top of page

Best Things to Do in Mauritius with Kids

  • Writer: minna
    minna
  • 1 day ago
  • 8 min read

Mauritius is just as dreamy as it looks in the photos, but what surprised us most was how much there was to do beyond the beaches.! Over two weeks exploring the island with our 3 year old (whilst also 6 m pregnant because it's a zika safe island), we covered rainforests, mountains, waterfalls, giant tortoises, dolphins, golf lessons and plenty of beach time too. So hare's everything we'd recommend doing with kids to keep the family entertained.


Kayaking with Toddler on Great River South East, Mauritius

Wildlife encounters


Feed the giant tortoises at La Vanille Nature Park


This was one of my husbands bucket list items and he excitedly spent the whole journey there telling my daughter the origin story of the teenage ninja turtles, even though he knew these aren't turtles! At La Vanille the main attraction are the giant tortoises but there are also reptiles, monkeys and crocodile feeding experiences. We started with a private feeding of the smaller and baby tortoises even having the opportunity to hold them! It's a perfect kids activity but make sure your kids are careful as they can bite! The mature giant tortoises roam freely and you can buy leaves and branches to feed them. The strangest thing is that your kids are allowed to sit on them (a sign even encourages this)! This was the clear highlight but my daughter also loved the crocodile feeding where the keepers will swing meat down for the crocodiles to snap at. If the kids have plenty of energy to burn then there's also a playground where they can run around in. It's a great day out with the kids with plenty of interactive sessions and for getting around there is good pram accessibility.


Riding a giant tortoise., La Vanille Mauritius


Safari and giraffe feeding at Casela Nature Parks


Casela is Mauritius' largest nature and leisure park at over 350 hectares. There are buses which take you to the different areas in the park saving you the walk but the whole park is walkable and pram friendly. We decided to leave our pram at the start and take the bus to the safari experience where we boarded a large truck which drives a short loop to see giraffes, zebras and ostriches. It's enough to keep the kids entertained but I wouldn't tick "African animal safari" off your bucket list after this experience.


My daughters favourite experience was the giraffe feeding where you go on an elevated platform and get to feed leaves to the giraffes. It's a really special way to get up close to these animals and you have a member of staff with you making sure you are safe at all times. They also have a Predator Kingdom where you can see lots of lions and big cats a toboggan ride (included in the price), and a kids area with rides, playgrounds and a petting zoo.


Kid Feeding Giraffes at Casela Park, Mauritius

Feed chickens and rabbits at a working farm


If you're staying anywhere near the south of the island, a farm stay like La Vieille Cheminée is worth it for the animal encounters alone. It was such a unique place to stay and on one morning we opened our front door to find horses grazing on the grass in front of our lodge. They offer a few different experiences for guests and we chose an animal farm tour meaning our daughter fed chickens, collected eggs, and picked carrots straight from the ground to feed the rabbits. We were expertly guided by the farm staff who talked us through the day-to-day workings of the place and took us around. Horse rides are available too, though only for kids 5 and up.



Feeding chickens at La Vieille Cheminée eco lodge Mauritius

Water and boat activities


Catamaran tour to the Northern Isles


This was one of the first boat trips we did as a family in Mauritius and this full day catamaran trip out to Gunner's Quoin, Gabriel Island and Flat Island is definitely worth doing. Not all of the tours allow children but I checked in advance and this one we did was suitable for young kids. The catamaran has plenty of seating and you can also go out and lounge on the netting at the front. It's mainly a day of swimming and snorkelling with life vests and snorkelling gear all included with a barbecue lunch provided on the boat! Gabriel island has some shallow swim spots and a small sandy island meaning that it's a really safe and an easy place to swim with kids. I would recommend packing arm bands (if your kid needs them), watershoes, a towel and plenty of sunscreen.



(Use the GetYourGuide app and apply the code TODDLERTRAVELDIARIES5 to get 5% off your total booking price)


Catamaran Tour with Kids in Mauritius

Glass-bottom boat and snorkelling at Blue Bay Marine Park


Blue Bay's clear water and colourful coral make it one of the best snorkelling spots on the island, and it works well even if your child is too young to snorkel themselves. We went with one of the many tour operators which sell these tours at the beach and ended up on a glass-bottom boat going out into the sea.


To be honest, I wouldn't go with any of these operators from the beach again. I had heard about how stunning this coral was but where these boats took us to the coral was mainly dead or bleached. Whilst my daughter had fun on this and could look down, if you are there for the snorkelling I would recommend booking a tour in advance in a normal boat which can get to the more pristine areas of coral which will be full of sealife.


