Sunrise to sunset, southern coast of Mauritius

With Gabby, we decided to explore the sunrise light by a mangrove beach near La Preneuse, a coastal village in the south of Mauritius. So at 5:30am we packed up with charged cameras, tea, coffee and sandwiches!

There were no specific plans except that we wanted to reach Le Souffleur, a wonderful attraction on the cliffs where wild waves break on the lava rocks.

So join us on this amazing road trip, from sunrise to sunset on the southern coast.

Mangrove beach, south coast of Mauritius — Pinkish hues on the sea surface at sunrise from a mangrove beach near La Preneuse.

Fishermen boat at sunrise — Fishermen boat on the horizon at sunrise

When the sun was too high to still get these subtle pink and blue hues, we started to walk back to the car when suddenly I heard a special high-pitched sound. They were there, in the bush enjoying their breakfast with the sea view: ring-neck Parakeets (exotic species).

Ring-neck Parakeets enjoying their breakfast in the wild bush on the side of the road

Bright green prickly pear — The bright green of the prickly pear stands out in the morning sunlight

Buds of the prickly pears — The buds of the prickly pears with the deep blue sea in the background

Chameleon action shot — Gotcha! What a special moment to catch the bright orange eye of the chameleon just before it went to hide in the bush under the prickly pear

Stunning sand, sea and mountain view from Ilot Sanchot, south coast of Mauritius

While driving through one of the small villages in the south looking for our way to Le Souffleur, we suddenly saw these 2 women walking in the sugar cane fields with their dogs. Within seconds, we stopped the car and grab our cameras to capture this beautiful and authentic Mauritian scene.

The sea always seem to have a special power on us: near it we feel free, powerful, uplifted. It was interesting to spot the little sea creatures clinging on the rocks despite the strong waves; from the mudskipper, the purple sea urchin to the crab.

Deep blue sea — The deep blue sea waves are always uplifting when watching them from the cliffs

A Silverline mudskipper getting ready to jump away. We call it “cabot” in Mauritius (creole)

Gorgeous purple shingle urchin — The gorgeous purple shingle urchin clinging to the rock on the wild southern coastal beach

A crab enjoying the warm sun on the southern wild coast of Mauritius

Battery nearly low and card nearly full, on our way back home we stopped at the same mangrove beach and shot some after sunset pictures playing with silhouettes and the water patterns. Happy of all the salt and sand collected under our shoes, all the beautiful seascapes and coastal species that we found, sometimes it’s worth waking up with the sun, enjoy unplanned visits just going with the flow.

Thank you for joining us and hope to see you soon for the forest hike…

CONTINUE THE VISIT IN THE SCENERY GALLERY