Book cheap flights to Mauritius

Mauritius enjoys warm weather all year round with moderate to high rainfall. Get the most comfortable weather conditions and the lowest rainfall by visiting the island nation during the seasons of winter (May – October) and early summer (November – December). These months will give you a break from the intense heat of the rest of the summer (January – April). With the conditions offered during this time, you can still enjoy the beaches and nature areas while avoiding the crowds that come during the mid to late summer season to enjoy the perfect beach weather, as well as the high hotel costs.

You will not need a visa to visit Mauritius. Make sure your passport will be valid for six months after your return date.

For more information, contact the Mauritius High Commission in Pretoria

(phone: 27 12 342 1283)

The High Commission of South Africa is in the capital of Mauritius, Port Louis.

Address: 4th Floor, British American Insurance Building, 25 Pope Hennessy Street, Port Louis

Before your trip, check with your doctor about getting all the routine vaccinations for travellers to Mauritius. Make sure to also receive immunisations for hepatitis A and typhoid, both of which are transmittable through contaminated food and water.

While enjoying the beautiful landscapes, lakes and beaches of Mauritius, make sure to stay alert at all times. Watch out for suspicious behaviour. Consider organising comprehensive travel insurance and confirm what activities and circumstances are not covered by your policy.

In addition, practise these basic safety tips while in Mauritius:

• Stay away from remote areas.

• When leaving your valuables in a vehicle, lock them in the boot to keep them out of sight.

• Refuse all offers of free guided tours.

• Do not use unlicensed taxis, as they are unsafe and drivers may overcharge you.

Accommodation in Mauritius ranges from comfortable self-catering apartments and charming guesthouses to some of the most celebrated and luxurious beach resorts in the entire Indian Ocean — and as one of South Africa’s most popular holiday destinations, Mauritius offers the full spectrum of island experiences within a short, direct flight from Johannesburg. Whether you’re after a budget-friendly family beach holiday, a romantic honeymoon escape or an indulgent five-star retreat, Mauritius delivers with characteristic warmth and island generosity.

Mauritius is divided into distinct coastal regions, each with its own character, atmosphere and accommodation style — and choosing the right part of the island for your needs is the most important planning decision for a Mauritius holiday.

The north coast — centred around Grand Baie and extending through Trou aux Biches and Mont Choisy — is the most developed and lively part of the island, with the widest range of restaurants, water sports operators, shopping and nightlife. Grand Baie in particular is the social hub of Mauritius, popular with South African families and repeat visitors for its excellent value, buzzing restaurant strip and easy access to day trips to the northern islands including Île Plate and Coin de Mire. Accommodation here ranges from comfortable mid-range apartments and guesthouses to well-established resort hotels. Well-regarded properties include the Veranda Grand Baie Hotel, the Canonnier Beachcomber Golf Resort and Spa at Pointe aux Cannoniers and the luxury Trou aux Biches Beachcomber Golf Resort and Spa — the latter consistently rated among the finest beach resorts in the Indian Ocean, with a magnificent lagoon beach and an extraordinary spa.

The west coast — centred around Flic-en-Flac and extending south through Tamarin and Black River (Rivière Noire) — is home to some of Mauritius’s longest and most beautiful beaches, with the calmest and clearest lagoon waters on the island. Flic-en-Flac is a favourite with South African self-drive travellers for its excellent value guesthouses, apartments and mid-range hotels, its superb diving (the site of some of Mauritius’s best wreck diving) and its more relaxed, neighbourhood feel compared to the busier north. The Tamarin area further south is popular with surfers and families, with a good range of boutique guesthouses and self-catering villas set back from the beach among tropical gardens. Well-regarded properties on the west coast include the Hilton Mauritius Resort and Spa at Flic-en-Flac and the intimate Sugar Beach Beachcomber resort further south.

The east coast — centred around Belle Mare and Trou d’Eau Douce — is home to Mauritius’s most spectacular stretch of beach: the long, powdery white sands of Belle Mare Plage, backed by casuarina trees and lapped by a shallow, brilliantly turquoise lagoon. This is Mauritius’s most upscale coastal region and home to some of the island’s most celebrated luxury resorts. Well-regarded properties include the One&Only Le Saint Géran — a legendary and beautifully redesigned luxury resort that has set the benchmark for Indian Ocean beach hotels for decades — the Shangri-La Le Touessrok Resort and Spa on its own private peninsula near Trou d’Eau Douce, with access to the exclusive Île aux Cerfs island, and the Constance Belle Mare Plage, offering an exceptional combination of beachfront location, world-class golf and outstanding cuisine.

The south coast — wilder, less developed and dramatically beautiful — offers a completely different side of Mauritius, with crashing Atlantic surf, lush sugar cane fields rolling down to the coast and a more authentically local atmosphere. The charming town of Mahébourg on the south-east coast is a wonderful base for exploring the Blue Bay Marine Park (a protected coral reef reserve), the Mahébourg Waterfront Museum and the wild Le Morne Peninsula — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary historical and cultural significance. Well-regarded south coast properties include the Shanti Maurice Resort and Spa at St. Félix — one of Mauritius’s most intimate and beautifully designed luxury retreats, set on a private beach away from the larger resort clusters — and the Beachcomber Paradis Resort on the Le Morne Peninsula.

