Mauritius Family Holidays

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Mauritius holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Why Mauritius is perfect for family holidays with kids

One of the best Indian Ocean destinations for family holidays, the volcanic island of Mauritius combines long, uncrowded white-sand beaches, warm seas and rare wildlife with a dramatic landscape of mountains, waterfalls, sugar-cane fields, lagoons, reefs and islets. Its rich colonial history, shaped by Dutch, French and British influences, has helped create a vibrant, multicultural society, with communities whose heritage includes India, Madagascar, continental Africa and China.

Book a family holiday to Mauritius with Take the Family and pick from an array of incredibly child-friendly resorts with fantastic service, including concierges who can arrange excursions, and great facilities. English is the official language.

Like the sound of this gorgeous island? As a specialist UK-based travel agency for families, we're here to help create the perfect, tailor-made holiday in Mauritius for everyone to enjoy. Contact one of our travel advisors now, and let's get started.

Below you'll find everything you need to inspire your family trip to Mauritius.

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The best things to do in Mauritius with kids

Water-based Activities in Mauritius

Snorkelling, Sailing and Dolphin Trips

Snorkel, sail or take a catamaran out to see dolphins.

Excursions to Nearby Islets

Ask us about full-day outings to nearby islets include the Ile aux Cerfs off the east coast, for Mauritius watersports including swimming, snorkelling, water-skiing and pedaloing, followed by a fish barbecue beneath the coconut palms.

Unique Underwater Experiences

Try the Solar Sea Walk Undersea Walk in Grande Baie, wearing a special diving helmet to see fish and corals at a depth of 3m in a tropical lagoon.

Travel in a Blue Safari submarine to a depth of about 30m off the north coast, piloted by marine-biologist guides. Alternatively, try one of their 'sub-scooters' (ages 8+).

Children snorkelling with tropical fish in Mauritius.

Mauritius is the perfect place to discover the underwater world. © MTPA

Nature, Wildlife and Adventure in Mauritius

Nature Parks and National Reserves

Explore Anse Jonchée nature park with its nature trails, spice plants, and stags, Javan deer, wild boar, monkeys, hares and windhover kestrels.

Discover the Black River Gorges National Park, with endemic plants and animals including the Mauritian flying fox, parakeet and cuckoo-shrike, 60km of trails and picnic areas.

Take an eco-tour of the Ile aux Aigrettes nature reserve in the coastal ebony forest that once housed the famously extinct dodo, now home to endangered species including kestrels, pink pigeons, day geckos, giant Aldabra tortoises and rare orchids.

Volcanoes and Sacred Sites

Head to the rim of Trou-aux-Cerfs, an extinct volcanic crater now filled with woods, for full-on island views.

Venture to the sacred Hindu lake of Ganga Talao in another crater in the mountains, with temples to Lord Shiva and giant eels to feed.

Family Adventure Parks

Visit La Vanille Nature Park in a tropical forest in a former vanilla-growing area. Among the best things to do in Mauritius with toddlers, it has Nile crocs, giant tortoises, large Madagascan lizards, bats, wild pigs and an insectarium.

Spend an afternoon at Casela Nature Parks with its via ferrata, zip-lines, luge, safari quad biking, birds and other wildlife, mini-golf, 4D cinema and more.

Other Outdoor Adventures

Ask your hotel concierge about quad-biking, windsurfing, trekking, mountain-biking, horse-riding, canyoning, rock-climbing, sea-kayaking, para-sailing and helicopter flights.

Children playing on a hike in the Black River Gorges National Park.

A walk in the Black River Gorges National Park is a lot of fun - look out for parakeets and the Mauritian flying fox. © MTPA

Mauritius Culture

Sugar and Local Life

Find out about the island’s sugar production at L'Aventure du Sucre, a child-friendly museum in a former sugar factory.

Visit a local market for a glimpse of local life – Flacq has the island’s largest and most colourful market.

Capital City Exploration

Spend time getting to know the island capital, Port-Louis, with markets, temples and a Chinatown.

Botanical Gardens

Learn about tropical spices and exotic plants at the botanical Jardin de Pamplemousses, including giant water lilies.

A colourful street in Maurtius' capital, Port Louis.

Mauritius' colourful capital, Port Louis, is well worth a visit, and don't miss the market. © MTPA

Hiking up Le Morne Mountain gives the most amazing views.

Mauritian food: what families and kids will enjoy eating

Mauritian Cuisine and Local Flavours

Mauritius’ colourful history has brought a mix of cuisine to the island, from French to Chinese and Indian. Local favourites are curries with rice, chapattis, puris or rotis (parathas), biryani and dal flavoured with cardamom, cloves and curry leaves, and Indian sweets such as gulab hamun and rasgulla.

Street Food in Mauritius

Street food can be delicious (and cheap) but spicy – the likes of gâteaux piments or ‘chili cakes’ (similar to Indian vadai), samosas and octopus curry in bread. Rougaille, a local version of French ragout, with tomato, onion and either corned beef or salted snoek fish, is an everyday dish.

Dining Options at Hotels and Resorts

Many hotels in Mauritius are in lovely beach locations, but if you'd like to eat out within walking distance the options are often limited. One of the best areas to choose if you do is is Grand Baie.

Eating Out Nearby

Most hotels we can book for your Mauritius family holiday have several restaurants on site, so you can sample different cuisines across the week.

Enjoy a whole range of watersports in gorgeous clear warm waters in Mauritius.

The best time to visit Mauritius with kids

Year-Round Family Holiday Destination

Mauritius is a great year-round family holiday destination. Unless heat is really important to you, the UK summer months are a great time to visit as it's their winter and low season, so can be great value. Though this is winter in Mauritius, average temperatures still hover in the low 20°Cs and the sea remains warm enough to swim comfortably. This is why we recommend Mauritius as a strong alternative to the Mediterranean for summer family holidays.

Peak Season – Christmas and Easter

Christmas and Easter are the busiest and thus the most expensive times.

Dry Season

May to December is generally dry in Mauritius.

Warm and Humid Season

Between January and April it's warm to hot, you'll also experience tropical showers (albeit short and sharp), and it can be humid.

Chamarel 7 Coloured Earth in Mauritius © MTPA

Chamarel 7 Coloured Earth is a wonder to behold in Mauritius.

How much does a family holiday to Mauritius cost?

Mauritius holidays offer great value despite the distance from the UK. Accommodation standards at hotels and resorts are generally high and most offer all-inclusive packages, which can be really great value, especially in hotels with lots of restaurants to choose from. Alternatively, most will also offer bed & breakfast or half board.

In July and August (low season in Mauritius) we can source you competitive rates that can make Mauritius less expensive than a high-end holiday in the Med at the same time of year. Flying indirectly can also help you save money.

Your personal Take the Family travel advisor will always source you the best-value options for your budget.

How to get to Mauritius from the UK

Flights from the UK to Mauritius

Direct fights from the UK to Mauritius take 12 hours, or we can also book you cheaper indirect flights via Paris or the Middle East. There are also flights to Mauritius from regional UK airports, with connections en route.

Stopovers on Indirect Flights

Connecting flights may include a wait in the early hours of the morning. If you do fly indirectly, we can include an overnight stopover hotel to break the journey - or make more of the stopover by staying for a few days.

Flight Timings and Jet Lag

Outbound flights tend to leave in the late afternoon or evening and arrive in the morning in Mauritius, allowing you the opportunity to sleep enroute and arrive more refreshed. Mauritius is GMT+3/4 so jet-lag is unlikely.