Snorkelling at Blue Bay, Mauritius

Kayaking to GRSE Waterfall


The Great River South East waterfall is reachable by a calm, easy 10 to 15 minute kayak paddle, and it was our daughter's first time kayaking. Many boat tours to Ile Aux Cerfs will visit this quickly however because we were staying at another Ecolodge called Otentic (which was a jungle safari glamping experience) we made the most of the free kayak hire here and paddled down the river to see the waterfall. There are kids life jackets and the kayaking was easy and so daughter sat on my lap as my husband did most of the hard work at the back! The waterfalls are really pretty and it feels even more special being so close to them in a kayak so it's well worth doing this if you stay at Otentic (which also had some of the best food we ate in Mauritius). We even managed to see some monkeys in the trees on the way back, but make sure you keep a distance as we accidently drifted too close and one of the males started to warn us as we did.



Swim with dolphins


Whilst seeing Giant Turtoises was on my husbands bucket list, this was on mine. Again, not all of these tours are suitable for kids but here's the one we did which allowed them. However, because you are out in the open sea trying to chase dolphins only strong swimmers are allowed in for the dolphin swimming experience so if you have a young kids then they will be watching from the boat. Wild dolphins are never guaranteed, but we found them almost immediately, so Andy and I took turns jumping in to snorkel alongside them whilst the other stayed with my daughter. My daughter loved watching the dolphins from the boat then watching us try and catch up with them! The tour also has some snorkelling which was suitable for kids and stops at Crystal Rock and Île aux Bénitiers for a beach barbecue lunch where she loved playing in the sand.




(Use the GetYourGuide app and apply the code TODDLERTRAVELDIARIES5 to get 5% off your total booking price)



Natural landmarks


Seven Coloured Earth Geopark and Chamarel Waterfall


The geopark's sand dunes, in seven distinct colours from a geological quirk of decomposing volcanic rock, are one of the most popular natural sights on the island, and it's easy to see why. It's a quick, pram-friendly walk around, entry is 550 MUR per adult (roughly £9) if you're driving yourself, and it includes a small tortoise park. Two hours is plenty. Chamarel Waterfall is right next door and easily combined with the same visit, with two viewpoints that are both manageable with kids.


7 Coloured Earth, mauritius

Black River Gorges National Park


If hiking with a toddler isn't realistic for you (we're normally up for this but I was 6 months pregnant when we visited Mauritius), the Black River Gorges Viewpoint is a short walk from the car park and gives you the scenery without the trek.


Beaches worth your time


Mauritius doesn't have one single "best" coast for beaches, each side of the island does something different well, and which one wins out really depends on what you're after. If you ask us, the beach we'd go back to first is on Île aux Cerfs. There are two great spots for kids here: the main long beach has a gentle entry, but the shallow natural lagoon between Île aux Cerfs and the neighbouring Île Marguerite is even better, calm, warm. Most people visit as a day trip, but we stayed overnight at the Bubble Lodge meaning that we got the whole island and beach to ourselves once the day trippers headed back to the mainland ps. if you stay at Bubble lodge you also get complimentary Golf lessons on the island!


Bubble Lodge on Ile aux Cerfs, Mauritius

For pure convenience, the west coast is hard to beat. Flic en Flac is a four kilometre stretch with a lively promenade and good restaurants, calm and shallow enough for young kids, and popular with locals at weekends too. We stayed at Anelia Resort and Spa giving us private access to the Flic en Flac coastline as well as an easy all inclusive experience.


Further south, Le Morne is quieter and more dramatic, with a lagoon so still it looks like glass. The most special part of this beach is the stunning Le Morne Brabant mountain as a backdrop, giving you some of the best sunset views on the island.


Le Morne Mauritius with Kids

Practical tips for exploring with kids


  • Hire a car for longer than you think you need. We only had one for 5 days out of two weeks and because we stayed all over the island (6 places in total) we wished we'd extended it, since it gave us far more freedom than taxis

  • Car seats aren't standard in taxis. Bring a portable one if you're not comfortable with your child on your lap for longer journeys

  • Pack sunscreen and mosquito spray, whatever time of year you go. The sun is strong even on cloudy days, and mosquitoes were a constant in the humidity so you don't want to run out of either

  • Book tours in advance and confirm they'll accommodate young kids. Every operator we contacted was accommodating, but it's worth asking before you turn up. The tours I have recommended are all kid (and pregnant) friendly plus with our discount code TODDLERTRAVELDIARIES5 you get 5% off.


Read these blog posts to help you plan for your trip to Mauritius:



bottom of page