Having just returned from a nice and peaceful holiday in Mauritius, I have summarized the things I thought about during my trip to Mauritius and tips that might be good for you to know before you click the book button – everything from choosing an airline to the seasons and the island's history.
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1. Keep in mind that it is a small island
Mauritius is a small, tiny island, 6,5 kilometers high and 4,5 kilometers wide. The island belongs to Africa but is relatively isolated, with Réunion as the nearest island and Madagascar to the west. Given the size of the island and its isolated location, Mauritius is not a destination for those who want a lot to do on your holiday. If I compare it to the similar green islands of Hawaii or Madeira, which are all relatively isolated small islands, there is much more to do and discover on both Hawaii and Madeira. You mainly go to Mauritius to sunbathe, swim and relax. You have time to discover most of the island in 1-2 days by booking a driver to take you around to the places you want to discover. But sometimes peace and quiet is exactly what you want, right? And then Mauritius is perfect!
2. History and culture
Mauritius is not just turquoise water and white sand, but the island is also a cultural melting pot with no indigenous population. The island has been a Dutch, French and British colony over the centuries, and each great power has left its mark on the architecture, language and culture. To understand Mauritius, you need to understand the island's history. The island does not have its own culture and its history is a long list of European colonization.
The Dutch were the first to colonize Mauritius (between 1638–1710) to build a port for their circumnavigation of the world. The island was then uninhabited. The Dutch left the island in 1710 after disease, cyclones and drought scared them away. However, during this short time they managed to cause the extinction of the dodo bird through hunting and the introduction of several invasive species.
The French took over from the Dutch (between 1715-1810) and they named the island Isle de France and planted sugar cane, which became the basis of the island's economy. To run the plantations, the French brought in large numbers of African slaves who lived in terrible conditions. The French introduced many European things to the island – road networks, ports, Catholicism, language and food culture. However, during the Napoleonic Wars in 1810, Mauritius was conquered by the British, despite fierce resistance.
The British continued to operate sugar plantations on the island but changed the name of the island to Mauritius. After slavery was abolished in 1835, a large number of Indians were contracted to work on the plantations. By the 1920s, 500 Indians had moved to the island, and the descendants of these immigrants today make up the majority of the island's population. Mauritius became independent from Britain in 000.
Much remains from the time when Mauritius was a French colony and French and Creole are spoken by everyone. However, the food culture and music originate mainly from India and Africa. An unexpected mix of rhythms and spices that sometimes makes it feel like you are on an island in French Polynesia, rather than on an island off the coast of Africa.
3. Traveling here – Airlines flying over Russia or not?
It is a relatively long journey to Mauritius from Europe (about 1000 km or 12 hours) and most travelers choose to fly either with Emirates (via Dubai) or with Turkish Airways (via Istanbul). It is also possible to fly direct from London (British Airways), Paris (Air France) or from Frankfurt (Condor).
One thing to keep in mind before you book is that Emirates is one of the companies that continues to fly over Russia between Arlanda and Dubai, despite the war in Ukraine and despite EASA as recently as January warned airlines against flying over Russia. I was about to choke when our Emirates flight to Dubai at the end of May 2025 chose to fly straight east from Arlanda and fly over Russia all the way down to Iran – I hadn’t expected that. No European airlines fly over Russia these days. It should be noted that we didn’t fly over Russia on the way home, though, so it seems a bit arbitrary when that happens.
4. When is the best time to travel to Mauritius?
Mauritius is located on the Tropic of Cancer, south of the equator. The sun therefore moves from east to north to west during the day. This means that the sun is in the north when it is hottest at noon. If you want to stay on a beach where you have the sun in front of you in the middle of the day, then the beach should face north. If the beach faces south, you can expect the palm trees to cover the beach in shade during the day. This was one of the things I knew about, but completely forgot when I booked the hotel. The beach at our hotel was therefore in shade from 10-14 every day.
5. When is the best weather in Mauritius?
When choosing where to stay on the island, it may be good to know that the different sides of the island have slightly different climates and conditions.
Seasons and cyclones
Generally speaking, summer (high season) is from October to April and winter (low season) is from May to September. Cyclones can hit Mauritius from November to April, but severe storms are relatively rare. During winter, anticyclones can hit the island, which means a dry high pressure with strong winds on the east coast and lower than normal temperatures inland.
