Mauritius kitesurfing holiday was one of my dreams and I was wondering if it would live up to the hype of one of the world's top kitesurfing destinations. It was all that and more for me, and I think that every kitesurfer should visit Mauritius at least once. Not only is the island a fantastic kitesurfing destination, but it is also a beautiful tropical island with tons of hikes, plenty of culture, and an amazing coastline to explore. There are some great and expensive hotels, as well as some affordable and fairly basic private accommodations, so you can make it a luxurious trip or a budget holiday.
We went for the budget option and in terms of 2023 prices we paid roughly.
1300 GBP for two direct return flights from UK with 23kg allowance plus hand luggage,
450 GBP for two weeks accommodation in an apartament in Le Morne Village with great sunset views,
500 GBP for two weeks car hire,
Plus shopping, restaurants and sightseeing which I am not going to price up but these things are not cheap and very comparable or even more expensive than UK. You can make it more affordable if you shop around and eat street food, rather than restaurants.
Staying at the Le Morne Lux would have costed around 4000 GBP for two weeks so significantly more, but then it would be a luxurious stay. Enough about money, lets talk about kitesurfing.
Le Morne
There are two spots at Le Morne. As you drive to Le Morne peninsula you will come across a couple of car parks to your right. The first one is just a public beach for people to enjoy, the second one with plenty of kitesurfers is the more advanced Le Morne spot where all the One Eye kitesurfers hang out. The view there is amazing and so are the skills of kitesurfers showing off so it is just as nice to sit and watch if you are bringing non kitesurfing family members with you, as it is to kitesurf.
From here you can access the One Eye, Manawa and the Little Reef if you are just at the beginning your wave riding adventure. The local kite school is very helpful and happy to tell you all about the safety of the spot and it is important to listen as the spot is side offshore at times and due to conditions the boat is not always able to rescue you so be aware and stay safe. There is a flag system in place and depending on the flag on the day rescue is either available, available but at higher price or not available and kitesurfing not allowed and at your own risk only. So speak to the school, before you venture out.
The spot itself looks like a kitesurfers nightmare in terms of launching and landing and actually it is. The launching/landing spot is very small, there are trees everywhere and it is usually very busy so you can imagine the chaos when it is windy. It is best to set up on the side in between the trees and once you are ready get to the launching spot. I am not selling it - I know, but it is popular for a reason. Once you are on water its an amazing playground for intermediate and advanced kitesurfers.
Board leash use here is common and recommended as there are more risks to loosing the board, especially if you are kitesurfing One Eye and the wind is offshore. Almost everyone uses board leashes.
I am still at the beginning of my directional board journey so couldn't fully appreciate the spot and waves it has to offer, as I was only practicing my turns and foot swaps, but my partner Gabbs has very much enjoyed riding the waves there.
Le Morne Lagoon
If you carry on along the road you will get to the second spot, the Le Morne Lagoon. This was my playground and I loved it! The lagoon is huge so you will have miles of cruising available with gorgeous views of Le Morne to your right as you kite and Manawa with kitesurfers at the main spot to your left. It is an idyllic spot and we had hours and days of fun there. I can't wait to kite there again.
In terms of the landing/launching space, Le Morne Lagoon has much more room than the main Le Morne spot. Still, it can get quite busy and there are some trees so be aware and wait your turn to land and launch. We have seen one kite landing on the tree and then the owner with help of others trying to get it down for hours.
The spot is tide dependent so at the low tide you may not be able to kite as there will be reef and stones sticking out of the water. Check the tides before you come. The prevalent wind direction is east/southeast and this is onshore in relation to the lagoon so very safe. The wind gets a nice boost of thermals in the afternoon usually from around midday until 4pm, as long as it is sunny.
Its a fantastic, huge, usually flat, sometimes slightly choppy spot to practice safely new skills and tricks. Relatively, still not that busy but there are more hotels being built by the lagoon so things will change in the next few years.
We are hoping to be back, in the next couple of years if we are lucky to enjoy Le Morne again and hopefully spend more time at the main spot riding the waves.
Check out our short GoPro movie from the Le Morne lagoon and main spot on my Kitefinity FB page.
Apart from the hotels a couple of restaurants and an occasional street food van at the weekend, there isn't much in Le Morne peninsula or even Le Morne village (2023).
The nearest supermarket is in La Gaulette. It is very well supplied and you can get excellent selection of foods, what ever your diet is. Free from section was amazing and better than in UK supermarkets. It is all quite expensive though, but you can budget too. There are some smaller and cheaper shops and plenty of roadside local pop up markets selling beautiful fresh vegetables.
