Tamarin is a popular resort on the west coast, and in addition to the beaches, you can climb the famous Tourelle de Tamarin mountain or discover the still-functioning salt flats.

The town is relatively small, but you'll still find a full range of facilities in the form of restaurants, street food stalls, beach equipment shops and there's even a large Super U supermarket.

Top resorts in Tamarin

Public beach facilities

Tamarin boasts a beautiful wide public beach, which stretches between the town centre and the mouth of the Tamarind River (which has the famous Sept Cascades waterfalls upstream).

The beach is covered in fine white sand and is partially covered in trees providing welcome shade.

You won't find sunbed hire here, but there are a few bistros and street food stalls.

Surfing, diving and boat trips

Tamarin is the surfing centre of Mauritius. The waves in this part of the west coast are big enough to surf, but safe enough especially for beginners.

That's why you'll find plenty of surf schools in Tamarin. The biggest one is located right on the main public beach: Tamarin Bay Surf School.

Because the waters around the west coast are rich in whales and dolphins, there are many cruises from Tamarin.

Added to this are diving trips to the nearby coral reefs.

• Dive school: Tamarin Ocean Pro Diving Center
• Boat trips: smaller agencies without websites are based here, check prices locally or compare via getyourguide.com

Salt Flats

Practically right in the centre just off the main road, you can visit Mauritius' last active salt pans.

Workers here use techniques that have remained unchanged for 200 years to extract the salt and over 1,500 tonnes of salt are extracted each year.

The great thing is that you can visit the salt pans as a tourist and walk along the stone walls between the salt ponds. You will also visit a small museum and a souvenir shop.

• Opening hours for tourists
  • Monday to Friday - 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Saturday - 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
  • Sunday - closed
• Admission - 200 mur, you can purchase a small salt shaker of local salt for 300 mur

Hike to Tourelle de Tamarin

The town's dominant feature is the 563-metre high Tourelle de Tamarin peak.

The views of the entire west coast from here are absolutely breathtaking and we definitely recommend a trip here. The walk up is challenging, but much easier than the more famous Le Morne Brabant.

The trail is rocky and very steep, but there are no climbing sections and the distance from town is relatively short.

There and back together the trail is about 3 km and you'll walk a total of 1.5-2 hours.

• Map of the hiking trail

Holidays with a tour operator - the best hotels

Tamarin has several hotels that are mainly used by tour operators and travel agencies from Europe.

Holidays in Tamarin are ideal for swimming enthusiasts who want the occasional activity in the form of a boat trip, surfing or a hike up a mountain with a view.

Tamarin is generally one of the cheapest resorts in Mauritius.

We recommend you take a look at tours to these hotels:

• Veranda Tamarin *** - A pleasant and affordable resort right on the main beach.
• Tamarina Golf & Spa Boutique Hotel **** - a very quiet boutique resort separated from the hustle and bustle of Tamarin's centre by a river, with a beautiful private beach

Our accommodation tips

Tamarin is also a good choice if you are travelling on your own in Mauritius and are looking for lively resorts with full tourist facilities and hiking opportunities.

You'll find more expensive, but usually well rated, apartments here.

We would recommend these cheap apartments:

• Manta Cove by Horizon Holidays - Luxury apartments with a private very quiet beach between Tamarino and Black River.
• Carlos Villa Poolside - a well rated apartment in the centre about 350 metres from the beach with very good prices from 80 usd per night

How to get there

The main ring road around the island passes through Tamarin. Parking options here are quite limited and although there is free parking at the main public beach, it is often completely full by around 9am.

In that case, you will have to drive for quite a long time through the narrow streets of Tamarin to find a parking space. You can park for free anywhere that doesn't have a yellow line painted on the street.

The following bus routes also pass through Tamarin:

• Line 5 (every 15-20 minutes) - Quatre Bornes (transfer to tram), Grande Riviere, Le Morne, Baie du Cap
• Line 119 (3 times a day) - Port Louis

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Mauritius.