Almost one century has past since Mark Twain said: “Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius”. I can’t fault him for his poetic reasoning, especially as a wind addict. Mauritius has been my home for almost three months as my wife, daughter, and I spend the remaining few weeks in Le Morne Village, Mauritius.
Certainly much has already been written about kitesurfing and kiteboarding conditions in Mauritius, and its most popular spot, Le Morne. This is obvious the moment you arrive at Le Morne Lagoon and see the 75-100 or so kiteboarders riding the shallow, flat water location or taking their first lessons. For me, it was even more apparent when riding out to the world famous One Eye wave location, as my head had to be attached on a swivel, constantly looking over each shoulder, trying to dodge the other 40 kite surfers and 20 or more windsurfers all trying to compete for a good wave. That being said, during the GKA Strapless Freestyle and Wave Competition in September of 2016, it was certainly the place to be for taking pictures and watching the best of the world compete with strapless riding.
Certainly much has already been written about kitesurfing and kiteboarding conditions in Mauritius, and its most popular spot, Le Morne. This is obvious the moment you arrive at Le Morne Lagoon and see the 75-100 or so kiteboarders riding the shallow, flat water location or taking their first lessons. For me, it was even more apparent when riding out to the world famous One Eye wave location, as my head had to be attached on a swivel, constantly looking over each shoulder, trying to dodge the other 40 kite surfers and 20 or more windsurfers all trying to compete for a good wave. That being said, during the GKA Strapless Freestyle and Wave Competition in September of 2016, it was certainly the place to be for taking pictures and watching the best of the world compete with strapless riding.
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For those kiting the Le Morne lagoon and the outside reef, such as One Eye, most choose to stay in Le Morne at high end, resorts and villas. Some of them offer all-inclusive options, but all of them are quite expensive starting at roughly $200 USD/night, and going up from there.
Most budget conscious kiters stay in La Gaulette, a small village 2-3 miles from the Le Morne kite spots. As such, this typically requires that most people also rent a car or truck for the duration of their stay in order to travel daily to the launching sites.
Little do people know (and I hesitate to make it known) that there is a hidden kiteboarder gem waiting for them. It’s called Le Morne Village, and it offers everything the average budget conscious kiteboarder or traveler wants; friendly locals who have a genuine warmth to visitors and sense of pride for their national heritage and the ocean, a true taste of authentic Mauritius living, small shops, fruit stands, eateries, and the ability to launch your kite 40 meters from the front door of your accommodation.
In Le Morne Village you can expect to find much more reasonable prices ($50/night range) for simple but comfortable living, with a variety of available guest house options.
Every hundred meters or so the village is sprinked with “tabagies" (small grocery stores) that carry everything from beer and liquor to canned foods, dish soap, frozen chicken, and even flip-flops.
Most budget conscious kiters stay in La Gaulette, a small village 2-3 miles from the Le Morne kite spots. As such, this typically requires that most people also rent a car or truck for the duration of their stay in order to travel daily to the launching sites.
Little do people know (and I hesitate to make it known) that there is a hidden kiteboarder gem waiting for them. It’s called Le Morne Village, and it offers everything the average budget conscious kiteboarder or traveler wants; friendly locals who have a genuine warmth to visitors and sense of pride for their national heritage and the ocean, a true taste of authentic Mauritius living, small shops, fruit stands, eateries, and the ability to launch your kite 40 meters from the front door of your accommodation.
In Le Morne Village you can expect to find much more reasonable prices ($50/night range) for simple but comfortable living, with a variety of available guest house options.
Every hundred meters or so the village is sprinked with “tabagies" (small grocery stores) that carry everything from beer and liquor to canned foods, dish soap, frozen chicken, and even flip-flops.
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Scattered between them you will find fish mongers selling the daily catch, fruit and vegetable stands, and small eateries such as Madame Rose.
Madame Rose runs a small kitchen which we visit almost daily for her mouthwatering curry chicken roti. This is a thin crepe-like bread that gets rolled up with chicken curry and cooked vegetables, and could be referred to as the Mauritian burrito. Each one costs only $1 USD, and two will certainly fill you up and give you plenty of energy for a couple hours of kiting.
And this takes me to the kiting. Kiting conditions in front of the Le Morne Village is every bit as good as the known spots in Le Morne, the only difference is that you will practically be kiting by yourself.
And this takes me to the kiting. Kiting conditions in front of the Le Morne Village is every bit as good as the known spots in Le Morne, the only difference is that you will practically be kiting by yourself.
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The kite spots in Le Morne Village:
If you ride a few hundred meters from the Le Morne Village beach, you can look and see Le Morne Lagoon and One Eye about 1-2 kilometers downwind. You can easily kite downwind to those popular kiting beaches, but once you are sick of riding with a crowd, you will want to upwind it back with long tacks to the isolated waters in front of your accommodation (roughly 15 minutes of riding). But the question is, why would you want to kite down there and then have to grind back upwind?