In La Gaulette shopping centre there is Enso Bar https://maps.app.goo.gl/8gHfKyR6jufPw3j69. Check it out as it has amazing sunset views and best ever wasabi prawns starter I have ever tasted.
We stayed in Le Morne Brabant village in a lovely apartment with a beautiful sunset terrace but whenever we needed something we had to drive to La Gaulette, which is only 10 minutes drive but still not a walkable distance.
Also, if you get a car hired make sure you refill as you venture further out as the nearest petrol station is 20 min drive from Le Morne so 40mins round trip! So as you can see the place is still fairly undeveloped, but more hotels are building on the peninsula so things will change in the next few years.
On a non windy day you can hike the Le Morne mountain, visit Chamarel for some rum tasting or venture somewhere else to find wind, which is what we were doing. And these are the other spots that we have found.
Pointe d'Esny
This was our first stop straight from the airport. We were very tired after 10 hour flight but very much wanted to taste the waters and the wind looked good in Pointe d'Esny. What a sight to see on your arrival. Clear, turquoise and warm water, sunshine and plenty of space. The wind was very light, but we were so happy to just get on water and kite. Headspace was set in the right place and we were very exited to start our holiday in Mauritius.
To get to the spot from the airport you drive south along the Coastal Road and stop at the bend on the road close to the Club Nautique De Pointe d'Esny or there is another entrance around 200m south from there. The entrances are quite narrow but well visible if you drive slowly you should be able to spot them. Park on the side of the road, grab your gear and head to the beach. The beach is quite narrow and also private so kindly refrain from going to peoples beach gardens and set up very close to the beach. We want to be respectful to everyone and let everyone use the beach. Kitesurfing unsurprisingly is not allowed in the nautical club so just move to the side as much as you can and stay well clear of the boats.
There also is a kite school nearby Specilised Kiteboarding on a peninsula to the north of Pointe d'Esny next to Preskil Island Resort so if you are a beginner head there and seek supervision or lesson depending on your level.
We loved Pointe d'Esny beauty and colours, and it is a great choice if the wind is turning more easterly.
Poste Lafayette
Another good choice for easterly wind is Poste Lafayette. This is also a very good spot if you are looking for some fun in the waves. There is a decent spot to set up there, but not without risk as there as some trees nearby and also rocks appearing at low tide so this is something to be mindful of. As always, best to have a quick catch up with the locals as you arrive. kitesurfing community is very friendly and always happy to share. Dont ask about sharks as I have and they told me that they are not here, only over there said friendly local (pointing the next beach along the coast) by the mangroves trees where they leave their their young when going hunting. That put me in the right frame of mind, ha ha not really.
I didnt see any sharks thou and trust me after this comment I was on the look out and set myself a clear barrier along the coast which was end of our beach and a beginning of beach with mangroves, and I didnt cross it.
As I settled in and relaxed a little bit about sharks, I upwinded to the waves and had a lot of fun there. I stopped at the little waves, but my partner Gabbs went on further into bigger waves and had great fun there. They are not One Eye size, but they are decent and there is lots of fun to be had there. We were kiting without board leashes as this is how we always kite but on the island everyone uses board leashes and for a reason. My partner came of the board over the reef and the board got stuck there and he couldn't upwind to it, eventually it was released by a bigger wave and he managed to get it, but he struggled for a while there trying to upwind to it and grab it.
It was my partners favourite spot on the island, mainly due to great waves and much less people than in Le Morne.
Anse La Raie
The last spot we visited was Anse La Raie, the best choice for north easterlies. There is an ION club at the spot run by Alicja from Poland and her French partner so you can hire equipment here and book lessons too. Guess what, the spot again has lots of trees and also stones sticking out of the water so not the safest set up and only one person is able to launch and land the kite at the time. Once you get behind the rocks you are safe to cruise the flat water bay, but the spot is quite small and with lessons close to the shore the cruising space is limited. For more confident riders there is a fun activity challenge to be done when the wind is good as you can upwind and go behind and around the little island visible in the photo below.
Overall, Mauritius is an amazing island that I would love to visit again. In addition to its kitesurfing beaches, it also has amazing hikes and cultural sites to explore when it is not windy. During our visit at the end of August/beginning of September, we kited 12 out of 14 days, which was amazing, even though some days we chased the wind. Visit Mauritius if it's on your to-do list. Enjoy the wind, sunshine, warm water, waves and gorgeous views that Mauritius has to offer.
For beginners, I recommend Le Morne Lagoon, advanced wave rides will certainly head for the main Le Morne spot for someone like us at intermediate level it is best to hire a car and explore different spots - you will have an amazing adventure.
Whatever you choose have fun and wishing you great winds.
If you have any questions, contact me via here or my Kitefinity FB page https://www.facebook.com/blownawayto/
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