Home / Experience Mauritius / Viewpoints & Scenic Routes / Chamarel Viewpoint
A free roadside stop on the winding climb to Chamarel village, where the forest opens onto the whole south-west corner of Mauritius — Le Morne Brabant, the reef and the islands offshore.
The road up from Case Noyale climbs in tight bends through forest, and at one of them the land simply falls away. Parking bays are cut into the verge, there is no gate and no ticket, and from the wall you look down over cane fields and forest to the lagoon several hundred metres below. It is the reason most drivers slow down on this stretch.
Le Morne Brabant dominates the view to the south, a 556-metre basalt monolith rising straight out of the sea at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. Offshore, Île aux Bénitiers lies flat inside the reef with Crystal Rock beyond it, and on a clear day the coast runs north past Tamarin. Light does most of the work here: mornings bring the sharpest air and the cleanest outline on the mountain, while late afternoon turns the lagoon gold and sets the sun down behind Le Morne, which is when the layby fills. Cloud builds over the highlands through the afternoon and can close the view within minutes, so it is worth stopping when the weather is with you rather than saving it for later in the day.
Open access, daily
No gate and no ticket
Best visited in daylight hours
Water, sun protection and a wide lens. There is no shade, no café and no toilets at the layby itself.
Level parking bays a few steps from the wall, and the view is visible from the car if needed. The approach road is narrow and winding with blind bends, so take care pulling in and out.
Ten minutes uphill, the Geopark protects the striped volcanic dunes that made Chamarel famous, along with a tortoise park and coffee plantation.
Mauritius’ tallest single-drop waterfall, falling close to 100 metres from a basalt cliff, seen from two railed platforms inside the same Geopark.
Agricultural rum distilled from cane juice pressed on the estate, with a guided tour of the stills and cellars that ends in a tasting.
Chamarel Viewpoint,
Case Noyale – Chamarel road,
Rivière Noire District, Mauritius
Around 55 min–1 hr 10 min from Port Louis
Approximately 40 minutes’ drive from Flic-en-Flac
Around 20–25 minutes from Le Morne
On the winding climb from Case Noyale up to Chamarel village, with marked parking bays on the bends. From the south, the B104 from Baie du Cap is a gentler forest road to the same village.
No. It is an open roadside viewpoint on the public road between Case Noyale and Chamarel village, with free parking bays and no gate or ticket office.
The south-west coast: Le Morne Brabant rising 556 metres out of the sea, the lagoon and reef below it, Île aux Bénitiers and Crystal Rock offshore, and on clear days the coastline running north towards Tamarin.
Mornings give the clearest air and the sharpest view of Le Morne. Late afternoon is the popular choice for the golden light and the sun setting behind the mountain, but cloud often builds over the highlands during the afternoon.
Ten to fifteen minutes. It is a photo stop on the way to or from Chamarel village rather than a destination in itself.
Narrow and steeply winding from Case Noyale, with blind bends and marked parking bays cut into the verge. The B104 from Baie du Cap is a gentler climb through forest if you prefer an easier drive.