Mauritius for Indian travellers

Visa basics

Under current rules, Indian passport holders can visit Mauritius for tourism without applying for a visa in advance: permission to stay is given on arrival.

Plan to show a passport valid for at least six months, a return ticket, your hotel booking or address in Mauritius, and enough money for your stay. Rules change, so always check the official Mauritius Passport and Immigration Office website before you book.

Flights from India

There are direct flights between India and Mauritius, mainly from Mumbai and Delhi, operated by Air Mauritius and Air India. The direct flight from Mumbai takes around six hours. From other cities, you can connect through Mumbai, Delhi or a Gulf hub.

Mauritius is 1 hour 30 minutes behind India (UTC+4), so jet lag is not a problem.

Vegetarian food is easy

Indo-Mauritian cooking is part of daily life: dholl puri, farata, bean curries, chutneys, achards and gato piment are vegetarian and sold everywhere. Many restaurants have a clear vegetarian menu, and hotels are used to vegetarian guests.

If you eat Jain or pure vegetarian food, say so clearly when you order, as some curries use onion, garlic, or meat or fish stock. Mauritian food has its own taste: milder in some dishes, spicier in others, with Creole, Chinese and French influences.

Mauritian food guide

Temples and Grand Bassin

Grand Bassin, also called Ganga Talao, is the most sacred Hindu site in Mauritius: a crater lake in the green south, with temples around the water and a giant statue of Lord Shiva at the entrance. During Maha Shivaratri, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk there.

Also worth a visit: Sagar Shiv Mandir, on a small island linked by a bridge at Poste de Flacq on the east coast, and the Maheswarnath Mandir in Triolet in the north, one of the oldest temples on the island. Dress modestly and remove your shoes before entering.

Hindi spoken widely

Hindi is taught in schools and used in temples, cultural events and on the radio, and Bhojpuri is still spoken in many families, especially by older Mauritians. Bollywood films and songs are hugely popular.

In everyday life, most people speak Mauritian Creole, and almost everyone understands English and French, so communication is easy.

Festivals you will know

Divali, Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Ougadi are celebrated across the island, and several are public holidays. The arrival of the first indentured labourers is remembered every 2 November at the Aapravasi Ghat in Port Louis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mauritius festival calendar

Money

The currency is the Mauritian rupee (MUR), not the Indian rupee: change money or use ATMs on arrival. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in hotels and shops; keep cash for markets and street food.