Home / Experience Mauritius / Beaches / Palmar Beach
The quieter continuation of Belle Mare’s sand, a few minutes south — same wide lagoon, same casuarinas, a fraction of the people.
Palmar occupies the stretch of east coast between Belle Mare and Trou d’Eau Douce, and geologically it is the same beach: fine pale coral sand, a line of casuarinas, and a lagoon so wide the reef line sits far out on the horizon. What differs is the traffic. Belle Mare draws the day-trippers and the tour buses; Palmar has a handful of hotels, a scattering of public access points and long empty gaps between them.
The water is shallow a long way out and warm, which suits wading and floating more than serious swimming, and the bottom is generally clean sand with patches of seagrass. As on the whole east coast, mornings are glassy and the south-easterly trade wind builds through the afternoon — which is why windsurfing and kitesurfing are well established along this shore and why sunrise is the hour worth setting an alarm for. There is little in the way of facilities on the public sections, so bring what you need.
Wide, shallow and calm inside the reef, warmest in the morning. No lifeguards. Currents run near the reef passes — stay well inside the lagoon.
Reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes for the seagrass patches, and a windbreak for the afternoon breeze. Facilities on the public stretches are minimal.
Roadside parking at several public access points between the hotel frontages, with casuarina shade and little else. Quiet on weekdays; local families at weekends.
Ten minutes south at Trou d’Eau Douce, then a short boat crossing to the east coast’s best-known island day trip.
Up the coast beyond Roches Noires: a protected stretch of lagoon and reef, and a fishing village untouched by tourism.
Inland at Centre de Flacq is one of the island’s biggest open-air markets; the capital’s bazaar is about an hour away.
Palmar public beach,
Coastal Road, Palmar,
Flacq District, Mauritius
Around 10 minutes from Belle Mare
Approximately 50 min–1 hour from Port Louis
Around 45 minutes from the airport
On the coast road between Belle Mare and Trou d’Eau Douce, with several unmarked public access points and roadside parking between the hotel frontages.
It is the same sand and the same lagoon, a few minutes south, but with far fewer people. Belle Mare draws the day-trippers and tour buses; Palmar has a handful of hotels and long empty stretches in between.
The lagoon is wide, warm and shallow a long way out, which suits wading and floating more than lap swimming. There are no lifeguards, and currents run near the reef passes — stay well inside the lagoon.
The south-easterly trade wind hits this coast first. Mornings are usually glassy; the breeze builds through the afternoon, which is why windsurfing and kitesurfing are established along this shore.
Very few on the public sections — roadside parking, casuarina shade and little else. Bring water, food and anything else you need.
Yes. The foreshore is publicly accessible throughout, so the sand can be walked continuously between the two — a long, flat walk best done early before the sun is high.