Chamarel day trip itinerary, half a day or a full day
A Chamarel day trip needs half a day, about three to four hours on the hill, for the Seven Coloured Earth, Chamarel Waterfall, the Chamarel viewpoint and the Rhumerie de Chamarel, or a full day to add Ebony Forest and the Black River Gorges viewpoints on the plateau. Start at the geopark when it opens at 08:30 (checked on 29 October 2026), ahead of the coach tours that come down from Grand Bassin and the plateau, and go up to the plateau before lunch, since cloud builds over the high ground as the day warms. The plans below follow that order, with variants for Le Morne and Grand Bassin.
Read the guide
How long to spend in Chamarel
Spend half a day in Chamarel, about three to four hours on the hill, for the main sights, and a full day if you also want Ebony Forest, the plateau viewpoints or a hike. The Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark suggests 45 minutes to 2 hours for the coloured earth, the waterfall viewpoints and the tortoises, the Rhumerie de Chamarel takes about an hour with the wait at reception, and the drive is about 18 minutes from Le Morne and 30 minutes from Flic en Flac.
Half a day with a morning start is the right allowance, and the viewpoint, the waterfall and the coloured earth alone fill about two and a half hours.
| Plan | What it covers | Time on the hill |
|---|---|---|
| Short stop | The Chamarel viewpoint and the geopark with its waterfall viewpoints | About 2 to 2.5 hours |
| Half day | The short stop plus the Rhumerie de Chamarel, Monday to Saturday | About 3 to 4 hours |
| Full day | The half day plus the Gorges viewpoint, Alexandra Falls and Ebony Forest | About 7 to 8 hours |
| Walker’s day | The geopark, then Black River Peak or the Ebony Forest trails | About 7 to 8 hours |
The best order for a Chamarel day trip
The best order for a Chamarel day trip is the geopark first at its 08:30 opening (checked on 29 October 2026), the plateau viewpoints in the late morning, and the rum distillery or the forest after lunch, when cloud matters least.
Coaches are the first reason. Cruise excursions and island tours come down to Chamarel from Grand Bassin and the Plaine Champagne plateau, so they reach the geopark after those stops rather than at opening time. The car park is crowded with taxis and small coaches in the afternoon, while the waterfall viewpoint is quiet at about 10:00.
Cloud is the second. No weather station records the plateau, but Mauritius Meteorological Services figures give the high ground of Mauritius about 6 hours of sunshine a day in summer against 7.5 to more than 8 hours on the coast, and cloud builds over the plateau as the day warms. Forecasts for the Chamarel area also show fog at night and early in the morning on some days, which is why the plateau comes after the geopark rather than first. The coloured earth looks best in sunshine, so if the morning is grey, swap the order and return when the sun comes out.
A half-day Chamarel itinerary
This half-day plan runs from about 08:00 to 12:30 from the west coast and fits the four core sights into the quietest hours.
08:00, the climb from Case Noyale
Leave the B9 coast road at Case Noyale for the B104, which climbs about 4 km and roughly 300 m in hairpin bends. Stop at the Chamarel viewpoint, on the right just before the village, where the morning sun is behind you as you look over the lagoon to Le Morne Brabant.
08:30, the coloured earth and the tortoises
Be at the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark gate for the 08:30 opening, buy the Rs 800 non-resident ticket (checked on 29 October 2026) and drive the 3 km to the dunes first, while the walkway is quiet. Then see the tortoises and the endemic garden.
09:45, the waterfall viewpoints
Drive back to the waterfall car park, 1.5 km from the gate, and take the short path to the upper platform for the better view. The fall is fullest from December to April and can thin to two streams between September and November.
10:30, the Rhumerie de Chamarel
Cross the village to the Rhumerie de Chamarel, open Monday to Saturday from 09:30, for the Rs 800 visit and tasting (checked on 29 October 2026). If you will eat at its L’Alchimiste restaurant, which opens at 11:30, the lunch price already includes the visit and tasting, so join a tour just before your table instead.
