Updated: February 2024
Ile aux Cerfs, which means “deer island”, is an 87-hectare privately-owned island that is located in the east part of Mauritius, Flacq district. The place is known for its private ambience, white sandy beaches, turquoise-coloured sea, and lush vegetation. It is also considered the largest lagoon attraction in Mauritius.
Both families and honeymooners visiting Mauritius are advised to put Ile aux Cerfs on their itinerary list. It’s also the best place to hold a business trip to strengthen your professional connection. The island might be small, but there are many fun things to do in this place. You can find some water sports activities, golf, and snorkelling. You can also enjoy an undisturbed quality time together in its luxurious resort. Ile aux Cerfs is a perfect place to kick back and relax.
Pack your bags and get yourself ready. Here below are all the things you need to know about Ile aux Cerfs.
How to Get to Ile Aux Cerfs
Since there’s no private airport on the island, the only way to reach Ile aux Cerfs is by crossing the sea. Below are several sea-traveling options you could try to visit Ile aux Cerfs.
Ile Aux Cerfs by Taxi-boat
This is probably the cheapest form of transportation to reach Ile aux Cerfs. There’s a taxi-boat boarding from Trou D’Eau Douce, a fishing village on the east coast of Mauritius. The taxi-boat only takes around 15 minutes and costs about INR 400-500 (around 8 to 11 Euro) per person.
Ile Aux Cerfs by Organized Tour-Boat
Taxi-boat might be cheaper, but the recommended way for a foreign tourist to reach Ile aux Cerfs is by joining an organized tour to Ile aux Cerfs. There are speed boats, catamarans, or even yacht cruises that could take you there.
One of the perks of an organized tour is they usually offer to pick you up from the hotel and return you back to the departure point again later in the evening. They could also recommend and book some of the attractions on the island. So you don’t need to check the schedule to make sure that you can go back on time.
For comparison purposes, the Catamaran Cruise from Bluebay to Ile aux Cerfs cost around 118 EURO. There’s also a catamaran cruise from Pointe Jerome. You probably want to book beforehand to pick the best tour package that suits your style.
Most of the watersport activities like parasailing and wakeboarding in Ile aux Cerfs aren’t part of the tour budget, so make sure to bring some extra money.
What to Do in Ile Aux Cerfs
Enjoy the White Sandy Beach
Spare a time to focus on the beautiful lagoon and beach around you. There will be a lot of interesting things to do on the island, including water sports activities, tasting local cuisine, and snorkelling, but the first thing that you should do is enjoy the tranquillity of the privately-owned island.
Walk Along the Sandbar
Enjoy more of the Ile aux Cerfs! During low tide, the island will show its sand bar or a small sandy island. This rare moment is best to be captured in a photograph, so don’t forget to bring your camera.
Snorkel & Undersea Walking
Ile aux Cerfs is home to beautiful coral reefs and colourful and exotic fish like blacktip groupers, blue stripe snappers, and sunbeam. It’s part of Mauritius that is famous for its lagoon. The best and the first thing you should do while visiting Ile aux Cerfs is to peek at the marine life under the sea. There are 2 ways available, you can do it by snorkeling in shallow water or try undersea walking. Be really careful though, do not stomp on the coral reef below!
Watersports
A picturesque sea and beach like Ile aux Cerfs call for plenty of time playing and relaxing under the sun. There are water sports activities for all ages at Ile aux Cerfs, from wakeboarding, water skiing, and parasailing to banana rides. At Ile aux Cerfs, there’s no time to get bored and idle.
Golf
Ile aux Cerfs is often mentioned as the home of the best golf course in Mauritius. Bringing your business partner or just having your own time to explore your golf hobby is a great idea while visiting Ile aux Cerfs.
The Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club is the one and only 19-hole golf course on the small island, designed by Bernhard Langer. The golf course covers around 38 hectares of land, including interesting topography with volcanic rocks, lakes, and gullies. Have a great time playing golf while watching the sea from afar. It’s Golf World Magazine’s one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet.