In the capital Port Louis, a growing number of business hotels and boutique properties cater to transit travellers and those wanting to experience the city’s vibrant Caudan Waterfront, Central Market and the extraordinary cultural melting pot of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Indian Ocean. Well-regarded options include the Le Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel — the most atmospheric and well-positioned hotel in Port Louis, set in a beautifully converted colonial warehouse on the Caudan Waterfront.

Ready to book? Search and book accommodation in Mauritius at Travelstart and find the best deals across all budgets.

Getting around Mauritius is straightforward and enjoyable — the island is compact (approximately 65km from north to south and 45km from east to west), drives on the left, has English and French as official languages alongside Creole, and has a well-maintained road network that makes exploring at your own pace one of the great pleasures of a Mauritius holiday. For South African travellers, the familiarity of left-hand driving, broadly similar road conventions and the island’s manageable size make self-drive exploration particularly accessible and rewarding.

A hire car is by far the best and most recommended way to explore Mauritius independently — giving you the freedom to discover hidden beaches, visit inland attractions like the Black River Gorges National Park, the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earths, the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden and the L’Aventure du Sucre sugar museum, and to eat at local restaurants rather than being confined to your resort. The road network is generally well-maintained and clearly signposted, though roads can be narrow and winding in the mountainous interior and coastal routes can become congested around Port Louis and Grand Baie during morning and evening peak hours. A standard vehicle (no 4×4 required) is perfectly adequate for all sealed roads on the island. Hiring a car for at least a few days of your stay is strongly recommended for South African travellers wanting to see beyond their resort beach — Mauritius rewards exploration enormously.

Most major international car hire companies — including Avis, Europcar, Sixt and Budget — operate in Mauritius, with desks at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport and in the main tourist areas. Local operators also offer competitive rates. South African travellers can drive in Mauritius on their South African driving licence for the duration of their stay — no international driving permit is required for stays of up to 90 days. The minimum driving age for hire cars is typically 21 years.

Taxis are widely available throughout Mauritius and are a practical option for airport transfers, day trips and evenings out when you’d rather not drive. Mauritius taxis do not use meters — fares are negotiated before the journey, and it is standard practice to agree on a price upfront. Most hotels and resorts maintain a list of reliable taxi drivers with fixed rates for common destinations — this is the most hassle-free way to arrange reliable taxi transport. For longer excursions — such as a full day tour of the south coast, Chamarel and Black River Gorges — hiring a taxi driver for the day is an affordable, convenient and very common option, with knowledgeable local drivers providing informal commentary and restaurant recommendations throughout the day.

Ride-hailing apps have limited penetration in Mauritius compared to larger countries — PickMe Mauritius and inDrive operate on the island but coverage and driver availability can be inconsistent outside the main tourist areas. Most South African travellers find that a combination of a hire car for independent exploration and pre-arranged taxi transfers for evenings and airport runs works best.

The Metro Express — Mauritius’s modern light rail system, opened in 2019 — runs between Curepipe in the south through Rose Hill, Quatre Bornes and Port Louis in the north, connecting the island’s main urban corridor efficiently and affordably. It is primarily used by commuters but can be a convenient option for travellers staying in the central plateau towns and wanting to reach Port Louis without navigating city traffic. The Metro Express does not currently extend to the coastal resort areas, so it has limited practical application for most beach-based South African travellers.

Public buses cover an extensive network of routes across the island at very affordable fares and are the primary form of transport for Mauritian locals. While buses can be a colourful and authentic way to experience local life, they can be crowded and slow, routes can be confusing for first-time visitors and schedules are not always reliable — most South African travellers prefer the convenience of a hire car or taxi for getting around.

Between Mauritius and its outlying islands — including Île aux Cerfs (the most popular day trip destination from the east coast), Île aux Bénitiers off the west coast and the northern islands of Flat Island and Gabriel Island — boat transfers and glass-bottom boat excursions are operated by numerous tour operators and can be arranged through your hotel or resort. Most resorts along the east coast offer their own speedboat transfers to Île aux Cerfs. The crossing from Trou d’Eau Douce to Île aux Cerfs takes approximately 10 minutes by speedboat.

Between Mauritius and Rodrigues Island — Mauritius’s smaller, more remote sister island approximately 560km to the north-east and a wonderfully authentic alternative for adventurous South African travellers — Air Mauritius operates daily flights from SSR International Airport, with the journey taking approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. A cargo ferry service also connects the two islands but takes approximately 36 hours — an adventurous option for those with plenty of time.

Planning to explore Mauritius’s beaches, waterfalls and scenic coastal roads at your own pace? Search, compare and book a car hire in Mauritius at Travelstart and find the best rate for your island adventure.