Chamarel: 7 Coloured Earth & Waterfall
Dunes of red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow sand, plus the tallest single-drop waterfall on the island.
In the hills above Chamarel village lies one of the strangest sights in Mauritius: a field of small dunes striped in seven distinct colours. The bands of red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow come from volcanic basalt that broke down over millions of years into fine mineral clays, and remarkably, the colours never wash away even after heavy tropical rain. The phenomenon was first written about in 1879 and has been drawing visitors since the late 1960s.
The same geopark ticket covers the Chamarel Waterfall, the highest single-drop fall in Mauritius, dropping close to 100 metres into a forested gorge, with viewpoints about 1.5 km inside the gate. There is also a family of Aldabra giant tortoises to meet, an endemic plant garden, and the estate's own Chamarel coffee, one of the few coffees actually grown and roasted on the island.
The dunes look their best under bright, direct sun, which sharpens the contrast between the bands; overcast light flattens them. Most people spend two to three hours on the whole geopark. Krishna can pair it with the rum distillery next door and the Black River Gorges viewpoint for a full loop of the south-west.
South Tours
Vallée des Couleurs Nature Park
A 450-acre adventure park with 23-coloured earth, the longest zipline in Mauritius and a 350m Nepalese bridge.
Gris Gris & La Roche qui Pleure
The wild southernmost point of Mauritius, where open ocean crashes against black cliffs with no reef to stop it.
La Vanille Nature Park (Crocodile Park)
Around 2,000 Nile crocodiles, the world's largest captive herd of giant tortoises, and a lush valley full of wildlife.