Chamarel to Le Morne in one day, from the hill to the lagoon
Chamarel to Le Morne is 13.9 km and about 18 minutes by road, down the hairpin B104 to Case Noyale and south along the coast past La Gaulette. Allow 20 to 30 minutes in normal traffic. That short hop makes the hill and the mountain an easy pair for one day. Spend the cooler morning on the Chamarel plateau and the afternoon on Le Morne’s lagoon, and check the trail’s live status before you plan any climb.
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The drive from Chamarel to Le Morne
The drive from Chamarel to Le Morne is 13.9 km and about 18 minutes, down the B104 hairpins to Case Noyale and then south on the B9 coast road through La Gaulette to the Le Morne peninsula.
The climb between Case Noyale and Chamarel is about 4 km long and gains roughly 300 m. Part of it was closed from September 2021 for landslide repairs, and the rebuilt 1.4 km section reopened in late 2022. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the whole drive in normal traffic, be patient after rain and stop only at a proper pull-off or parking area.
Near the top of the climb, just before the village, the roadside Chamarel viewpoint looks over Le Morne Brabant, the lagoon and Île aux Bénitiers. It has no marked parking bays, and cars and coaches pull in along the road, so stop only if there is room to get fully off the carriageway.
There is a second way down. The B104 also runs south from Chamarel to Baie du Cap, and the coast road from there passes the Maconde rock and La Prairie on the way west to Le Morne, which turns the trip into a loop.
Chamarel first, then Le Morne, is the order that suits most days
Chamarel first and Le Morne second is the better order on most days. The Chamarel plateau is cooler in the morning, cloud builds over the high ground as the day warms, and the lagoon suits the afternoon.
Choose one main experience at Le Morne and two or three Chamarel stops rather than trying to see everything, especially after a demanding hike.
08:30 at the geopark
Arrive at the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark when it opens at 08:30. One ticket, Rs 800 for non-resident adults and Rs 400 for children aged 5 to 11 (checked on 29 October 2026), covers the coloured earth, both waterfall viewpoints and the giant tortoises. The coloured earth is smaller than the photographs suggest, so treat it as one part of a longer visit.
Late morning, one deeper stop
Add the Ebony Forest raised walkway or the Rhumerie de Chamarel. The distillery runs its visit and tasting from Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays (checked on 29 October 2026), so on a Sunday choose the forest.
Lunch on the hill
Eat in Chamarel before heading down, then take the B104 to Case Noyale, pausing at the Chamarel viewpoint if there is room to pull in safely.
Afternoon on the lagoon
Spend the afternoon at Le Morne public beach or La Prairie and stay for the evening light. Sunset falls at about 18:12 in October, 18:26 in November and 18:55 in January.
Is the Le Morne Brabant trail open today?
This page does not say whether the Le Morne Brabant trail is open. Access is reviewed and updated on the live trail status page of the sibling guide at mornebrabant.org/le-morne-trail-status, and that is the page to check on the morning you plan to climb.
Le Morne Brabant is a 556 m basalt monolith at the south-western tip of Mauritius. With its surroundings it was inscribed as the Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 2008, for its history as a refuge for escaped slaves, the maroons, who lived in its caves and on its summit through the 18th and early 19th centuries.
The route itself is covered at mornebrabant.org/hike-le-morne-brabant. Whatever the trail status, the beaches and the lagoon below the mountain still make the afternoon.
Where to swim at Le Morne after the plateau
Le Morne public beach, on the Emba Filao and Dinarobin side of the peninsula, is the first choice for casual swimming, with the simplest access, some shade and the most reliable public-beach facilities on that coast.
Le Morne public beach has toilets, showers and changing areas, though their condition varies, so check on arrival. Use the public parking areas, and arrive earlier at weekends, in school holidays and on clear evenings, when people come for the sunset.
Kitesurfers have their own water at Le Morne. Kite Lagoon sits in the lagoon’s wind zone and suits lessons and watching the riders, so stay out of the launch and landing areas. La Pointe and One Eye are advanced wave and reef spots where beginners go through a school. The beach-by-beach detail for Le Morne is at mornebrabant.org/le-morne-beaches, and the beaches page of this guide adds La Prairie, Tamarin and Flic en Flac.
