Chamarel Day Trip: Waterfall, Seven Coloured Earth and Lunch
Published 30 October 2026
I'd make a morning of Chamarel rather than drive up just for one photo. We got there before the gates opened, were the first ones at the waterfall and saw the Seven Coloured Earth just up the road. On a later drive back through Chamarel we found a family-run set lunch I'd happily send you to. We were staying in Tamarin, and it was one of the outings I'd keep in any independent west-coast trip.
Quick answer: what did we actually combine?
On our Chamarel morning we visited the waterfall viewpoints and Seven Coloured Earth on one ticket, MUR800 per person in 2026. We skipped the tortoises, and we didn't visit Ebony Forest or a rum distillery. Palais de Barbizon, the lunch spot near the waterfall, came on a different day, when we drove back through Chamarel on our way from Tamarin to Blue Bay and did the Bois Chéri tea tasting that afternoon. If you're doing it all in one go, lunch there fits perfectly after the waterfall and earth.
Plan the drive as part of the day
Chamarel was about 30 minutes from Tamarin in our hire car, and the roads up are beautiful. They're also very winding for the last 20 minutes or so, so if you get carsick, just keep that in mind. We'd already had an early walk on Le Morne beach that morning before driving up.
If you don't have a car, a tour or a driver is the easier way up. Some people do walk, but it's a proper hike, so factor that in. If you're comparing organised trips, read the actual stops instead of assuming every Chamarel product includes the same morning we had.
Our driving guide explains how the car fitted our month.
The waterfall viewpoints
Top tip: get there at about 8:15 and wait for the 8:30 opening. We bought our tickets at the gate, which took about two seconds (you can also buy online), walked straight in and were the first ones at the waterfall. How good is that!
There are two viewpoints, and both are really lovely. You don't have to hike, there are just some stairs up to the second viewpoint, so if steps are an issue, ask the attraction about access before you go. The nature surrounding the waterfall is absolutely stunning, and I heard Dan go “whoa” the moment he saw it!
It's a little bit touristy, so going first thing really is the trick. We had space to stand there and take it in rather than grab one quick picture between groups and head straight back to the car.
Seven Coloured Earth
After the waterfall we drove just a kilometre further up the road, parked and walked in to see the Seven Coloured Earth. It's all different colours of soil side by side, so it almost looks like a neutral-coloured rainbow over the lumps and bumps of the ground. It's really cool, and so beautiful to look at, especially straight after all that green!
On the way out we walked through the gift shop, which sells little vials of the coloured soil. If you're someone who likes taking a little souvenir home, have a look after you've seen the waterfall and the earth.
We didn't turn this into a full day of every nearby attraction. A few well-chosen stops were enough for us.
Tickets: what our price tells you
Our entry was MUR800 / A$23.69 per person, or MUR1,600 for the two of us, and it covered both the waterfall and the Seven Coloured Earth.
Check the official Chamarel FAQ and ticket information for the current categories and inclusions. When we checked for this guide, it listed the waterfall viewpoints, coloured earth and tortoise park within its scope, with Ebony Forest and Lavilleon separate. The tortoises were included in our ticket too, but we skipped them because we'd seen so many tortoises recently.
Lunch at Palais de Barbizon
Palais de Barbizon came on a different day from our waterfall morning. On 9 September we were driving from Tamarin to Blue Bay, and our morning had been one big mess: the Le Morne hike we'd left until our last Tamarin day was closed because of wind. We had to drive back through Chamarel anyway, so we actually stopped at the viewpoint this time, and I bought a little piece from a lovely man who makes things from shells and natural stones with his wife and daughter. Then we took ourselves out to lunch.
The restaurant was recommended by the photographer from our Vitamin Sea dolphin morning. I'd asked him where locals love to eat, and he said if you go to Chamarel, you need to go here. It's up in the hills near the waterfall and the coloured earth, it opens around midday, and it had only just opened when we arrived, so we were the only ones there.
It's a set menu: five bowls of vegetable dishes with rice, plus your choice of meat, and the portions are big. Ours included pumpkin (Dan couldn't wait for the rest of the food and started on it straight away), potato, lentils, eggplant, which I'm normally really fussy about, and watercress. We had chicken and fish, and the chicken just fell off the bone! The fish was mostly for Dan, because I'm fussy with fish, but I did try it.
It's family run and the people were super nice. Dan gave it about 8 out of 10: really good local food, maybe not a 10, but so worth the stop. The set menu was MUR750 per person when we went, about A$22 each, and our spending app shows MUR800 each for the meal.
What I wouldn't add to our story
We didn't visit a rum distillery or Ebony Forest, and we didn't see the tortoises. I wouldn't list those as things we recommend from personal experience just because they appear in other Chamarel itineraries.
Bois Chéri wasn't part of our Chamarel morning either. We went the same afternoon as our Palais de Barbizon lunch, on that drive to Blue Bay. It was MUR250 each for as many cups as we wanted from a whole box of teas, with tea biscuits and a view over the plantation and lake. My favourite was the caramel black tea, then lemongrass, then jasmine green, and Dan loved the coconut black, which I loved as well! It got so cold and overcast that I had to get my jumper out, so honestly, it was probably a good thing we hadn't been up a mountain that day.
The same goes for Le Morne. We loved the beach, but when we finally went to hike it, the wind picked up quickly and the gates were fully closed, with no signs on the road on the way there. We'd left it until the last minute with no other days to try again, so don't do what we did. A realistic Mauritius itinerary leaves a spare day or two for weather.
Where I'd base myself
Tamarin worked well for our ordinary days and southwest outings. We had a kitchen, repeated favourite food stops and a car, and Chamarel was only about half an hour away.
For an apartment-led stay, I'd compare LAKAZ DEL SOL and Endless Summer Apartments, then check exact location, kitchen and parking. Our where-to-stay guide gives the actual apartment context and the wider coast choice.
I'd plan Chamarel for the change of landscape, get to the gate early for the waterfall and earth, then enjoy lunch without trying to attach half the island to the afternoon. That was enough to make it feel like a good day out!
Watch our Mauritius trip
Watch our Mauritius vlog on YouTube, 45m21s. This is also our newest public full-length video, verified for this article.
FAQs about a Chamarel day trip
How much did your entry cost?
MUR800 per person in 2026, which covered the waterfall viewpoints and Seven Coloured Earth, with the tortoises included too. Check the official site for the current price and ticket categories.
What time should I get to Chamarel?
It opened at 8:30 when we went. We arrived at about 8:15, bought tickets at the gate and were the first ones at the waterfall.
Did you visit the rum distillery or Ebony Forest?
No. Our Chamarel morning was the waterfall viewpoints and Seven Coloured Earth. We had lunch at Palais de Barbizon on a later drive back through Chamarel.
Was Bois Chéri on the same day?
Not the same day as the waterfall. We did the Bois Chéri tea tasting on the day we drove from Tamarin to Blue Bay, straight after lunch at Palais de Barbizon.
Is the viewpoint access step-free?
No. There's no hike, but there are stairs up to the second viewpoint. Check the attraction's current accessibility information for your own requirements.
