How to get to Le Morne

Two roads. From the airport you either follow the south coast on the A9 and B9 through Baie du Cap, which is the slower and better drive, or take the motorway north to Phoenix and drop down the west coast past Tamarin and La Gaulette. Taxis and hotel transfers are how nearly everyone does it; agree the fare before you get in. The bus exists and I have taken it, via Baie du Cap or La Gaulette from Quatre Bornes and Port Louis, and it will cost you most of a morning. Mauritius drives on the left.

Where things start matters more than the village itself. The 40-minute helicopter flight meets at Gate 3 of SSR airport at Plaine Magnien, on the south-east coast, and includes no transfer; you do not need to go to Le Morne at all to fly over it. The 35-minute flight and the private charter send a driver to your hotel. The catamaran boards at the Le Morne Anglers’ Club jetty in La Gaulette, 3 km north of the mountain, check-in 09:15, and includes hotel pickup. The guided hike collects you in the Le Morne area for the morning group and offers other areas on request. Which is which is on Le Morne tours and all tours.

If you would rather have someone drive the whole day, the private southern road tour picks up anywhere on the island, hotels, apartments or cruise ships, and works round through Trou aux Cerfs, Grand Bassin, the gorges and Chamarel to finish with half an hour at Le Morne beach. Sanna from Finland called it an “easy way to experience many attractions in one day”. It is eight hours in an air-conditioned car for up to six, lunch included, and it is on the road, so it does not show the sandfall; see where the underwater waterfall is for why.

Frequently asked questions