You would be doing yourself a massive disservice if you were to visit the beautiful island country of Mauritius and not plan to spend a few full days in and around the water. With many water activities to participate in, there is indeed no shortage of ways to keep yourself and your family entertained on your vacation.
Snorkeling
If you fancy yourself a snorkeler, you’ll feel like you’re in paradise here. Nearly all of the country is surrounded by a coral reef, making it a perfect destination for snorkeling. Perhaps the most popular place to start is Blue Bay Marine Park, just off the island’s southeast corner. The waters here are exceptionally clear, and because the water isn’t as deep as in some other areas around Mauritius, it’s an excellent place for beginners. You can expect to see beautiful and colorful sea life like parrot fish, clown fish, mangroves, and angelfish. Pointe aux Piments on the northwest coast is another great destination to consider visiting to snorkel if you’re hoping to spot sea turtles. Ile aux Cerfs is a 100-hectare piece of land just off the east coast and is a picture-perfect paradise, complete with aquamarine waters and white sand bars.
Beach Days
On your trip to Mauritius, you should plan to have at least a full day or two spent at the beach. If you don’t consider yourself a swimmer or don’t love water activities, you can easily spend an entire day beach bumming it, enjoying the sights and views the country offers.
There are plenty of beaches to visit on the country’s north coast. If you love water sports, you’ll love that activities like water skiing, sailing, deep sea fishing, and parasailing are readily available from several of these beaches. Grand Bay is one of the most popular beaches for tourists, and all of the activities mentioned above are easily accessible from there.
Beaches on the east coast tend to be less developed but are equally as beautiful. Blue Bay Beach, for example, provides pleasant views and is perfect for swimmers. Visitors to the country’s west coast will love the shallow and turquoise waters. Flic en Flac is a long stretch of beach perfect for swimming and snorkeling. The beach here is protected by the reefs and will provide a safer swimming experience without worrying about water currents.
Though beautiful, we wouldn’t recommend swimming on much of the south coast as the waters are a bit wilder and the currents are strong.
Diving
Because of the natural coral surrounding the island, the sea life is vast, beautiful, and clear waters. Both beginner and experienced divers will find something to love about scuba diving in Mauritius, whether it’s the cliffs, drop-offs, eels, parrot fish, or sea wrecks (22 of them around the island!).
A Mauritius vacation will appeal to many people with varying ideas of what makes a vacation perfect. The country should be a must-do and a definite bucket list item for people who thrive in the water and love participating in water activities.