Hedland on WA’s Pilbara coast or Townsville, in Queensland.

Besides the odd summer cyclone, the most consistent rideable swells push up from the south of the Indian Ocean in mid winter – June-August.

Water temperatures in winter are still a warm 250C but sometimes get down to 220C. So its generally boardies-and-rashies, or a wettie vest, in the surf. The ocean warms up to as high as 27.80C in January-February (when rainfall, humidity are at their peak too and temperatures soar to 340C).

Winter daytime temperatures on the coast average 26.30C in June-July and 25.70C in August.  June-July can bring blustery, cool south-bearing winds and more regular cloud cover. The west coast is the windiest part of the island in winter.

The highest peak on the island is Piton de la Rivière Noire at 828m. On the inland plateau it can get cool to cold in mid-winter, so if you’re touring there you’ll need a jumper.

August-to-November are the driest, sunniest months and the peak tourist season as the winds drop away.

Mauritius was originally colonised by French and Dutch settlers in the early 1700s – the British came a century later and made the island part of the empire. Mauritius is now an independent country with a Westminster style constitution and remains a member of the British Commonwealth. As a result of this colonial history, the country is mad about soccer and horse racing. And they drive on the left hand side of the road too.

Yet, while the official language of government and business is English, most Mauritians converse in French or the Creole dialect. Mauritius is a socially harmonious society with a diversity of ethic backgrounds and religious beliefs.

The currency is the Mauritian rupee. One Australian dollar buys about 20 rupees.

Various specialised apparel lines by famous global brand name designers are manufactured on the island for world markets, including Ralph Lauren, Polo, Hugo Boss and Versace. Factory outlets – especially for Polo men’s and women’s knitwear and men’s shirts – are common and offer great prices.

Other great buys on Mauritius include local paintings, which are unique and feature vivid tropical colours, and wonderful scale models of old sailing ships, which are handmade on the island.

The main industry on Mauritius is sugar cane farming. A century ago there were 300 cane factories on the island. Now there are 11. Nevertheless, Mauritius has created a global industry with a range of specialised golden-brown crystals from the Demerara sugars. Half the island’s power supplies are produced from the waste fibre – bagasse – after the cane is cut and the juice extracted to make the sugar. The juice is also used for rum production.

Tea production is also an important part of the economy, with plantations on the cool inland plateau areas. No trip to Mauritius would be complete without tasting the island’s famous vanilla-flavoured teas.

Despite the lush vegetation and cane fields, there are no snakes or even spiders on Mauritius – it’s bitey-free.

There’s lots to do out of the surf while holidaying on Mauritius.

From Le Morne or Tamarin, guided tours in taxi cabs are available at reasonable prices. The tours can be booked through hotel receptions.

For example, the south tour takes about five-to-six hours and costs about A$80 for up to four people. It’s great value and includes:

La Vanille Crocodile Park: entrance is about A$6 per person and includes a one hour tour with a personal guide for each group. The park breeds Nile crocodiles but also features the world’s biggest collection of the endangered giant Aldabra tortoises. The park is located in a steep ravine area and is one of the few patches of original jungle-like vegetation in the area which was not cleared for sugar cane.

Gris-Gris: a famous headland lookout pounded by wild waves.
Grand Bassin: a Hindu temple complex where followers dip their feet in the sacred waters of a lake on the high plateau area of the island.
Chamarel: the unique ‘Seven Coloured Earths’, a moonscape spectrum of eroded volcanic ash. Nearby are the stunning Rochester Falls.
Black River Gorge Lookout: spectacular views down through the Black River Gorge national park and falls.
La route du thé – the tea route: a fascinating day tour all of its own which starts at Le Domaine des Aubineaux plantation house built in 1872, followed by tea tasting at the chalet of Bois Chéri, a Mauritian meal at Le Saint Aubin, plus further tastings at the Vanilla House and the House of Rhum.

There is also a north day tour by taxi which takes in:

The Capital, Port Louis, about 45 minutes’ drive north from Tamarin, with its great shopping at places like Le Caudan Waterfront – a maze of former sugar warehouses which have been converted and re-fashioned into a stunning attraction on the harbour featuring high quality fashion shops, locally-made jewellery and crafts, restaurants and even a small casino. Le Caudan also features the wonderful Penny Blue Museum, named for the rarest and most valuable of stamps – a set of which are the feature display. The museum also highlights Matthew Flinders – the man who first mapped Australia’s coast. Flinders was infamously imprisoned on Mauritius on his way home to England, breaking his health and hastening his early death.
Caudan Duty Free Centre near the harbour features many of the top world designer labels, plus wonderful furniture and household goods from India.
Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens, near Port Louis, covers 60 acres and boasts 500 different species of plants, of which 80 are palms, plus the stunning giant Victoria Amazonica water lillies.
Grand-Baie on the far north-western tip of Mauritius is one of the most beautiful parts of the island. It is where the first resorts were developed and where the wealthiest residential areas are located. The area has oceanside restaurants with  stunning outlooks.