12:30, back to the coast
Drive back down the hairpins for an afternoon by the sea at Le Morne, or carry on into the full-day plan. On a Sunday the rhumerie is closed, so swap it for Curious Mauritius or a drive up to the Gorges viewpoint.
A full-day Chamarel itinerary
The full-day plan adds the plateau viewpoints before any afternoon cloud and Ebony Forest after lunch, and runs from about 08:00 to 16:30 so that you drive down the hairpins in daylight.
08:00 to 10:15, the viewpoint and the geopark
Follow the half-day plan up the hairpins, stop at the Chamarel viewpoint and spend about two hours in the geopark, the dunes first and the waterfall second.
10:30, the Plaine Champagne road
Take the B103 east out of the village and up onto the plateau. The Black River Gorges viewpoint, about 4 km away in a straight line, has a large free car park and a path of about 200 m to the rail, and Alexandra Falls, about 3 km further east, has a platform three minutes from its car park. Both are free, and macaques there raid unattended bags.
12:00, lunch
Come back down for lunch at L’Alchimiste at the Rhumerie de Chamarel, Monday to Saturday from 11:30 to 15:30, with the standard visit and tasting included. Le Chamarel Restaurant publishes lunch from 12:00 to 15:00. Choose and reserve your lunch stop before planning the afternoon.
14:00, Ebony Forest
Drive to Ebony Forest on the 7 Coloured Earth Road before 14:30, as the reserve advises, for the guided Flycatcher walkway and the Ridgeline Trail to Sublime Point, which looks west towards Le Morne. The Take A Hike ticket is Rs 600 for non-resident adults (checked on 29 October 2026), and the site closes at 17:00.
16:30, down before dark
Leave the hill while there is light for the hairpins, which are slippery when wet. Sunset in Chamarel falls between about 17:38 in June and 18:55 in January, and at about 18:12 in October.
Combining Chamarel with Le Morne
Chamarel and Le Morne fit easily into one day, because Le Morne is about 14 km and 18 minutes from Chamarel, down the hairpins to Case Noyale and south along the coast road.
Do the half-day plan in the morning and spend the afternoon at Le Morne, or drive the south-west loop. From Chamarel the B104 runs about 11 km south past the geopark, with short steep climbs and a hairpin descent, to Baie du Cap and the Maconde viewpoint on the coast road just west of the village, and Le Morne is about 7 km further along the coast.
Check the live Le Morne Brabant trail status on mornebrabant.org before planning the summit, because access to the upper section changes with conditions and official notices. The beaches and the lagoon below the mountain fill an afternoon whatever the trail status.
Combining Chamarel with Grand Bassin
Grand Bassin, the sacred crater lake of Ganga Talao, combines naturally with Chamarel along the B103 Plaine Champagne road, 16.8 km and about 16 minutes past the Black River Gorges viewpoint and Alexandra Falls. Treat that as a minimum on a narrow mountain road.
To stay out of step with the coach tours, which use the same road in the other direction, start at the geopark at 08:30, cross the plateau in the late morning and reach Grand Bassin around midday. The lake sits at about 550 m, with a 33 m statue of Shiva at the entrance, and it is an active Hindu place of worship, so visit with respect.
From the east or the north you can run the day the other way round and finish in Chamarel, but you will then share the geopark with the coaches in the afternoon. Avoid the Maha Shivaratri pilgrimage, when close to half a million Hindus travel to the lake, and expect slow traffic on the plateau road in the wild-guava season from 15 April to 15 May.
How to adapt the plan to the day’s conditions
Adapt the plan on the morning itself by checking three things, whether cloud is sitting on the plateau, how much rain has fallen above the waterfall, and what is open that day. The live board below estimates the waterfall’s flow from recent rainfall, says whether the plateau viewpoints are clear or clouded and when the clearest window should be, and shows the village weather and which sights are open right now.
