Mauritius Diaries. December 2025. Part 2. Flic en Flac to La Preneuse.
“The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” -G.K. Chesterton
Part 1 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Today I decided to do an ocean walk, just stroll along the coast as long as I could last, then to return by taxi. It was a very vague plan without any preparation or a big research. I asked around whether it was possible, the responses from people in the hotel or on the beach were contradicting, a very “déjà vu” situation I experienced a lot, so I just went ahead. My target was Chamarel, a village in Black River District, but I managed to reach only La Preneuse a few km earlier before calling it a day.
The route was something like below, although I walked all the way along the water and with breaks it took me around 5 hours.
The beaches of Flic en Flac, a peaceful seaside village where I stayed, reminded me the beaches in Lithuania, near Klaipeda or Palanga, where the strips of pine trees divide sandy beaches from the urban spots. Just in case of Mauritius the pines are replaced by casuarinas, plus the beaches here harbor a lot of washed-up coral pieces, so it is best to wear some protective footwear. It is weird to compare the shores of the Baltic Sea with the Indian Ocean, but somehow the visual resemblance was striking.
The trees also provide the protection from the burning sun should you want to take a break, as daytime temperatures often go above 30 degrees Celsius (although the humidity the day I walked was around 62%, not bad).
As I am moving further from Flic en Flac village I see more random hotels standing right on the beach.
Tip: whenever you near the beach hotels and need free Wi-Fi you can easily find one by logging into the nearest hotel network, I never needed a password.
Beautiful mountains ahead. I am near Black River Gorges National Park, a hiking paradise (I read though that not many routes offer clear signposts).
Approaching Tamarin Bay I can clearly see La Tourelle de Tamarin (The Little Tower of Tamarin), a 560 m mountain with nearly perfect pyramid shape located directly behind Tamarin village. You will need around 3 hours for the round hike.
Nearby Sands Resort faces a tranquil Tamarin Bay and the mountain. Probably a good place to stay, but I like to be near local villages and observe how the real life unfolds step by step in a never-ending movie with all of us as the actors. Staying in the “all included” hotel means you are watching the same movie again and again, with a few variations…
Google Map tells me that to reach Tamarin public beach I need to go up to the main road, then descend again. “Wrong”, says a smiling staff member at Sands.
“Just walk straight along the coast, near the abandoned beach hut you will see the path.”
“Thank you!”
I walk through a small forest before coming out into Tamarin Beach.
From here there is nearly a constant line of private villas. I guess I just follow the waterfront. Later I learnt that beaches in Mauritius are public space even they are located in the front of private villas, however many owners block access to the sea from the main road.
I walk straight with a short deviation to the main road before a stream of water, then with difficulty finding a small path towards the water again.
An interesting shipwreck on the way.
Rocky beaches and seemingly empty villas. Birds singing, ocean whispering, only the heat is silent.
It is nearly 2 pm and hot. I am now near La Preneuse village and beach. Let’s take this alley up.
A quiet, seemingly well-off village reminding me Vaucluse suburb of Sydney, but without mountains.
The beach is nearly empty and far from commercial as I noticed is characteristic of the eastern side of the island (compared to busy-in-trade Grand -Baie in the north).
I walk into London Way Supermarket on the main road, a popular chain in the island. Some vegetables, a bit of ham, nice bread and… Hmm, craft beer. Small inner struggle, but I deserve a few today after nearly 20 km under the persistent sun. The best one is Flying Dodo IPA with a moderate price for 1 l at 255 rupiahs where you can get 80 back if you bring the empty bottle back. What makes it around AUD 6 net for a liter of one nice unfiltered IPA. The brand goes back to 2011 and is now well established in Mauritius.
I use my app and call a taxi. It feels so good to sit on a balcony watching another day crawling away. And choosing which cold one to have…
Sunsets here in December are around 7 pm, all sounds somehow come down, the nature is getting ready to sleep. So should I…
(to be continued)
Savoured it as usual, thanks! Your talent to create the sense of proximity is uncanny. Look forward to the continuation.
Beautiful pics, Igor. I wish it was closer to Japan