A day drive through Black River Gorges National Park is a must do for anyone making a visit to Mauritius. People that know Mauritius just assume it’s a tropical beach paradise with only white sand connected to crystal clear water, but there is more! Mauritius has a beautiful national park located in southwestern part of the island. You must rent a car and visit the national park for a day. You do not need any sort of guide for this trip.
Info on Black River Gorges National Park
The national park is conversation project that is home to many endangered species of plants and animals. The 6576 hectares park is home to endangered birds you can only find in Mauritius such as Mauritius kestrel, the echo parakeet, and the pink pigeon.
The Driving Route
We started our Black River Gorges National Park day drive at Petrin Information Centre and came down the mountain range on Place Champagne Road to Grande Case Noyale. This drive has a ton of lookouts and activities to do as you’re going through the park. The more popular spots will often have local vendors selling artwork, souvenirs, or food.
Before the drive though, we wanted to do a 10km return hike on the Macchabée trail. It will take about 4 hours round trip but is well worth starting your morning here. The trailhead can be found Petrin Information Centre. Plenty of the trail is not covered so prepare for the hot weather, combating the sun, and staying hydrated. Highly recommend closed toes shoes as some of this path is rocky, slippery, and steep. Along this trail, you are rewarded with views of waterfalls, rare birds, and the peaks of Rempart Mountain and Corps de Garde.
Black River Gorges National Park Day Drive Stops:
- Alexnedra Falls – a nice waterfall to see and the first stop if you started your journey at Petrin Info Centre.
- Gorges Viewpoint – here offers a viewpoint of the gorges and some vendors here. When I was making a visit, there were a ton of baboons in the area too. Don’t be silly and just leave them be.
- Chamerille Viewpoint – last stop on our route. A nice overlook while descending over the western beaches of Mauritius.
- La Rhumerie de Chamarel – A rare rum distillery that still grows and harvests their own sugarcane to produce rum. Here you can do a fair priced tour of the distillery that ends with sampling the different rum or sit down and have a nice meal.
This was our Black River Gorges National Park day drive itinerary. Well worth the trip no matter what part of the island you are staying on.