The Ebony Forest Nature Reserve protects Mauritius' endemic plant and animal species in a restored native forest in the Chamarel area.

Within the area of several dozen hectares, you will find semi-arid forest, dense tropical forest, as well as non-native plantations.

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As the name of the reserve suggests, the main part of the forest is made up of mature ebony trees.

The ebony forest information centre is located about 4 km from the Seven Coloured Lands.

Hiking trails with magical views

One hiking trail runs through the ebony forest, complete with a concrete road on which jeeps run, which you can take for a fee.

But we definitely recommend hiking the nature trail. There are some elevation changes, but it's not particularly difficult or long.

It follows the ridge of the mountains and offers fantastic views of the ocean and Le Morne Brabant.

The entire circular route is about 4 km long and will take you about 1.5 hours to complete - see the route map.

At the end of the trail, at a point called Pointe Sublime, you will find a small café offering snacks, instant coffee and water. You can pay by card or cash.

Guided tour by jeep

While you can hike the hiking trails on your own without a guide, you can also opt for a 2-hour guided tour of Ebony Forest in an off-road jeep.

Hike to Piton du Canot

If you have 40 minutes to spare, we definitely recommend not heading straight back down from the café to the reception, but to hike up the 540m high Piton du Canot.

The elevation gain from the café is 140 metres and the distance is only 500 metres. The path is not particularly difficult, except that it can be very slippery after rain.

You will be rewarded with incredible views of the entire west coast of Mauritius.

Prices and opening times

Ebony Forest is located outside the entrance gate to the Chamarel Geopark and there is an additional entrance fee.

You will therefore pay 2x:

• The first payment is at the entrance to the Chamarel reserve:
  • 650 mur - Adults
  • 325 mur - children under 12 years old
• The second payment is on entering the Ebony Forest Reserve itself
  • 510 mur - adults
  • 310 mur - children up to 17 years

Basic price includes only the hike without a guide.

For 1 430 mur you can pay for a guided jeep ride, 2 200 mur costs 3-4 hours of guided bird watching and for 3 960 mur you can go to the Sublime lookout at sunset (ie after closing time).

Official website: ebonyforest.com.

How to get there

Ebony Forest can only be reached by car or taxi, or via an organised trip by a local tour company.

A new tarmac road leads right up to the reception, and the turn-off from the main road through the village of Chamarel is clearly signposted. There is no extra charge for parking.

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If you don't want to rent a car and don't want to pay up to thousands of rupees for taxis, you can choose one of the agencies operating in the main resorts.

Compare prices for trips to Ebony Forest via getyourguide.com.

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