Kitesurfing in Mauritius – Why is everyone talking about this place?

Kitesurfing in Mauritius – Why is everyone talking about this place?

So, we are just coming out of a cold and miserable winter in Perth, but for me it hasn’t been quite so long, or miserable.  I was lucky enough to do another kitesurfing trip to Mauritius in July. Yep, another one! This was my third trip to the sunny and windy island of Mauritius.

Mauritius is small island and sits out off the east coast of Madagascar.  It is part of a small group of islands including Reunion Island and Rodrigues Island.  With a winter daytime temperature between 24 and 28 and overnights around 18-20 degrees.  The water is warm and the island enjoys trade winds which blow from end of May until end of August.

The island formerly of note for its sugar cane plantations has now been more focused on Tourism as the price of sugar has tanked and the island has little else to draw from aside from it’s stunning beauty.

I first went to Mauritius in 2017 for a wave trip to the South West, then again in March 2018 for a family wedding in the Far North, then just recently to the South East for exploration and relaxation.  Here is a brief story on each of the locations and what they have to offer.

Le Morne

My first trip to Le Morne on the South Western tip of the island, was in the winter of 2017.  Le Morne is well known as the home of the wave called “One Eye” and if you do a quick “YouTube” search on “One Eye wave”, you’ll see why so many people venture to this tiny island to challenge themselves on this beast.  There are also several other excellent waves at this same location, for example Manawa which is massive but quite user friendly.

Just because it has some of the most impressive waves on the planet, doesn’t mean it’s a no-go for beginners and twin tip riders looking for a winter escape.  The lagoon inside the reef is expansive and flat water. Plenty of riding to be had for the average kiter although caution must be exercised when riding in proximity to “the pass” which is where all water of the lagoon flows out into the Indian ocean, at a rate of knots!

Staying at Le Morne was done in style and luxury as we stayed at the beautiful and very relaxing Riu Creole resort.  This resort offers everything you could possibly want at an all-inclusive price and just happens to be right on the private kite beach in front of the five waves of Le Morne.  The most relaxing holiday as everything is done for you, the food is ridiculously good and in variety that is going to test your self-control.

Calodyne (Anse La Raie)

My second trip in March 2018 was for a family wedding.  They had chosen the North and we stayed at the Attitude Zilwa Resort.  This resort was even more upmarket than the Riu Creole and was nestled on a quiet bay off another large lagoon on the northern coast.  The Zilwa was beautiful and relaxing and was out of the wind for the most part. Food was amazing and plentiful with similar temptations to the Creole but with a more Authentic (Autentik as they say) flavour.

Naturally I did my research and found kiteboarding at a local beach called Anse La Raie and promptly packed my foilboarding gear.  There is an ION Club in Anse La Raie with a bunch of very friendly locals teaching kiteboarding from a sheltered little bay just off the lagoon.  I left the bay and ventured out into the large lagoon with crystal clear water, coral banks and miles of empty water. The lagoon has a wave on the outer reef for those with surfboards looking for a wave and plenty of water deep enough for foiling as well as twin tip riding.

Calodyne also enjoys beautiful warm and windy trade winds day and night and is suitable for all levels of freeride, wave and foil kiters and wind surfers.  This place is perfect for families and couples. Heaps of activities on resort and they have ties with ION Club where you can rent gear, get lessons and they have a boat pick up from the resort jetty.  Handy!

This is the place that has something for everyone, all levels, all activities.

Blue Bay/Pointe D’Esny

The last trip was to Pointe D’Esny on the South East coast.  This place is far away from the tourism and big resorts of the South west and North coasts.  It does have a resort accommodation, The Preskil, but we choose to stay at luxury holiday rental accommodation right on the kiting beach which is aptly named Paradise Beach.

Pointe D’Esny is on a large lagoon in front of the beach which expands into the biggest lagoon and bay of all, Grande Baie.  The trade winds are onshore here and are very constant and can be quite strong. Coral reefs are dotted around the lagoon and the fringing reef is also backed by loads of shallow coral making for some blissful flat water for twin tip riders or crystal clear deeper water for foilers.  There is no surf waves so this place isn’t as good for wave riders although, you can of course grab a cab or bus to Le Morne just an hour away as a day trip.

Pointe D’Esny is for the kiting purist.  Definitely less to do and not much tourism here so for families or the WAGS, there are better options at the other two destinations unless you are happy to just lay on the sandy beach or kite.

Specialised Kiteboarding is on Pointe D’Esny and does lessons daily as well as kite hire.  This place is my favourite location for kitesurfing and foiling. The lack of crowds, clear water and steady, seemingly never ending wind was as good as Hawaii, only closer and less expensive.  Because the island is small, off site activities are easily accessible and are scattered about all over the island with a cab or driver to ferry you about if the wind isn’t blowing. There are too many amazing activities as off-site tours, including; snorkelling with dolphins, zip lining, canyoning, rum distilleries, and many historic museums and sites with a rich history of the island from the days of spice and sugar trading to today.

Action Sports WA offers tours and winter getaways to all three destinations, so if you need a reprieve from Perth’s wet and chilly winter, or to keep logging some quality hours of kiting following on from the end of the kite season, give us a call.  We can tailor a getaway for you, the missus or the whole tribe.

Want to know more? Read our blog posts on kitesurfing!