Mauritius - Travel Information

Enquire about Mauritius Holidays

When are you thinking of travelling?

100% Privacy Guaranteed

Like many reputable holiday companies we are ABTA registered, our ABTA membership number is 65310.

We also use ATOL protected tour operators. However if you wish to use a tour operator who is not ATOL protected then we will take our supplier failure insurance on your behalf.

For full details click here

By air Air Mauritius flies regularly between Mauritius and Rodrigues, with at least four flights per day in peak season and two per day in low season.

Demand for flights from Mauritius is high and reservations need to be made well in advance, and reconfirmed. The return airfare from Mauritius is expensive for non-citizens at around Rs4,500 return. However, it is possible to include Rodrigues on an Air Mauritius ticket from Europe to Mauritius at a reduced add-on rate, if it is bought prior to flying to Mauritius. Alternatively, tourists can soften the blow by buying the air ticket from a travel agent in Mauritius (instead of from Air Mauritius or overseas), when it comes lower as part of a package that includes accommodation.

For non-Mauritian passport holders, the check-in procedure at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport for flights to Rodrigues is as for international flights. Passports must be shown even though this is a domestic flight, although there is no departure tax to pay. It is advisable to check in early, otherwise your seat may be given to someone on standby. The luggage allowance is just 15kg.

Flying time between Mauritius and Rodrigues is 1 hour 30 minutes. The ATR42 has 48 seats and not much leg or arm space, so keep your hand baggage small.

Air Mauritius can be contacted at the airport (% 832 7700; f 832 7321) or at their office in the ADS Building on Rue Max Lucchesi in Port Mathurin (% 831 1558; f 831 1959; e mkrodrigues[at]airmauritius.com).

By sea The Mauritius Pride links Mauritius and Rodrigues three times a month. The journey takes about 36 hours to Rodrigues but only 24 hours on the way back. There are two classes: loisirs (seats) and excellence (cabins). Expect to pay from around Rs3,500 per person return for a seat and Rs5,000 per person return for a cabin. Children under 12 receive a 50% discount. The Mauritius Trochetia makes one journey per month between Mauritius and Rodrigues. Prices for second-class cabins start from Rs5,500 per person return. For information on either service, contact the Mauritius Shipping Corporation in Mauritius (% 208 5900) or Rodrigues (% 831 0640).

ON ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE

The first sight of Rodrigues, in the dry season, is of parched hillsides with cactus-like vegetation and box-type houses dotted all over an inhospitable landscape. Arriving by air, the views of the surrounding lagoon are spectacular.

The Sir Gaetan Duval Airport is on the coast in the southwest of the island. When I first visited Rodrigues in 2002, the airport terminal was a tiny, one-storey building, with spectators waiting obediently behind the perimeter fence where jeeps and buses were parked. The person at the immigration desk had a hand-written list of the passengers due to arrive on each flight, and he checked the names off one by one. However, things have changed in the last few years. There is now a smart, new terminal building with a small duty-free shop, and immigration and customs procedures have been formalised in line with those in Mauritius

GETTING TO YOUR HOTEL Most hotels and guesthouses will provide airport transfers for a fee, usually around Rs500–800. If you haven’t pre-arranged transport you can take a bus or one of the jeeps or vans that come to pick up hotel guests. The Supercopter bus that operates between the airport and Port Mathurin for arrivals and departures costs around Rs150.

If you are planning to hire a car, there is an Avis (% 832 8100) desk at the airport, open whenever a flight arrives or leaves.

Get prices for Mauritius Holidays

When are you thinking of travelling?