The Instagram Day – Mauritius' Most Photographed Spots, in the Right Light
A private car and driver for nine hours, on a route built around light: the red church at dawn, Le Morne before the crowds, Chamarel at midday, Gris Gris in the afternoon, sunset on the west coast. A shot list on WhatsApp the day before.
Most island tours drive you to the famous spots at the wrong time of day. This one is built backwards from the photos.
You are picked up at 07:00 and the day runs in the order the light runs: Cap Malheureux and its red church while the beach is empty; the Le Morne viewpoint and public beach before ten; the Seven Coloured Earth and the Chamarel waterfall around midday when the colours are strongest; the Black River Gorges viewpoint after lunch; the Maconde bend and Gris Gris cliffs in the softer afternoon light; and the sun going down over the west coast lagoon to finish.
The day before, we send you a shot list on WhatsApp: twenty spots, the time to be there, where to stand, and what to wear so you stand out against the lagoon. Your driver knows every one of them and takes your photos at each stop. A phone tripod and a clip-on wide lens are in the car if you want them.
The car is yours for nine hours, so the route bends around you: skip a stop, stay longer at another, add the one you saw on someone's feed. If your hotel is on the east coast, the driver runs the loop the other way round.