Treetops Adventure
The kids and adults will love the treetop adventure in Ile aux Cerfs. It’s recommended to anyone over the age of 4, and it offers various tracks for anyone to move and have fun. You can try zip lining, crossing bridges, crossing strings, tightrope walkers, crossing the suspended flying trapeze, and climbing the net. All while watching the amazing east-course lagoon from the treetops. Ziplining is the favourite activity where the guest can enjoy the beauty of Ile aux Cerfs with a side of adrenaline spikes.
Mauritian Sega Dance
Another fun thing you should try while in Ile aux Cerfs is to see and participate in the Mauritian traditional sega dance. The Sega dance is a folkloric ritual dance of Madagascar. It’s how Mauritians show their way of joy and liveliness in life. Ravanne, Triangle, and Maravanne are the traditional instruments that are used to accompany the dance.
Grand River South East Waterfalls
While in Ile aux Cerfs, don’t forget to visit its famous waterfalls. This visit requires a boat trip, so don’t forget to ask or mention Grand River South East waterfalls to your trip coordinator. Or you could just rent a speedboat and ask them to take you there.
The waterfalls are surrounded by ravines in a 30-kilometer river that flows from the Bamboo mountain chain to the bay of Anse Cunat. There might be bats hanging from the tree branches, also monkeys and endemic birds, so prepare to be impressed.
Blue Bay Marine Park
A marine and ocean preserve located between the Ile aux Cerfs and Mahebourg village, the Blue Bay Marine Park is one of the favorite destinations while visiting the island. The ocean preserve boasts a coral garden full of fish and sea turtles. You can try the glass-bottom boat rides to immerse yourself in the undersea wonders.
Where to Stay in Ile Aux Cerfs
There are two options for you to stay around Ile aux Cerfs. You can pick one of the great hotels or lodges at Ile aux Cerfs or you can choose to stay at a beautiful villa in Trou D’Eau Douce, the nearest village to Ile aux Cerfs on the east coast of Mauritius.
The hotel price in Ile aux Cerfs starts from 30 EURO to 550 EURO. You can choose to stay at the luxurious beachfront hotel or ecolodge. Ile aux Cerfs is known for its ecolodge service that offers a cute bubble tent in the middle of a thick green forest or facing the sea. With a transparent ceiling and ecotourism concept, you are up for an unforgettable travelling experience.
Trou D’Eau Douce offers a much cheaper option for a one-night stay. The distance between Trou D’Eau Douce and Ile aux Cerfs is just a 15-minute boat drive. The hotel price in Trou D’Eau Douce starts from 27 EURO to 639 EURO.
If you want a more peaceful stay with the family or a group of friends, you can stay in a private villa with a pool for as low as 250 EURO per night. Trou D’Eau Douce is an amazing place, a fishing village known for its boat trips, watersports, and seafood dinner. You can spend a full day at Ile aux Cerfs and go back to Trou D’Eau Douce at night, enjoying a delicious dinner at the Trou D’Eau Douce port.
Where to Eat in Ile Aux Cerfs
There are many great restaurants in Ile aux Cerfs offering delicious food, from Mauritian cuisine to international dishes. Most of the eating places are located in the northern part of the island. Some of the restaurants offer a feed-in-the-sand dining experience where you can savour your dinner on the white sand, watching the turquoise-coloured sea.
Another restaurant serves great selections of pizza with famous Mauritian rum cocktails. Widely known as Ti Punch, the simple Mauritian cocktail is meant to put rum in the spotlight. Mixed with sugar cane syrup or brown sugar, the Ti Punch will give you a strong taste of summer in Ile aux Cerfs. The island is known for its rum factory on the island, so you are more than allowed to be more adventurous with your rum choices.
If you are looking for a more private lunch with your loved ones, there’s a restaurant that will allow you to enjoy your meal on the sunbeds facing the coast. The house boasts great seafood options, from giant prawns, mussels, and calamari. The private butler is ready to give you all the recommendations that you need.
So that’s the list of everything you need to know about Ile aux Cerfs. Welcome to Mauritius and we hope you have a great vacation time with your loved ones!
Related articles:
