Chamarel Waterfall, its two viewpoints and when it flows best

How tall is Chamarel Waterfall?

Chamarel Waterfall is about 95 to 100 m tall, the tallest single drop in Mauritius. The figures on record are 95 m in the UN Tourism profile of the village, nearly 100 m in the geopark’s own account and 83 m elsewhere, and none of them says how the drop was measured, so treat the height as roughly 83 to 100 m.

The fall is also called Chamarel Falls in English and the Cascade de Chamarel in French. It leaps from a vertical cliff into an amphitheatre of rock and forest, where the water has carved a small cave and the spray can rise to about half the height of the drop. The fall is fed by the Saint-Denis and Viande Salée streams, three separate streams in the geopark’s count, and below it the river runs south to the sea at Baie du Cap, known as the Baie du Cap River or the River du Cap.

The two Chamarel Waterfall viewpoints

The Chamarel Waterfall viewpoints are two railed platforms inside the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark, a lower one a few steps from the waterfall car park and an upper one up a short flight of stairs, with a slightly better view. The whole paved path is about 0.2 km, the railings are sturdy and the visit suits families. The upper deck is split into two closely spaced lookouts joined by uneven steps, so take care there with small children and in wet shoes.

The platforms stand about 240 m west of the fall and look east across the gorge, so the whole drop is in view at once. No hike is needed, and the platforms are the end of the public path. The geopark has two car parks, one at the waterfall viewpoints and one at the coloured earth.

The waterfall viewpoints are not the free roadside Chamarel viewpoint over Le Morne and the lagoon, which sits on the road up from Case Noyale just before the village and looks out over the coast rather than the fall.

Chamarel Waterfall entrance fee and how to reach it

Chamarel Waterfall has no ticket of its own, because its viewpoints are inside the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark, which charges non-residents Rs 800 per adult and Rs 400 per child aged 5 to 11, charges Mauritian residents Rs 400 per adult and Rs 200 per child, and lets children under 5 in free (checked on 29 October 2026). The geopark opens every day, Sundays and public holidays included, from 08:30 to 17:30 between October and May, with the last ticket at 17:00, and from 08:30 to 17:00 between June and September, as the table below shows.

The same ticket covers the coloured earth, the giant tortoise park and the endemic garden, but not the guided hike to the base of the fall. Tickets are dated, valid for one entry, non-transferable and non-refundable. Payment is in Mauritian rupees, in cash, by card except Diners Club or through the local Juice, Pop and Blink apps, and foreign cash is refused.

To reach the viewpoints, drive or take a taxi to the geopark gate on the B104, about 1.5 km south of Chamarel village, buy tickets at the main entrance or the drive-through booth, then drive 1.5 km inside the park to the waterfall car park. The coloured earth is 3 km from the gate, a walk of about an hour one way, so with a car it makes sense to drive between the two. By road Chamarel is about 18 minutes from Le Morne, 30 minutes from Flic en Flac and 40 minutes from the airport. No bus timetable to the village is published, so a car or taxi is the practical way in.

How the flow changes through the year

Chamarel Waterfall runs fullest from about December to April, in the rainy summer, and thinner from May to November, when it can split into two narrow streams. Accounts of the peak differ only at the edges, December to April, December to March or January to April. In the drier months the fall divides in two, as it does in the photograph below from early October. In August 2025 it still carried a moderate amount of water. There is no record of the fall running dry, but it was fairly dry in January 2013, so even a wet-season visit is not a guarantee.

Rainfall explains the pattern. Mauritius Meteorological Services’ averages for 1991 to 2020 give the south of Mauritius 374 mm in February against 101 mm in October, and the dry west coast 202 mm against 23 mm. No rain gauge is published for Chamarel itself, which lies between the dry coast and the wetter southern uplands, so the two columns in the table bracket what the catchment above the fall receives.

The live board below estimates today’s flow from modelled rainfall over the catchment above the fall during the last day, week and month. It is an estimate from weather data, not a gauge reading, so use it to set expectations before you drive up.

The best time of day at the fall

Soon after opening is the quiet time at Chamarel Waterfall, and the afternoon is the sunlit one. The platforms look east across the gorge, so the face of the fall turns towards the afternoon sun and is lit on a clear afternoon, while the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark’s own advice is mornings or late afternoons for cooler air and better light. The geopark opens at 08:30 and closes by 17:30 (checked on 29 October 2026), so sunrise and sunset are never possible from the platforms.

Crowds follow the coaches. The viewpoint is quiet until about 10:00 and busier after that, and in the afternoon the geopark car park fills with taxis and small coaches. Cruise ships calling at Port Louis sell coach excursions to Chamarel, so expect more company on those days. Arriving soon after opening gives the best chance of a quiet rail.

Can you walk to the bottom of Chamarel Waterfall?

You cannot walk to the bottom of Chamarel Waterfall on your own, because there is no public path to the base and the Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark states that going down the waterfall on your own is strictly prohibited. The geopark ticket covers the two viewpoints only. The base is reached on guided hikes, sold as outings of about 3 hours that meet at the geopark car park, and the descent itself takes about 45 minutes on a forest path that is slippery in places.

The guided hikes advertise a swim in the pool at the foot of the fall. Unpredictable currents and the risk of flash floods argue against it. The waterfall hike page covers the descent, the swimming question and what is still unpublished about the path.

A few other geopark rules apply at the viewpoints and across the site.

• Drones are not allowed unless the geopark has authorised the flight in advance, and no-drone signs have stood at the waterfall since at least 2019.
• Pets are not allowed, except registered service animals.
• Picnics, smoking, alcohol and amplified music are not allowed.
• Commercial photo and film shoots need the geopark’s approval in advance, while personal photos are allowed.