Mauritius

Flic en Flac to Tamarin Bay Coastal Beach Walk, Mauritius

Flic en Flac to Tamarin Bay coastal beach walk, on the west coast of Mauritius, allows for the perfect mix of enjoying the island’s beach vibes while staying active. This beautiful walk follows the paradisaical white sands of Flic en Flac beach, one of the longest and most popular beaches on Mauritius, to Tamarin Bay, a scenic beach and popular surf spot.

But can you actually walk all the way along the coast from Flic en Flac to Tamarin?

Yes, you can. If you Google Map walking from Flic en Flac to Tamarin Bay, the route takes you away from the coast at the end of Flic en Flac beach. The thing is that Google Maps doesn’t show Tamarin Bay Beach as such. Tamarin Bay beach is found before Riviere du Rempart, followed by Tamarin Public Beach. Oh and you can walk across the river to the public beach, but it’s likely you will need to take your shoes off! So, don’t always trust Google Maps is what I’m saying. This coastal walk is very doable as you will see in this post and when you do it!

The route is very straightforward. Simply follow the beach until the end, from where a trail leads directly to Tamarin Bay.

CAR HIRE: To discover more of Mauritius, I highly recommend hiring a car for ease of travelling around (the public buses aren’t the best!). Rental cars can be picked up from the airport on arrival, or you can even collect one from Flic en Flac itself. Check for rental cars here

AIRPORT TRANSPORT: If not hiring a car from the airport, a great alternative to reach Flic en Flac or elsewhere on arrival is by booking a transfer with Welcome Pickups.

How long is the walk from Flic en Flac beach to Tamarin Bay? How long is Flic en Flac beach?!

Flic en Flac beach is around 7-8km long, and what better way to experience it fully than by walking the length of it (and a little more) to Flic en Flac’s neighboring town?! The length of beach you walk of course depends on where in Flic en Flac you leave from.

The scenery ensures the walk does not feel too long or get boring. Plus, there’s always the option to sit and chill on the beach at any point along the way!! It’s not a ‘hike’, but a (semi) long and ‘relaxing’ beach walk!

TOURS & ACTIVITIES: Check out GetYourGuide and Viator for a range of tour and activity options for your Mauritius trip.

ACCOMMODATION: For a wide range of, and the best deals on, accommodation in Flic en Flac and beyond, I recommend checking out Booking.com and Agoda.

Is Flic en Flac to Tamarin Bay Coastal walk an out-and-back or circular walk?

Flic en Flac to Tamarin Bay coastal walk is an out-and-back walk. However, you can always catch a bus (but note that they only run until early evening) or a taxi back to Flic en Flac. So even if you’re not up for more walking (as it is quite a long walk if you start from the centre of Flic en Flac), or decide to stay in Tamarin until dark if you want to grab some dinner or so there, you can still get back to Flic en Flac (by taxi). Don’t walk back in the dark – it’s too far and there won’t be enough lights!!

What footwear should I wear?

While the walk is mainly just one big beach walk, as it is a long walk I chose to wear trainers (I did have to try and stick to the harder sand though!). For me, this made walking easier – I would have been slower in flip flops or no shoes and my legs may not have been so happy. So I advise wearing trainers, and you can always take them off! I actually brought a pair of flip flops with me too – so you can also be like me and come prepared for long walk + beach walk vibes!

Where to begin the coastal beach walk from Flic en Flac to Tamarin Bay?

There is no official start point – just head out to any point on Flic en Flac beach and you can begin from there!

I began the walk from the centre of Flic en Flac, joining onto the beach just after Flic en Flac Police Station. This is some hundred metres from Villas Caroline (a very popular and well rated hotel in town – the red roofs in the below image). Just past here is the end of the beach nearest town, Tamarin is in the opposite direction.

As I began the walk from *almost* the northern end of Flic en Flac beach, I got to experience it in its entirety.

If you’re staying at the likes of popular Pearle Beach Resort & Spa or the stunning La Pirogue, you’ll begin the walk much closer to Tamarin Bay. So, the walk may not be as long for you as it was for me. Not everyone is like me and wants to walk *too* far (especially on a relaxing paradise island trip!), so this may work out better for some!

Walking from Flic en Flac’s ‘main’ beach area to Tamarin Bay

From my entry point to the beach, I passed by some areas I was already familiar with. Including the main, busiest area along the long stretch of sand just by the beach street food trucks. I do recommend to get some food here at some point during a visit to Flic en Flac. You could even stop for a bite here to fuel this walk!

Not too far after the food trucks the ‘main’ beach area ends. Consequently, it becomes much quieter the further along you walk.

The scenery is beautiful, especially with Le Morne mountain visible in the distance.

Walk a little further, and Tamarin Mountain also comes into view!

