10 Days in Mauritius: The Route I'd Plan After Our Month
Published 30 October 2026
We had a month in Mauritius, which meant we could work, cook and slow down between the big days out. With ten days, I'd be much more selective. I'd still want the northern islands, the west coast and some lovely beach time, but I wouldn't try to squeeze our whole month into a holiday!
Quick answer: how would I split ten days?
I'd plan days 1 to 3 around Grand Baie, days 4 to 8 around Tamarin and the southwest, and days 9 and 10 around Blue Bay if the flight timings made that final move worthwhile. Think nine nights across ten calendar days, not ten full sightseeing days. A simple room split is three north, five west and one southeast, with the final days adapted to arrival and departure times.
Before you use this route
This is the ten-day trip I'd plan from everything we loved during 31 booked nights in August and September 2026. We didn't do it in this exact order, because we had the luxury of a whole month, but every stop on it is somewhere we actually went. Our bases were Grand Baie, Tamarin and Blue Bay, and we had a hire car the whole time.
If you arrive late on day one or leave early on day ten, take activities out rather than cramming them in. If three accommodation bookings sounds tiring, stay in Tamarin through to the end and skip the overnight Blue Bay stop. The route should make the holiday easier, not give you another checklist to complete.
Scroll to see the full table →
| Day | Base that night | Main idea |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Baie | Arrive, settle in and keep plans light |
| 2 | Grand Baie | Northern-islands boat day, conditions permitting |
| 3 | Grand Baie | North-coast breathing room and optional sunset drinks |
| 4 | Tamarin | Move west, groceries and an easy evening |
| 5 | Tamarin | Chamarel and local lunch |
| 6 | Tamarin | Flexible private sunrise or a slow day |
| 7 | Tamarin | Le Morne beach |
| 8 | Tamarin | Café day, a hotel day visit or weather buffer |
| 9 | Blue Bay | Move southeast and enjoy the beach |
| 10 | Departure | Beach time only if your flight allows it |
Days 1 to 3: start in the north
On arrival, I'd keep the first evening uncomplicated. Check in, do a grocery run, cook something easy and settle in. That's exactly what we did on our first night, and I loved it. We took cash out at the airport ATM with a Wise card and had no fees, which was handy because a lot of private transfers we've booked only take cash. Our Grand Baie apartment had a full kitchen, a desk and a little outdoor area with an outdoor shower, and we were near a big supermarket, so the start felt comfortable rather than rushed.
The northern-islands catamaran is the experience I'd plan this base around. Ours went to Flat Island and Îlot Gabriel, with a barbecue lunch on the first island, a dinghy across to the second and crystal clear water at both. We walked to the harbour for an 8:20 check-in and the swell was big on the crossing, so take something beforehand if you get seasick. Dan gave the day 9 out of 10! When you compare tours, look at which islands are listed, because a northern cruise isn't the same as an Île aux Cerfs day.
Leave the other north-coast day reasonably open. Trou aux Biches is only about 15 minutes from Grand Baie, with flat water, free parking, toilets and outdoor showers. We loved sunset drinks and tapas at LUX Grand Baie, where the cocktails were so much fun. There was a MUR2,000 per-person minimum spend when we went. You can read our Grand Baie guide and catamaran experience to decide what earns a place in your version.
Day 4: move to Tamarin without turning the transfer into a tour
I'd treat changing accommodation as a real part of the day. Check out, allow time for the drive, have lunch and leave room for check-in. We stopped at Trou aux Biches on our way south because we were killing time before our Airbnb check-in, and just had a look around rather than swimming. It's an easy stop if you're in the same position.
Once in Tamarin, groceries and an easy evening would be enough for me. Our first meal out there was at The Break, a little surf-shack style café near the beach, and the tuna poke bowls with fresh pineapple, avocado and cucumber were unbelievable! Tamarin was our favourite everyday base within Mauritius, and part of the appeal was not needing a major activity every morning. Choose an apartment around the routine you want rather than judging it only by the pool photo.
Day 5: Chamarel and lunch
Chamarel is a perfect southwest morning. It was around 30 minutes' drive from Tamarin for us, and the last 20 minutes are very winding, so keep that in mind if you get car sick. It opened at 8:30 when we went, and getting there a little early meant we were the first ones at the waterfall! We visited both waterfall viewpoints, then drove about a kilometre up the road to the Seven Coloured Earth. We paid MUR800 each at the gate, and the ticket includes the tortoises, which we skipped.
Then lunch. Palais de Barbizon was recommended to us by a local, and it opened around midday when we went, so it lines up nicely after an early Chamarel start. It's a family-run set menu of rice, lots of little vegetable dishes and chicken or fish, with huge portions. Check the official Chamarel information for current entry details before you go.
