Home / Experience Mauritius / Beaches / Bras d’Eau Beach
A wind-brushed, casuarina-shaded stretch on the quiet north-east coast, backed by a national park of ebony forest — the beach for people who would rather hear the trees than a beach bar.
The north-east is the least developed coastline on the island, and Bras d’Eau is a good example of why people who know Mauritius keep coming back to it. There are no resorts on this stretch, no boat touts and very little in the way of infrastructure — just casuarinas leaning over coarse pale sand, a shallow lagoon patched with seagrass and dark coral rock, and the constant push of the south-easterly trade wind coming in off the reef.
What makes the spot different from other quiet beaches is what sits immediately inland. Bras d’Eau National Park protects several hundred hectares of woodland including remnants of native ebony, and it is one of the few places where the Mauritius paradise flycatcher — a small endemic bird with a long tail — can still be seen. The park has marked walking trails and the abandoned Mare Sarcelle wetland on its eastern edge, so a morning here can be split between the shade of the trees and the shore. Come for a picnic, a walk and a swim in flat water; do not come expecting sun loungers, restaurants or anyone to rent you anything.
Shallow and generally calm inside the reef, but with seagrass and coral rock underfoot — water shoes are worth having. No lifeguards, and the wind picks up strongly through winter afternoons.
Everything you need — there are no shops, kiosks or vendors here. Water, a picnic, insect repellent for the woodland, and a windproof layer.
Roadside parking under the trees, no toilets and no vendors. The national park entrance and its walking trails are a short drive inland; take everything you bring back out with you.
Down at Trou d’Eau Douce: a short boat crossing to the east coast’s best-known island, with white sand and a wide shallow lagoon.
Up the same coast: a protected stretch of lagoon and reef, and the quiet fishing village behind it.
For more of what the national park protects: a restored coral islet in the south-east where native forest and endemic species have been brought back.
Bras d’Eau public beach,
Coastal Road, Bras d’Eau,
Flacq District, Mauritius
Around 50 minutes from Port Louis
Approximately 45 minutes from Grand Baie
Around 1 hour from the airport
On the north-east coast road between Roches Noires and Poste Lafayette, with informal roadside parking under the casuarinas. There is no signposted entrance — look for the gaps in the treeline.
Quiet and undeveloped. Coarse pale sand under casuarinas, a shallow lagoon patched with seagrass and coral rock, and almost no infrastructure — no resorts, vendors or facilities. It is one of the emptiest stretches of coast on the island.
Calm and shallow inside the reef, but the bottom is patchy with seagrass and rock rather than clean sand, so water shoes help. There are no lifeguards, and the trade wind builds through winter afternoons.
A protected woodland immediately inland from the beach, taking in remnants of native ebony forest and marked walking trails. It is one of the few places the endemic Mauritius paradise flycatcher can still be seen, and the Mare Sarcelle wetland lies on its eastern edge.
None to speak of — roadside parking under the trees and nothing else. Bring water, food, repellent and shade, and take your rubbish away with you.
Anyone wanting a picnic, a walk and flat water without crowds, and birdwatchers heading into the national park. If you want loungers, restaurants or water sports, Belle Mare half an hour south is the better call.