The Best Photoshoot Locations in Mauritius — A Photographer's Guide
Last updated: June 2026
Every list of "best photo spots in Mauritius" you'll find online was written from a desk. This one was written from the sand. I'm Bilaal Sadeer, and over fifteen years I have photographed weddings, honeymoons, proposals and family sessions at every beach, clifftop and mountain viewpoint on this island — twenty-six locations in regular rotation, from the postcard-famous to spots most tour guides have never stood on. Below is my ranked top fifteen, organized coast by coast so you can match a location to where you're staying and the light you'll have — plus eleven more local secrets that I save for couples who want a frame nobody else takes home. For every single spot I'll tell you what makes it photogenic, when the light is best, and which kind of session it suits.
Photoshoot Locations in Mauritius — Key Facts
- This guide covers 26 photographed locations across the island's five coasts — every one tested over hundreds of real sessions.
- West and south-west beaches face the sunset; the east coast owns sunrise and still morning lagoons.
- Le Morne is the most iconic backdrop on the island — the UNESCO-listed mountain over a white-sand public beach.
- Drone photography is permitted at most coastal locations, subject to MCAA rules and permits — which I handle for you.
- Mauritius is compact: every location here is within roughly 90 minutes of any resort, and most are far closer.
- Two or three nearby locations can comfortably be combined in a single two-hour session.
South-West — drama and sunsets
If I could only shoot on one coast for the rest of my career, it would be this one. The south-west is where the island stops being merely pretty and becomes cinematic: the UNESCO-listed bulk of Le Morne Brabant, basalt cliffs hammered by open ocean, fishing villages the resorts never reached, and — because the whole coast faces west and south-west — sunset light that pours straight down the beaches every single evening. This is the natural home of wedding-day portraits, elopements and any session where you want drama rather than postcard calm.
#1 — Le Morne
The most photographed — and still the best — location in Mauritius: a long white public beach beneath the sheer green wall of Le Morne Brabant. The mountain catches the last warm light while the lagoon turns to glass, so the final ninety minutes before sunset are unbeatable. Perfect for weddings, elopements and honeymoon sessions; it is also one of the strongest drone locations on the island.
#9 — La Gaulette
A working fishing village just north of Le Morne, with wooden pirogues moored in shallow turquoise water and the mountain rising in the background. It photographs beautifully in late afternoon, when low side-light rakes across the boats and the lagoon. Ideal for couples who want Le Morne's backdrop with a more authentic, less manicured foreground.
#12 — Bel Ombre
The polished south coast: a long, quiet beach fronting a string of five-star resorts, backed by sugarcane and the green wall of the Bel Ombre nature reserve. The light is gentle and golden from mid-afternoon onward, and the beach rarely crowds. My go-to for resort-based honeymoon and anniversary sessions in the south.
Local secret La Prairie
A wide, shallow public beach at the foot of Le Morne that most visitors drive straight past on the coastal road. At low tide the lagoon retreats into ribbons of sandbar and pale blue water, with the mountain dead ahead — pure minimalism. Best in the last two hours of light; wonderful for barefoot couple sessions and drone work.
#14 — Maconde
The famous hairpin viewpoint where the coastal road bends around a basalt headland and the Indian Ocean explodes against the rocks below. It is a five-minute stop that delivers the wildest frames on the island — wind, spray and cliff-edge drama. Best at golden hour for warmth or on moody days for atmosphere; ideal as a second stop after Le Morne or Bel Ombre.
Local secret Riviere des Galets
A beach of smooth grey pebbles on the unprotected south coast, where real waves — rare in lagoon-ringed Mauritius — roll in from the open ocean. The sound, the spray and the absence of anyone else make it feel like a private corner of a wilder island. Late afternoon suits it best; bring a sense of adventure rather than white linen.
The North — classic beaches and the red church
The north is the Mauritius of the brochures: casuarina-shaded sand, calm turquoise lagoons, offshore islets and the most famous church in the Indian Ocean. It is also the most convenient coast — eleven of my regular locations sit within a twenty-minute radius, which makes the north ideal for multi-spot sessions and for families staying in the Grand Baie area. Light here is flexible: several beaches face north-west and catch genuine sunset, while the islets and east-facing corners reward morning shoots.
#15 — Grand Baie
The island's liveliest bay, ringed with bright boats, palm-lined sand and a north-west orientation that delivers proper sunsets over the water. La Cuvette, its small sheltered beach, is a quietly excellent portrait spot most visitors never find. Best in the golden hour; well suited to couple sessions and relaxed lifestyle shoots near the resorts.
#2 — Cap Malheureux
The northern tip of Mauritius, where fishing boats bob in front of a view across to Coin de Mire island — one of the most balanced natural compositions on the island. Early morning gives still water and soft light; late afternoon gives warmth and long shadows. A staple for couples and families, and the gateway to the red church next door.