Our Chamarel guide goes through the stops, the tickets and the lunch in more detail.
Day 6: keep the sunrise flexible
Our private Vitamin Sea sunrise was the biggest highlight of the month for both of us. We set off at about 5:30 in the morning, and it was just us with a skipper and photographer. We found a pod of spinner dolphins so quickly and swam with them three times before any other boats arrived, and it was honestly magical! Then came coffee, tea and banana bread, snorkelling in the Le Morne lagoon and a stop at Crystal Rock. The whole thing took about three hours, so we still had most of the day left. Vitamin Sea hosted this experience for us.
Because it depends on the sea, I'd ask about dates early in your west-coast stay and leave room to move it. The private sunrise guide has the operator link and the questions I'd ask about conditions, wildlife practice and photography.
If the boat isn't going that day, swap in a café-and-beach day. Moving an outing is much easier when every remaining slot isn't already full.
Day 7: Le Morne beach
Le Morne was my favourite beach in Mauritius, with the mountain right behind that beautiful lagoon. We used the free parking, turned right and walked along the white sand in front of the Paradis resort, and the water was super flat. Bring your swimmers! I'd give it a relaxed day rather than arrive with a long list of stops to rush through.
We didn't complete the hike. We'd left it until our last day in the area, and on a sunny morning the wind picked up so quickly that the gates were closed by the time we got there, with no signs on the road on the way up. If hiking is a priority for you, put it early in your Tamarin days so you have spare mornings to try again.
Our beach guide helps compare Le Morne, Blue Bay and Tamarin by the kind of day you want.
Day 8: leave something unbooked
I know this looks like the day you could squeeze another excursion into. I'd keep some room! Some of my favourite memories are a morning walk to Coffee Shore for my matcha, a post-dive lunch at Baz Lokal (one local plate a day, MUR500 each when we went, and bring cash) and time cooking at home. Those weren't wasted days between the “real” activities.
If you want something more special, The Bay had a MUR2,000 per-person day pass when we went that you could spend on food and drinks, with the pool, sunbeds and beach included. We'd only planned lunch and ended up staying all afternoon! Legend Hill is gorgeous for sunset drinks with the coast below you. The Tamarin food guide covers our repeat stops, and the regional guide explains the base itself.
You could also use this as a boat-weather buffer. We went in August and September, which is technically winter, and we had more cloudy days than we'd hoped for.
Days 9 and 10: a southeast finish, if it earns the move
We spent four nights in Blue Bay at the end of our month and loved the quieter pace. On our own drive from Tamarin, we went back through Chamarel to stop at a viewpoint, had lunch, then did a tea tasting at Bois Chéri (MUR250 each for as many cups as we liked) before arriving. That made the move feel like part of the holiday! On this shorter route, one night is only a taste, so I'd do it if you genuinely want that beach finish and your flight leaves usable time.
Blue Paradise was our apartment, about a minute's walk from the beach. We cooked, swam, bought pineapple with chilli salt on the sand and found a quieter corner by walking to the right-hand end of the public beach. If you would rather unpack once less, keep the ninth night on the west coast and arrange your departure from there.
If you have seven days or two weeks
With seven days, I'd choose one or two bases and remove the southeast move unless it's a priority. Pick the boat experience you most want, leave a beach day and don't treat every meal as a gap that needs an attraction.
With two weeks, add time to the bases rather than another destination every other day. Blue Bay deserves more than a quick check-in and check-out, and Tamarin was so easy to enjoy at an ordinary pace. If you want to learn to dive, our open-water course with Exploration Sous Marine in Flic en Flac took three days, from lagoon practice to four open-water dives, so plan it as a proper part of the trip.
Booking order and budget
I'd settle the bases first, sort out the car or transfers, then book the main boat days. Choose room and tour bookings you can change, because the weather here can turn quickly, and that's exactly what cost us the Le Morne hike.
Use our accommodation guide for the areas and property shortlist, driving guide for the car decision, and cost breakdown to understand our spending. Our numbers are for a month, so get quotes for your own dates.
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 Mauritius itinerary
Does this itinerary include ten nights?
No. The example uses nine nights across ten calendar days: three north, five west and one southeast. Adjust it to your actual flights.
Is this the exact trip you took?
No. We had a month. This is the shorter route I'd plan from that experience, with fewer activities and flexible days, and every stop is somewhere we went ourselves.
Do I need to stay in all three areas?
No. For a shorter holiday, fewer bases may be better. Blue Bay can be removed if the move would take more from your time than it adds.
Can I do the Le Morne hike on the beach day?
We planned to, but the trail was closed because of wind when we arrived. I'd give the hike a morning early in your stay with a spare day behind it, and enjoy the beach whichever way the weather goes.