- If the plateau is clouded in, do the geopark and the rhumerie first and go up when the board shows a clearer window, or swap the plateau for Ebony Forest, where cloud matters less under the trees.
- After heavy rain the waterfall is at its fullest and the coloured earth brightens as soon as the sun returns. During a cyclone warning or very heavy rain the geopark closes.
- On a Sunday the Rhumerie de Chamarel and L’Alchimiste are closed, while the geopark opens as usual.
- When a cruise ship is in Port Louis, expect more coaches, since cruise lines sell Chamarel excursions. Calls are listed on 22 and 24 November 2026, among other dates, and the listed dates vary between schedules.
- From November to April, check the Mauritius Meteorological Services for cyclone warnings before setting out, since warnings can continue until mid-May.
A wet day on the plateau
Heavy rain, storms or strong gusts are forecast. The hairpin road is slower in rain, the viewpoints will show little and the waterfall path turns to mud. The geopark, the rhumerie and Curious Mauritius still work in rain.
No closure notice
Questions people ask
How long should you spend in Chamarel?
Most visitors need half a day in Chamarel, about three to four hours on the hill, to see the Seven Coloured Earth, Chamarel Waterfall, the Chamarel viewpoint and the Rhumerie de Chamarel. A full day lets you add Ebony Forest and the Black River Gorges viewpoints on the plateau, or a hike such as Black River Peak. The geopark itself allows 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Is half a day enough for Chamarel?
Half a day is enough for Chamarel’s main sights if you start early. Arriving at the geopark at its 08:30 opening (checked on 29 October 2026), you can see the coloured earth, the tortoises and the waterfall viewpoints by about 10:30, visit the Rhumerie de Chamarel from Monday to Saturday and be back on the coast by early afternoon. Add the plateau or Ebony Forest only if you have the whole day.
What is the best time of day to visit Chamarel?
The best time to visit Chamarel is early morning, at the 08:30 opening of the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark. The car park is crowded with taxis and coaches in the afternoon, and cloud builds over the plateau as the day warms. The coloured earth looks best in sunshine, so a bright morning gives the best chance of both.
Can you do Chamarel and Le Morne in one day?
Chamarel and Le Morne fit comfortably into one day, since Le Morne is about 14 km and roughly 18 minutes from Chamarel by road. Spend the morning on the hill and the afternoon at Le Morne, or drive the loop south through Baie du Cap and back along the coast. Access to the upper section and the summit of Le Morne Brabant changes with conditions, so check the live trail status first.
Can you combine Chamarel and Grand Bassin in one day?
Chamarel and Grand Bassin combine well in one day along the B103 Plaine Champagne road, 16.8 km and about 16 minutes past the Black River Gorges viewpoint and Alexandra Falls. Start at the geopark at 08:30, cross the plateau in the late morning and reach Grand Bassin around midday, which keeps you out of step with the coach tours coming the other way.
Can you visit Chamarel on a Sunday?
Chamarel can be visited on a Sunday, because the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark, with the waterfall viewpoints, is open every day including Sundays and public holidays from 08:30 (checked on 29 October 2026). The Rhumerie de Chamarel and its L’Alchimiste restaurant close on Sundays, so replace the rum visit with the free plateau viewpoints or Curious Mauritius, open daily from 09:30 to 17:00 with last entrance at 16:15.
Is a Chamarel tour better than driving yourself?
Driving yourself, or hiring a taxi for the day, gives more control over a Chamarel day than a coach tour, because you can reach the geopark when it opens at 08:30 (checked on 29 October 2026) and choose when to go up to the plateau. Cruise excursions reach Chamarel after Grand Bassin and the plateau. A day’s taxi hire costs Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 in October 2026, with no official tariff.
Check every price and opening time
The prices and hours page lists every ticket in this plan with the date it was checked.