Macchabée trail

• 6.8.2023

You might not think so of Mauritius, but you will also find a lot of tourist routes here. Well, it's not a tourist paradise like neighboring Réunion (recommended to all hiking lovers), but believe it or not, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Since Mauritius is an island of volcanic origin, there are many mountains (the highest mountain on the island, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, is 828m). Most of the trails are located in the Black River Gorges National Park (including the Trochettia trail). But be careful, only the most famous routes are well marked.

We went to one of these. It is called the Macchabée trail and it leads to one of the most famous viewpoints in this NP. You can do this route comfortably even with children (the journey there and back measures just under 9 km). This is a trail with low difficulty without significant elevation gain. Leave the car parked at the Petrin visitor center (starting point for other treks as well), where there is also a camping site with pink pigeons, which can only be found in Mauritius.

From there, you will follow a straight path with other hikers (if you are here in season, you can pick a fruit called strawberry guava along the way, just like the locals). Always follow the “Macchabée Kiosk” signs at the crossroads. Along the way, you will have several viewpoints of the Black River Gorges. At the end of the trip, a small old shelter awaits you along with a wonderful view of the National Park, Tamarin and the Indian Ocean. We couldn't stay long, because a storm was approaching, which caught us a few meters before the parking lot anyway (you return the same way).

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