If you ride a few hundred meters from the Le Morne Village beach, you can look and see Le Morne Lagoon and One Eye about 1-2 kilometers downwind. You can easily kite downwind to those popular kiting beaches, but once you are sick of riding with a crowd, you will want to upwind it back with long tacks to the isolated waters in front of your accommodation (roughly 15 minutes of riding). But the question is, why would you want to kite down there and then have to grind back upwind?
Directly out in front of Le Morne Village you will find your very own flat water paradise, as well as an awesome left-breaking wave (minus the boat support that is available in Le Morne at One Eye), and no one to compete for any of it.
Inside the reef the waters tend to be knee to waist deep, and super flat because of how shallow it is. You do have to pay attention to make sure you are not jumping or crashing in an area with rocks or reef heads, but it's honestly not a big issue. If you have kited other places like Boracay, or anywhere in the Indian Ocean, it's pretty much par for the course. (I should also mention that the same thing is true of kiting in the lagoon in Le Morne, except there you also have to dodge the other kiters and students.)
Inside the reef the waters tend to be knee to waist deep, and super flat because of how shallow it is. You do have to pay attention to make sure you are not jumping or crashing in an area with rocks or reef heads, but it's honestly not a big issue. If you have kited other places like Boracay, or anywhere in the Indian Ocean, it's pretty much par for the course. (I should also mention that the same thing is true of kiting in the lagoon in Le Morne, except there you also have to dodge the other kiters and students.)
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If you head slightly upwind to the eastern corner, you will find a deep channel for getting outside the reef. You know you are in the right spot because of how deep and dark blue the water is. The wave there is quite nice, but there is a lot of current here on out-going tides, so be careful. Don’t head in too deep for the big waves as you certainly want to ride out of the wave on its shoulder because it hits the deep channel, rather than ride it through or across the shallow reef. While only experienced kiters should head out to ride this location, this wave can be ridden by intermediate wave riders, but remember what I said about no boat support.
The water is typically pretty warm, but from June until the end of September the wind can be rather chilly. A 1mm neoprene shirt and shorts is a good addition, and will make riding more comfortable at those times of the year.
The wind:
Expect 9-10m conditions daily, from June - November, with a few scattered 12-14m days here and there. If you are on a surf board, you can usually make a 7-8m kite work much of the time as well, although I suggest using a kite with plenty of power if you plan to try the waves out.
Where to stay:
I have found myself wondering many a time why more people do not stay or kite from Le Morne Village rather than go to the mega-resorts in Le Morne, or staying in La Gaulette and driving to kite each day. I think it is probably a twofold issue. One, Le Morne Village is a fishing village, and until recently, there weren’t many accommodations that had the amenities that a foreigner would be used to. And two, because of the previous point, people just don’t know staying here is an option.
We, however, found an awesome kite-centric accomodation which is owned by a very amazing couple, Roshan and Vidya. Here is the Facebook page for their place: Brabant Kite and Surf House.
We highly recommend staying with them as they are literally the best landlords we have encountered in our two year journey, helping us in any way they can, responding promptly to any requests or issues, and genuinely extending a warm welcome to Mauritius. They have several guest houses that are located between Tabagie Brabant, a general store stocked with all of your basic needs, and the Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund building.
Across the street from the Brabant Kite and Surf House you will find a fruit and vegetable stand, and Madame Rose.
The water is typically pretty warm, but from June until the end of September the wind can be rather chilly. A 1mm neoprene shirt and shorts is a good addition, and will make riding more comfortable at those times of the year.
The wind:
Expect 9-10m conditions daily, from June - November, with a few scattered 12-14m days here and there. If you are on a surf board, you can usually make a 7-8m kite work much of the time as well, although I suggest using a kite with plenty of power if you plan to try the waves out.
Where to stay:
I have found myself wondering many a time why more people do not stay or kite from Le Morne Village rather than go to the mega-resorts in Le Morne, or staying in La Gaulette and driving to kite each day. I think it is probably a twofold issue. One, Le Morne Village is a fishing village, and until recently, there weren’t many accommodations that had the amenities that a foreigner would be used to. And two, because of the previous point, people just don’t know staying here is an option.
We, however, found an awesome kite-centric accomodation which is owned by a very amazing couple, Roshan and Vidya. Here is the Facebook page for their place: Brabant Kite and Surf House.
We highly recommend staying with them as they are literally the best landlords we have encountered in our two year journey, helping us in any way they can, responding promptly to any requests or issues, and genuinely extending a warm welcome to Mauritius. They have several guest houses that are located between Tabagie Brabant, a general store stocked with all of your basic needs, and the Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund building.
