East Coast Boat Trip: Île aux Cerfs
A full-day boat trip from Mahébourg through the Blue Bay lagoon and its islets, ending with lunch on Île aux Cerfs.
This is a full day on the water, starting from the old fishing town of Mahébourg on the south-east coast. You set off across the lagoon toward Île aux Cerfs, but the journey there is half the point, with several stops along the way through some of the clearest, most colourful water in Mauritius.
The first stop is Blue Bay Marine Park, a protected reserve where you snorkel straight off the boat over living coral and shoals of fish. From there you cruise past the little islands scattered across the bay: Île aux Fouquets, crowned by its old stone lighthouse (locals call it Île au Phare), the low sandbank of Île aux Flamants, and Île de la Passe, the historic fort island that once guarded the entrance to the lagoon.
The boat then heads up toward the Grand River South East waterfall, which drops straight into the sea and is best seen from the water, before turning for Île aux Cerfs itself. Lunch is on the island, with the rest of the time yours to swim, walk the white-sand beaches or simply relax before the trip back.
Krishna arranges the transfer to Mahébourg and the boat; you just bring swimwear, a towel and sunscreen.
A guest's own film of the trip
One of our guests filmed and edited their whole East Coast boat trip to Île aux Cerfs, from the lagoon and the islets to lunch on the island. We loved it, so here it is, exactly as they made it.