Home / Experience Mauritius / Islands / Flat Island
A low, sandy island eleven kilometres off the north coast, with a nineteenth-century lighthouse, an old quarantine station and a lagoon channel that makes the best swimming stop of any boat trip in Mauritius.
Flat Island — Île Plate in French — lies about eleven kilometres north of Cap Malheureux, and its name is exact: a low, scrub-covered island of coral sand and rock with barely any relief, separated from the smaller Gabriel Island by a shallow channel of astonishingly clear water. That channel is where the boats anchor, and it is the reason the island tops most people’s list of days out in the north.
There is more here than a beach. A stone lighthouse built in the nineteenth century still stands on the high point, and the ruins of a quarantine station survive from the period when ships arriving with sickness aboard were held offshore — a grim chapter that included a serious outbreak in the 1850s. The island is now a nature reserve, and parts of it are protected for seabirds and native vegetation, so visitors stay to the accessible areas. Most trips are full-day: a catamaran or speedboat out of Grand Baie in the morning, snorkelling on the reef, a barbecue lunch cooked on the sand at Gabriel Island, and back by mid-afternoon. Bring everything you need — there are no facilities of any kind on the island.
Exceptionally clear and shallow in the channel between Flat Island and Gabriel Island — the best snorkelling stop on a northern trip. No lifeguards, and currents run in the channel itself, so stay near the boats.
Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, water and a dry bag. Shade on the island is minimal, and there are no shops, taps or toilets ashore.
Catamarans and speedboats leave Grand Baie and the north coast in the morning, usually pairing Flat Island with Gabriel Island and a pass by Coin de Mire. Most include lunch and snorkelling gear — confirm before booking. Trips are cancelled in strong wind.
Across the channel, and where most boats anchor for a barbecue lunch and an afternoon in the shallows.
Passed on the way out: a 280-metre wedge of rock and a nature reserve, with some of the best diving in Mauritius around its flanks.
Where the boats leave from — and the island’s busiest strip of shops, restaurants and evening life.
Flat Island (Île Plate),
off Cap Malheureux,
Rivière du Rempart District, Mauritius
Around 45–60 minutes by catamaran from Grand Baie
Approximately 25–30 minutes by speedboat
Around 35–40 minutes by road from Port Louis to Grand Baie
There is no land access. Catamaran and speedboat trips leave from Grand Baie and the north coast, almost all in the morning; book ahead in high season and confirm what the price includes.
By boat only. Catamarans take around 45 to 60 minutes from Grand Baie and speedboats roughly half that. Trips leave in the morning and almost always combine Flat Island with Gabriel Island next door.
A nineteenth-century stone lighthouse on the high point, the ruins of an old quarantine station, low scrub and coral sand — and no facilities at all. Parts of the island are protected for seabirds and native vegetation.
Ships arriving in Mauritius with sickness aboard were held offshore rather than allowed into Port Louis, and Flat Island served as the quarantine post — including during a serious outbreak in the 1850s. The ruins are still visible.
The channel between Flat Island and Gabriel Island is exceptionally clear and shallow, and it is where most boats anchor. Currents run in the channel itself, so stay near the boats and follow the crew’s guidance.
Everything — sun protection, a hat, water and a dry bag. There is no shade to speak of, no fresh water and no toilets ashore. Most organised trips include lunch and snorkelling gear, but confirm that before booking.