Mahebourg and the south-east: what to do in the forgotten side of Mauritius

Mahebourg is a seaside town in the south-east, ten minutes from the airport. Most travellers drive straight through it on the way to their hotel. That is a pity: it is one of the few places in Mauritius where you still see Mauritian life without a set built for visitors.

Three of my excursions go there, and they do not tell the same story.

What is in Mahebourg

The town carries the memory of two events. The Dutch landing of 1598, which gave the island its name. Then the naval battle of 1810 — the only French victory in the Indian Ocean inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe. The British lost it here before taking the island a few months later.

The naval museum, housed in a colonial mansion, keeps objects raised from the wrecks. The Monday market is one of the liveliest on the island. And the Rault biscuit factory next door has been making cassava biscuits since 1870 by a process that has not changed — a small family business, not an attraction built for coaches.

The two south-eastern islets

Offshore lie two islets visited for opposite reasons.

Ile aux Aigrettes is a nature reserve. Species that had vanished from mainland Mauritius have been reintroduced here: the Aldabra giant tortoise, the pink pigeon, the echo parakeet. Visits are guided and limited — this is conservation work, not a beach.

Ile des Deux Cocos is the opposite: a private islet in the Blue Bay marine park, with a villa built in the 1920s by the British governor of the day. You go for the lagoon and for the day out.

The two excursions, and how to choose

• Mahebourg, Rault biscuit factory & Ile aux Aigrettes, from 139 €. The culture and nature day: the town, the biscuit factory, then the reserve. This is what I suggest to the curious, and to anyone travelling with teenagers.
• Mahebourg naval museum & Ile des Deux Cocos, from 169 €. The history and lagoon day: the museum in the morning, the private islet in the afternoon. More restful, and better if you want to swim.

The difference in one sentence: the first teaches you something, the second lets you unwind. Both go through Mahebourg.

If you want the lagoon rather than the town

Blue Bay lives up to its name. The lagoon is protected as a marine park and the coral bottom is visible from the surface — one of the few places on the island where a mask and snorkel are enough to see something genuinely beautiful.

Two catamarans leave from this coast: the luxury catamaran from Mahebourg from 199 €, and the full-day south-east cruise from 189 €. I go through them in my guide on which catamaran cruise to choose.

Staying in the south-east

If you would rather be on the spot than drive two hours from the north, there is Preskil Island Resort, from 369 € a night, set on a peninsula at Blue Bay with the marine park in front.

And for the deeper south, Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa at Bel Ombre, from 469 €. It is the part of the island where you meet the fewest people.

The Blue Bay page gathers everything I offer on that coast.

One practical detail that matters

The airport is ten minutes from Mahebourg. If your flight leaves late in the day, a south-east excursion on your last day is the best possible use of those dead hours: check out in the morning, spend the day outside, and reach the airport without a detour.

Mention it when you ask for your quote — I will line up the excursion and the transfer together.