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.
Gris Gris sits at the southernmost tip of Mauritius, a few kilometres from the old French colonial village of Souillac. Most of the island's coast is protected by a coral reef and calm turquoise lagoons; here there is none, so the full force of the ocean rolls in from the deep and explodes against the black cliffs. It is raw, windswept and genuinely powerful to stand in front of.
A short clifftop path leads to La Roche qui Pleure, the Weeping Rock, where waves rush into the basalt and stream back down like tears, giving the rock its name. Some people say the eroded profile resembles the face of the Mauritian poet Robert Edward Hart. There is no swimming here, the currents are dangerous, but for photographs and sheer natural drama it is one of the finest stops in the south.
There are food shacks and the well-known Chez Rosy seafood restaurant by the car park, and it pairs perfectly with the tea route or the crocodile park nearby.
South Tours
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.
Vallée des Couleurs Nature Park
A 450-acre adventure park with 23-coloured earth, the longest zipline in Mauritius and a 350m Nepalese bridge.
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.