Other tourist pastimes include big game fishing and walking tours through inland wilderness areas to view unique flora and fauna in the stunning landscape.

The Mauritius Turf Club at the Champ de Mars track in Port Louis is the third oldest horseracing club in the world – after the Jockey Clubs of Britain and Ireland. It was established by a British Colonel in 1812 and pre-dated the gallops starting up in Australia. Horseracing is the most popular sport in Mauritius.

Golf: Mauritius boasts a growing number of great-looking international standard golf courses which are attached to resort hotels. There are currently five nine-hole courses and three 18-hole courses. More courses are being developed. The full courses are located at Le Paradis at Le Morne and on the upper east coast at Belle Mare Plage Hotel and at Ile aux Cerfs, which is attached to the super luxury One&Only Le Touessrok resort hotel.
Ile aux Cerfs is probably the most spectacular course on Mauritius. Designed by Bernhard Langer, it is situated on its own white sand fringed island just offshore from the resort and is set against a backdrop of lush green mountains. All 18 holes have views of the ocean.

The island’s mixture of British, French Creole, Indian and Chinese cultures provides some great restaurant experiences.

The winding and spectacular drive from the Black River Gorge back down to the coast passes two local delights for lunch near the Le Morne-Tamarin surf coast.

Varangue Sur Morne, is an open sided wooden and grass hut set amidst beautiful gardens. It is perched high up in the mountains and has a spectacular outlook down through the wild and virtually uninhabited national park.

Further along the winding road from the mountains down to the coast, the Chamarel is a very similar style restaurant but with spectacular views down to the sea.

Just outside Tamarin is Le Bistrot du Barachois. This French bistro style restaurant overlooks a deer ranch and venison served on the broad balcony is a speciality.


Where to stay
The hotel industry on Mauritius has grown from scratch to provide a range of world-class resort-style accommodation in just 20 years.

Mauritian hotel stays all include what’s termed half board, i.e. daily breakfast and dinner is included in the price. In some hotels this is for a specified main restaurant which generally serves smorgasbord style meals. If you dine at other restaurants in the resort, you pay extra.

Most of the beachside hotels also provide water sports facilities and activities free of charge as part of the package. This can include snorkelling, water skiing, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and tours on glass bottom boats. Diving, dolphin watching, bicycles and big game fishing are provided on a paid basis as extras.

Four and five star hotels generally provide live poolside entertainment each evening and some feature a small on-site casino.

A favourite surfers’ hotel is the four-star Berjaya Le Morne Beach Resort. The decade-old Malaysian themed resort is spread over a sprawling 11 hectare garden site along the lagoon shoreline. The bedrooms are large and set in blocks of four, with two rooms upstairs and two downstairs. The central hotel complex features a large terrace restaurant overlooking the pool area and beach, plus a smaller, à la carte Chinese restaurant. The Berjaya faces directly out to the One Eye break on the outer coral reef.

Sharing the Le Morne Peninsular beachfront with the Berjaya are five-star resort hotels: Les Pavillions, Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa and the Paradis Hotel & Golf Club.

For the lower budget traveller who wants to be looking straight over the best surf on Mauritius, the 71-room Le Tamarin hotel right on the beach at Tamarin Bay is unique.

Built in the 1960s, it has recently been refurbished and could be described as vivid-funky-retro. The first impression of Le Tamarin is of fabulous colour. Buildings are painted mustard and sky blue with white corrugated iron rooves and pine log and cane thatched pergolas and sun screens. The rooms feature lime greens, orange and pinks and parquet wooden floors. Bathrooms are red, white and blue. It all works brilliantly.

 All rooms feature their own balcony looking on to the pool or beach (or both). Meals at the hotel’s two Creole-style restaurants are good too.

Across the other side of Tamarin Bay as the crow flies – but some 15-20 minutes by the road which loops inland around nature reserves and through sugar cane fields – are the Wolmar and Flic en Flac areas. This stretch of coast boasts the top-end of the accommodation spectrum, with a string of stunning five-star hotels: The Sands Resort, Sofitel Imperial, Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa, Sugar Beach Resort and La Pirogue. From the beautiful outlook across the beachside pool at The Sands Resort you can see the surf at Tamarin on the opposite side of the bay.

Low/surf season package deals
Low season in Mauritius – and the best prices for accommodation packages – falls between May 1 and August 31. And that’s also the best time of the year for longboarders to catch the winter swells pushing up from the southern Indian Ocean.

But there can be variations in the low/shoulder/high/peak seasons dates from hotel to hotel. So check with your travel agent when booking to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

During the high season months  (September 1 to November 30 and January 8 to April 30), European tourists flock to Mauritius to catch the sunniest and less windy periods of the year. But these are also – apart from January-February when summer tropical cyclones blow through – the lower swell months. The premium price peak season is over Christmas-New Year.