After a while, beach-side resorts take advantage of their beachfront locations by spreading out onto the beach. Sunbeds can be found at various points on the walk to Tamarin, which belong to the resorts (so they’re for guests!). This adds some extra life to the otherwise quiet beach the further you go. Pearle Beach Resort & Spa, as well as Gold Beach Resort and Spa are the first resorts you will pass. You can admire the luxurious looking accommodation on offer in this town (if you’re not already staying there!).

Continuing along the sand, the area of Wolmar (essentially part of Flic en Flac) is reached. Here, La Pirogue resort is located. This is one of the busiest beach areas on the way to Tamarin (not counting the ‘main’ area I began from). There is extra activity around here thanks to Sundivers Mauritius – a diving company belonging to La Pirogue. Boats leave from/arrive back to the jetty here. So, if you’re interested in diving while in Mauritius, you may want to check them out here.

5 star hotel, Sugar Beach is the next resort you go by. There is also another little jetty (pictured below). Santana Dolphins & Whales – Charter Mauritius, as well as Seas The Day, boat trips leave from here. Flic en Flac bus terminus is located by here too, in addition to public parking. This is therefore a livelier beach area again.

Just beyond the jetty you might be able to spot a beach vollyeball net in the below picture. This is belonging to Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa.

Sofitel Mauritius L’imperial Resort & Spa is next up in terms of resorts. However, in general the beach gets super quiet despite its beauty and the resorts! I love a quiet beach so I was very much enjoying it along here!

It’s time for some more beautiful beach scenes by Flic en Flac’s last beachfront resort – Sands Suites Resort & Spa.

The end of lengthy Flic en Flac beach is finally reached, but Tamarin Bay isn’t….yet!

From the end of the beach you must join a trail. The walk continues, but no longer on sand. I love a trail so I was happy to leave the sandy underfoot behind briefly!

The trail begins quite open, still with the ocean just by your side, there are also a lot of rocks. I actually stopped and sat on a rock and had a snack here – do pack snacks and water! There is also another small beach you will pass by which is a lovely spot!!

The trail then goes into more of a purely woodland area, but not for long. In my opinion, this is an excellent little addition to the walk. You get to mix up the terrain and cast your eyes away from the beach scenes for a few minutes. This means you can appreciate them more again!

The woodland soon opens up, the trail continuing by the coast. Tamarin Mountain gets closer and closer, and just around the bend is the view over Tamarin Bay. A few more steps and you have reached the beach itself!

Tamarin Bay Beach

Do be sure to snap a picture before going down onto the sand. Looking down over Tamarin Bay with Tamarin Mountain up ahead is super picturesque!!!

Tamarin Bay Beach, being in a bay, is a nice mix up from long Flic en Flac beach. I LOVE Flic en Flac beach but I do love pretty bays!

Tamarin Bay Beach was quiet when I got there, and is typically much quieter than the lively main area of Flic en Flac beach. There were a few people in the water, but generally Flic en Flac is much more suited for swimming – Tamarin Bay is a surf beach.

If you wish, you could even head here early and head out on the waves. There is a surf school at Tamarin Bay if you wish to take lessons!

Tamarin Bay is also a popular kayak location – you may be interested in a guided kayak tour on Tamarin River – you can check this out here. Or an even more appealing kayak tour for you might be the guided kayak tour with dolphins. (I have a feeling these leave early in the morning so maybe not on the same day as the walk however!)

Reaching Tamarin Bay, I still wasn’t done with my walking adventure to Tamarin. I continued to the end of Tamarin Bay Beach, soon reaching Riviere du Rempart. Here, I had to take off my shoes as the water was ankle deep, but it was absolutely fine to cross (on my visit anyway).

Tamarin Public Beach

After a short little feet dip in the ‘river’, I was now on Tamarin Public Beach. It is essentially a continuation of the Bay Beach. I mean it’s still pretty much in the bay, it’s just that the river is there separating the beach.

I walked to the end of this beach, and saw there is public parking available, as well as some benches and so – place to chill in the shade. It was therefore a little busier here. I headed off the beach and went for a quick little walk on the streets of Tamarin (I really needed to go buy more water!!).

I considered taking the bus back to Flic en Flac, but it was way too beautiful out! My walk began somewhat cloudy but the sun was well out by this point! Walking back again was therefore the way to go!!

To end the walk nicely, I did another must-do activity, which is watch the sunset from Flic en Flac beach!! It was a beautiful one (as they usually are!).

I clocked up almost 15km in total for my out-and-back walk. (Remember, you can make it shorter by only walking one way, or beginning already closer to Tamarin).

All in all, I had such a good afternoon! This coastal walk really is the best way to visit Flic en Flac’s neighboring town of Tamarin, while having an adventure to do so!! I love staying active but I also love beach time so for me, this was perfect!!

For another excellent day trip idea from Flic en Flac, you can visit Casela Nature Park. Check out my post on Casela Nature Park here.