Temperatures
There is a big difference between summer and winter in Mauritius. During the summer it is humid and hot (25-35 degrees) throughout the island, while winter offers dry air and more pleasant temperatures (18-25 degrees).
During the winter the sea is relatively cold (between 22-24 degrees) and the increasing wind can make the water feel colder than it is. The pools get very cold when the night temperature drops to 20 degrees and not many people at the hotel were swimming in the pool in May. There are hotels in Mauritius with heated pools, which I missed booking.
Climate zones
The island is hilly and the mountains and the sea mean that the island's climate varies depending on the coast.
West coast – Generally a little better weather. Sunnier and drier than the rest of the island. Protected by the mountains from the southeast trade winds. Popular with tourists. Beautiful sunsets. We were recommended to book the west coast during the winter season.
East Coast – Windier and more precipitation than in the west. When we landed it was pouring rain at the airport (in the east), but it hadn't rained at all at our hotel in the west.
North Coast – Often warm and dry and good for tourists all year round.
South Coast – More wind and waves, but fewer tourists.
6. Practical tips – All-in-One form
For a shorter stay, a visa is not required to travel to Mauritius for Swedish citizens, but a health certificate is required that needs to be completed before arrival – a so-called All-in-One shape. If you forget to fill this out before departure, you can do it at the airport by using the airport's 3 hours of free wifi. However, keep in mind that there can quickly be very long queues at arrival when you (like us) arrive on the island with a fully booked superjumbo A380, so it's nice to have this sorted out in advance.
7. Practical tips – Diseases and vaccines
Mauritius has no mandatory vaccinations required for entry from Sweden, but recommended basic protection such as tetanus, polio, measles and diphtheria should be reviewed. Hepatitis A+B is also recommended. Always contact your vaccination center to review your basic protection and what is recommended for you.
It is important to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, as dengue fever and chikungunya are common. Long-sleeved shirts and pants are best, but mosquito repellent is a good complement. The last really big outbreak of dengue fever occurred in the spring of 2024, when over 7000 people became ill. In April 2025, 20 people were infected with chikungunya in Mauritius. There is no malaria on the island.
During the spring of 2025, it has been reported that Swedish travelers have been infected with the parasite cryptosporidium on Mauritus and suffered from severe diarrhea and fever. The parasite is mainly spread by contaminated drinking water, pool water and food that has been handled with poor hand hygiene. According to statistics for 2025 from the Public Health Agency Mauritius is this year (2025) the third most common country for Swedes to become infected in (after Tanzania and India).
According to the authorities, the tap water in Mauritius is drinkable, but hotels usually serve bottled or filtered water. If you experience stomach problems after drinking tap water or having ice in your drinks, avoid anything that you can't serve straight from a closed bottle or can.
There are hospitals on the island, but in case of complicated conditions, patients need to be flown to South Africa – so make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance!
8. Practical tips – Safety
Mauritius is considered one of Africa's safest countries, but robberies and harassment do occur (as in all countries).
We were warned by the hotel (as two women) not to walk alone on the beach outside the hotel after sunset. The hotel advised us to avoid the whole of Port Louis in the evening. On the big tourist beaches of Grand Baie and Flic en Flac, tourists are warned about pickpockets and theft. However, we did not hear of any incidents while we were in Mauritius.
9. Practical tips – E-SIM
Although most hotels have wifi, it's very convenient with E-SIM. I ordered E-SIM with 2 GB for 14 days for 13 euros from Airalo. It worked perfectly on site.
10. Practical tips – Traffic
Many people warned me about the traffic before we went here, but I can only say that the warnings are exaggerated. The traffic is not as chaotic as in India, there are not as many mopeds as in Bali and it is hardly as hectic as in Belgium. What is good to know is that there is left-hand traffic and the roads often do not have curbs and are crooked and in poor condition in the mountains. The easiest way is to hire a guide with a private car or jump on a guided tour in a small group with, for example Mautourco (which we did). We also booked a transfer from the airport to the hotel with them. It worked very smoothly.
Have you been to Mauritius? Do you have any more good-to-have tips to share?