Across the street from the Brabant Kite and Surf House you will find a fruit and vegetable stand, and Madame Rose.
Even better, also across the street is our favorite launch site and a park. Its playground has two swings, a slide, a seesaw, and some monkey bars. My four year old daughter loves playing in the well groomed park. The added bonus is that my wife or I can watch her have fun, and watch one another kiteboard at the same time.
The locals:
I briefly mentioned the warm and friendly locals. We have been invited to dinners, parties, weddings... have been taken out fishing on the reef... am constantly given candy, goodies, and little gifts for our four year old... have been handed a 1 1/2 kilo fish for free... and none of them have asked for anything in return other than a smile. All this without us even speaking French, let alone Creole. We speak English, and are proficient in Spanish, but neither is ideal here. That being said, most locals do know a fair amount of English, if not speaking it quite fluently, so definitely don’t let the language be a barrier to your potential kitesurfing vacation in Le Morne Village.
I briefly mentioned the warm and friendly locals. We have been invited to dinners, parties, weddings... have been taken out fishing on the reef... am constantly given candy, goodies, and little gifts for our four year old... have been handed a 1 1/2 kilo fish for free... and none of them have asked for anything in return other than a smile. All this without us even speaking French, let alone Creole. We speak English, and are proficient in Spanish, but neither is ideal here. That being said, most locals do know a fair amount of English, if not speaking it quite fluently, so definitely don’t let the language be a barrier to your potential kitesurfing vacation in Le Morne Village.
Transportation:
Because you can kite out your front door, and because most everything you need can be found within a few hundred meters, staying in Le Morne Village really does not require a visitor to rent a vehicle. For longer stays, renting a scooter is the most cost effective option. This allows you to run to La Gaulette to visit the pharmacy, one of the three restaurants there, or the large grocery store that has anything and everything you might need. La Gaulette is a quick 10 minute ride by scooter, but for shorter 1-2 week stays, it really isn’t necessary to rent a vehicle. You can catch the bus from Le Morne Village to La Gaulette for roughly 75 cents (USD), and it passes through the village every 20 minutes or so. We have used the bus as a family quite often.
When you do want to adventure out further, taxis are readily available and $50-70 USD usually covers an entire day of venturing the island. (For a day trip around the island, renting a car is a good way to go.) A taxi is also the easiest option for getting to Le Morne Village from the airport (MRU) and costs 2,000 rupees ($50 USD). Most of the hosts or landlords will help to book you a ride to or from the airport with a local taxi driver, just ask when booking your stay.
Why you should stay here:
You really can’t go wrong staying in Le Morne Village. It has been a magical place for us. The ocean is teaming with life. You can snorkel and see amazing sea-life mere steps from your front door. Every creature here is more colorful than any other similar species I have experienced during our travels. The bay is occupied by hundreds of multi-colored octopus, fish, shellfish, and sea turtles. At other times you may be visited by parrots or giant fruit bats, and on a hike you can even get the chance to see a monkey.
Because you can kite out your front door, and because most everything you need can be found within a few hundred meters, staying in Le Morne Village really does not require a visitor to rent a vehicle. For longer stays, renting a scooter is the most cost effective option. This allows you to run to La Gaulette to visit the pharmacy, one of the three restaurants there, or the large grocery store that has anything and everything you might need. La Gaulette is a quick 10 minute ride by scooter, but for shorter 1-2 week stays, it really isn’t necessary to rent a vehicle. You can catch the bus from Le Morne Village to La Gaulette for roughly 75 cents (USD), and it passes through the village every 20 minutes or so. We have used the bus as a family quite often.
When you do want to adventure out further, taxis are readily available and $50-70 USD usually covers an entire day of venturing the island. (For a day trip around the island, renting a car is a good way to go.) A taxi is also the easiest option for getting to Le Morne Village from the airport (MRU) and costs 2,000 rupees ($50 USD). Most of the hosts or landlords will help to book you a ride to or from the airport with a local taxi driver, just ask when booking your stay.
Why you should stay here:
You really can’t go wrong staying in Le Morne Village. It has been a magical place for us. The ocean is teaming with life. You can snorkel and see amazing sea-life mere steps from your front door. Every creature here is more colorful than any other similar species I have experienced during our travels. The bay is occupied by hundreds of multi-colored octopus, fish, shellfish, and sea turtles. At other times you may be visited by parrots or giant fruit bats, and on a hike you can even get the chance to see a monkey.
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But one of the most magical moments here occurs each evening. Every night we have been astounded by the majestic beauty of this place and the mesmerizing sunsets that frequent the island and Le Morne Village; what has become our Mauritius home filled with our Mauritian family.
