1 Week in Mauritius | A Short Stay Itinerary

Mauritius is one of my favourite holiday destinations. Whilst it is renowned for sun, sea and a gorgeous landscape, most people seem to stay around their hotel. When we visited last year I was determined to buckle this trend. I wanted to explore and see as much of this tropical paradise as possible. Looking back, I’m pretty confident that we saw all the major sights. Here is our itinerary for 1 week in Mauritius. I’m going to cover as much as possible here, including where to stay and what activities to do.

1 Week in Mauritius | A Short Stay Itinerary

1 Week in Mauritius – Hotel Choice

There are loads of hotels in Mauritius and picking the right one is really important. We stayed at the Lagoon Attitude, an eco-hotel in the North. I would not personally go back to that hotel; it just did not deliver what we expected. However, I have also previously stayed at the Shandrani Beachcomber, which was incredible. Try and find a perfect oasis; Mauritius is also about relaxing in paradise.

To be honest, the most important thing is location. Most of the tourist attractions are in the South and, if you plan on travelling around, stay there. We ended up travelling an hour each way to places like Chamarel. Another important thing to note is that the west side of the island has much better water for snorkelling and diving, as well as some of the most stunning beaches. If you are planning on doing water related activities during your stay, get to the west coast.

Lastly, make sure that you have authentic, Mauritian cuisine. Whilst the Lagoon Attitude wasn’t my favourite hotel, it did have some incredible local food. Kot Nou was their local food restaurant and it was the best food I had whilst there. In my itinerary below though, I have also included local places to try for lunch.

Day 1 in Mauritius | The Grand Chill

No doubt you will be very tired after travelling today, maybe after spending 48 hours in Dubai or similar.

Today should all be about relaxing and adjusting to this stunningly beautiful island. Start off your morning with a delicious breakfast on the beach, before lounging by the pool. I think that the first day of your 1 week in Mauritius is perfect for snorkelling, visiting the spa or just living your best life. I spent my first day reading a book, drinking cocktails and dipping myself into the crystal clear pool.

For dinner, eat at the hotel and go for something traditional. The flavours of Mauritius are gorgeous and you will want to sample as much as you can.

Day 2 in Mauritius | The Grand Tour

The second day needs to be a bit more adventurous. One of the coolest things we did was a tour called Mauritius Your Way. This was done through Kuoni and gave you a driver all day to take you around. I loved this and it was the perfect way to introduce us to the island.

I would recommend doing this tour and would suggest going to some of the main sights. The Grand Bassin and the Pamplemousse Gardens are a must. Plus, going with a local with lots of knowledge will make the experience that much better. Nearby is the Bois Cheri Tea Factory. This is the perfect place to enjoy Mauritian-grown tea in a variety of flavours and tuck into some lunch. Watch out for the nearby monkeys, though!

If you have extra time, see whether you can go to either Le Morne or to Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice de Cap Malheureux depending on where you are staying. If you are down south, driving to Cap Malheureux will be a bit of a drive, but it will be the only opportunity to see it. Le Morne however is visible over the next few days.

In the evening, return with lots of photos and memories. Tuck into some delicious food at your hotel, washed down with an extremely tropical cocktail.

Day 3 | Chamarel National Park

I cannot recommend visiting the Ebony Forest enough. It was a highlight of our trip and is a must-see when you go to Mauritius. I wrote a blog post on our trip to the Ebony Forest and give you some ideas for tour companies. What I would say is that you will see some of the best wildlife on the island here. We were lucky enough to see the endangered Mauritian Flycatcher, as well as lots of bats, tenrecs and lizards. Also, the ebony trees themselves are especially beautiful.

If you can, wake up early and go for a tour that returns mid-afternoon so you get prime chill time. The best tours will also take you to the Chamarel National Park. Here you will be able to view the iconic waterfall and the 7 Coloured Earth. I wrote a blog post on the Chamarel National Park that goes into a lot more detail so that you can choose your tour accordingly.

After your trip out, return to the hotel. It is the middle of the holiday now, so see whether you can tuck into some local seafood by the beach. Perfect whilst watching the sunset.

Day 4 | Relaxing and Recuperating

After two days of being busy, today is another day to relax by the pool. There is nothing on the agenda today. It is all about ‘you time’. Enjoy!

Day 5 | Île aux Aigrettes and Mauritian Food

Around Mauritius are multiple limestone coral islands. One of the most famous is Île aux Aigrettes, which is a nature reserve on the south coast. Once again, we did this as part of a tour around the coral island, so read my post for more detailed information.

Wake up early and begin the tour. The first stop would be the docks, where you will be met by a member of staff from the island. You will then take a speedboat across, before having an introductory talk and a tour. This is one of the best places to spot the pink pigeon, one of the island’s most iconic birds. You can also meet many friendly giant tortoises who roam the island freely!

After the tour of the island, and as part of the tour, you can go to Biscuiterie Rault to eat some locally made biscuits. We then visited Karay Mario for a truly authentic Mauritian lunch. Absolutely delicious.

This day is pretty jam-packed, so make sure to have a cocktail or two when you return to the hotel.

Day 6 | Final Chill and Snorkelling

On the final full day, stay around the hotel and relax. We decided to go snorkelling on this day and were close to going diving around Gunners Quoin. If you are able to, get into the water and see the coral up close. One thing I loved about the Lagoon Attitude was the marine centre on-site. We were able to talk to marine biologists about the different animals that we would see, which given my husband’s background was a highlight of his trip!

We spotted lots of different fish and coral species and the colours were just amazing. Easily some of the best I’ve ever seen in the water. Other guests who we spoke to spotted turtles and sharks, but we were not that lucky sadly!

Day 7 | Homeward Bound

One of the highlights of the trip for me was waking up early and enjoying the sunrise. We woke up one morning before dawn and headed to the beach. Watching the sun rise above the ocean was truly magical and it was a perfect way to end the trip. After a good breakfast and plenty of coffee to fuel the gruelling 24 hours ahead, we just lounged about the hotel until our transfer arrived.

On the last day it is always so difficult to know what to do. My advice is enjoy all of the food, drink and atmosphere that you can before you need to go.

Final Thoughts – One Week in Mauritius

I hope that this post has helped you plan 1 week in Mauritius. It is very roughly what we did and it did not involve moving hotels during the stay. If I could add on other things to do, I would suggest going to Port Louis for the day to see the markets. I slightly regret not going and have heard some good things.

Let me know if you think I have missed anything out or if you have any questions. As always, I would love to hear from you. I have added the sights mentioned to the map below (in blue), hotels (in purple) and I’ve also included other sights of interest in case you decide to switch things around (yellow).

You can also find me on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Did you know that I also vlog my travel adventures? I would love you to subscribe to my YouTube channel so that you never miss an episode… SUBSCRIBE HERE

1 Week in Mauritius | A Short Stay Itinerary