The underwater waterfall can only be seen from the air
The underwater waterfall off the Le Morne peninsula is an optical illusion that needs altitude, so it cannot be seen from the beach or the lagoon, and even the summit does not reproduce the full aerial image.
No water is falling at the underwater waterfall. Currents drag sand and silt off the shallow shelf towards deep water, and from above the moving sediment looks like a waterfall. Clear, calm mornings give the strongest colours, while big swell and stirred-up water soften the effect. There is nothing to dive, so keep swimming and snorkelling inside the lagoon.
Helicopter and seaplane sightseeing flights over the south-west are the classic way to see the illusion, and the satellite layer of any mapping app shows it for free. Helicopter flights over the underwater waterfall are bookable through Andeor. Drone pilots should know that the Department of Civil Aviation’s guidance for leisure drones rules out flights over any area the public can access, beaches included, and should keep clear of the flight paths used by tour helicopters.
Getting between Chamarel and Le Morne without a car
No direct bus links Chamarel and Le Morne, so a taxi or a hire car is the practical way between them.
Route 5 runs along the coast between Quatre Bornes and Baie du Cap through Rivière Noire and Le Morne, with a stop at Case Noyale, and route 5A climbs from Baie du Cap to the Sainte-Anne church in Chamarel, but the 5A has no published timetable. Rural buses run roughly from 06:30 to 18:30. Taxis have no fixed tariff, so agree the fare before you set off.
On foot, the climb from Case Noyale up to Chamarel is about 4 km with roughly 300 m of ascent, on a road shared with cars and coaches.
Questions people ask
How do I get from Le Morne to Chamarel, and how long does it take?
Drive from Le Morne north along the B9 coast road through La Gaulette to Case Noyale, then climb the B104 hairpins to Chamarel, 13.9 km and about 18 minutes. Allow 20 to 30 minutes in normal traffic. No direct bus links the two, so a taxi or a hire car is the practical choice.
Can you do Chamarel and Le Morne in one day?
Chamarel and Le Morne fit comfortably into one day, because the drive between them takes under half an hour. Spend the morning in Chamarel, from the geopark’s 08:30 opening, and the afternoon on Le Morne’s beaches. Choose one main Le Morne experience and two or three Chamarel stops rather than trying to see everything.
Is the Le Morne Brabant hike open?
This page does not report whether the Le Morne Brabant hike is open. Access is reviewed and updated on the live trail status page of the sibling guide at mornebrabant.org/le-morne-trail-status, so check it on the morning you plan to climb. If you do hike, start with the mountain and keep Chamarel for the afternoon, before the geopark’s last ticket at 17:00 from October to May.
Can you see the underwater waterfall from Le Morne beach?
The underwater waterfall cannot be seen from Le Morne beach, because it is an optical illusion created by sand and silt moving off the shelf, and the full effect needs altitude. Even the summit does not reproduce the aerial image. Helicopter and seaplane flights are the classic way to see it, and the satellite layer of any mapping app shows it for free.
Is there a bus from Le Morne to Chamarel?
There is no direct bus from Le Morne to Chamarel. Route 5 runs along the coast through Le Morne and Case Noyale to Baie du Cap, and route 5A climbs from Baie du Cap to the Sainte-Anne church in Chamarel, but the 5A has no published timetable. A taxi is the practical option, with the fare agreed before departure.
Should I visit Chamarel or Le Morne first?
Visit Chamarel first on most days. The plateau is cooler in the morning, cloud builds over the high ground as the day warms, and the geopark opens at 08:30. Le Morne’s public beach then fills the afternoon and the evening light. The exception is a hike up Le Morne Brabant, which belongs in the early morning whenever the trail status allows it.
Plan the Chamarel half of the day
The day-trip page sets out half-day and full-day orders for the hill, with the timing that beats the crowds and the cloud.