Along most of Mauritius a coral reef keeps the lagoon flat and turquoise. On the south coast it breaks up, the Indian Ocean comes straight in, and the shore turns into black basalt cliffs, wind and white water. You cannot swim at most of it. You should still drive it, from Gris Gris near Souillac west to Le Morne, because it is the best coastal road on the island.
Gris Gris
Gris Gris is the headland just east of Souillac where the reef gives out entirely. There is a small car park at the top of the cliff, a grassy edge to stand on and steps down to a beach of pale sand between the rocks. The beach is beautiful and it is not for swimming: with no reef, the waves and currents are strong, and a sign at the top of the path warns you off. Paddle at the edge at most, and keep an eye on the sets.
From the car park a track runs west along the cliffs through a filao wood to La Roche qui Pleure, "the rock that weeps", where the swell breaks over a basalt outcrop and streams back off it like tears. It is around 30 minutes on foot and signposted.
Souillac
Souillac, the next village west, is worth an hour. Three stops:
- The Robert Edward Hart museum, La Nef. The seaside house of the Mauritian poet, a museum since 1967. Entry is free. Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00 to 16:00, Wednesday 11:00 to 16:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 12:00; closed on Sundays and public holidays.
- Telfair Garden. A seaside park of banyan and almond trees above the bay, named after the naturalist Charles Telfair, with a path down to the old washing place, the lavoir.
- Le Batelage. The old landing stage where boats came in for the sugar estates, now a restaurant in a stone warehouse at the river mouth. A good lunch stop.
Rochester Falls
A few kilometres inland from Souillac, Rochester Falls drops only around 10 metres, but it is an unusual waterfall: the water pours over columns of basalt that look as if they were cut by hand. The last stretch is a bumpy track, there is no ticket booth, and someone will offer to watch your car for a tip. Go before 10 on a weekday to have it mostly to yourself, and leave nothing visible in the car. Whether you can swim in the pool depends on recent rain; if the water is brown and fast, stay out, and do not copy the local boys jumping off the rocks.
The coast road west
From Souillac the road follows the shore through Riambel and Rivière des Galets to Bel Ombre, where the resorts start and the reef comes back, then on to Baie du Cap. Past the village the road squeezes between cliff and sea, and the Maconde viewpoint, a few steps up a rocky promontory, looks along the coast to Le Morne Brabant. From there it is a short run to Le Morne itself.
Driven without stops it is only about 45 minutes, but with them it is a full day. Go west in the afternoon and you finish with the sun going down behind Le Morne.
Getting there
The south coast is a long way from the north-coast hotels, so most people do it as a day out by car or with a driver: see getting around without a car for driver rates. By bus, the Mahébourg to Souillac line via the airport runs frequently in the daytime, and other lines continue west towards Baie du Cap, but linking all the stops above by bus takes a whole day of waiting.
Photo: Simisa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