#3 — The Red Church (Notre Dame Auxiliatrice)
The red-roofed chapel at Cap Malheureux is the second most iconic frame in Mauritius after Le Morne — white walls, crimson roof, turquoise sea and Coin de Mire behind. It works at almost any hour, but mid-morning light on the facade is the classic look. Essential for wedding-day portraits, proposals and anyone who wants the island's signature postcard with themselves in it.
Local secret Grand Gaube
A fishing village east of Cap Malheureux that tourism largely skipped, with pirogues, jetties and views to the northern islets. The morning light here is gorgeous and the beaches are genuinely local — expect fishermen, not sun loungers. Lovely for storytelling couple sessions and for guests of the nearby LUX* resort.
Local secret Balaclava
Turtle Bay at Balaclava is a protected marine park with a river mouth, colonial ruins and a calm west-facing beach that catches full sunset. Because access is mostly through the resorts, it stays remarkably quiet. A refined choice for honeymoon and maternity sessions if you are staying along this stretch.
#7 — Trou aux Biches
Arguably the most beautiful classic beach in the north: powder sand, leaning palms, shallow safe water and a west-north-west aspect that makes it one of the few northern beaches with true sunset light. It is deservedly popular, so we shoot early morning or final hour. Excellent for families with children and for honeymoon couples.
#8 — Mon Choisy
A long crescent of sand backed by a deep casuarina grove, curving toward Grand Baie. The trees give shade and texture you don't get on open beaches, and the north-west curve catches lovely evening light. My most-recommended northern beach for family sessions — space to run, shade to rest, sunset to finish.
Local secret Pointe aux Cannoniers
A leafy headland between Mon Choisy and Grand Baie with small sandy coves, old cannon emplacements and water in three shades of blue. The coves face different directions, so there is always a corner with good light. Quietly perfect for proposals — private, pretty and minutes from the Grand Baie hotels.
Local secret Pointe aux Piments
A low-key west-facing village beach famous locally for the sea turtles that graze its lagoon. The sunsets are as good as anywhere on the island and the beach stays calm even in peak season. A natural pick for couples staying at the nearby resorts who want golden-hour portraits without travelling.
Local secret Bain Boeuf
A short, white slip of beach between Cap Malheureux and Pereybere with the most direct view of Coin de Mire island anywhere on the coast. At sunrise the islet glows and the water barely moves. I use it for morning honeymoon shoots and as a quieter alternative when the red church draws a crowd.
#11 — Ilot Gabriel
A boat-access islet in the marine park off the north coast — sandbars, shallow gin-clear water and no buildings in any direction. Reached by catamaran, it turns a photoshoot into a day trip and delivers true castaway frames you cannot get from the mainland. Midday actually works here, because the shallow water needs high sun to show its colour.
The East — sunrise lagoons
The east coast is the early riser's reward. These beaches face the dawn, and in the first hour of light the lagoons are so still that the sky doubles itself in the water. The trade winds arrive later in the morning — strongest from June to September — so eastern sessions are scheduled early, when the air is calm and the beaches are empty. If your hotel is on this coast, a sunrise shoot will outperform anything you could drive across the island for.
#4 — Belle Mare
The grandest beach on the east coast — kilometres of deep white sand and a vast lagoon that turns pink and silver at dawn. Sunrise here is, for my money, the most beautiful regularly occurring event in Mauritius. The first-choice location for honeymoon sunrise sessions and for wedding portraits at the surrounding five-star resorts.
Local secret Poste Lafayette
A wilder stretch of the north-east where black volcanic rock breaks up the sand and wind-sculpted vegetation leans away from the sea. The texture makes it the most distinctive-looking beach on this coast — nothing else photographs like it. Best at sunrise or on softly overcast mornings; a favourite for fashion-leaning couple shoots.
#10 — Blue Bay
A protected marine park in the south-east with the clearest, most intensely coloured water on the island, dotted with boats above the coral. Morning light shows the famous blues at full strength before the breeze arrives. Flat, safe and shallow, it is my top pick for family sessions in the south-east and pairs perfectly with Ilot des Deux Cocos.
#13 — Ilot des Deux Cocos
A private islet on the edge of the Blue Bay marine park, complete with white sand, a colonial-style villa and lagoon on every side. Sessions here feel like a private-island editorial — no public, no clutter, just water and light. Mornings are stillest; an exceptional setting for elopements, vow renewals and proposals.
The West — golden hour coast
The west coast is the island's sunset machine. Sheltered from the trade winds by the central mountains, it stays calm in the late afternoon when the east is blowing, and its beaches face squarely into the setting sun. This is where I send every couple who asks for that warm, backlit, sun-melting-into-the-sea look — and because the coast runs close to the central road network, it is quick to reach from almost anywhere.
#5 — Flic en Flac
One of the longest beaches in Mauritius and the most reliable sunset stage on the island, with views across to Le Morne in the south. Every evening the whole beach turns gold, and the shallow lagoon doubles the colour. A workhorse location for couple shoots, honeymoons and family sessions — and it almost never lets a sunset down.
Local secret Albion
Home of the island's only working lighthouse, standing on low black cliffs above a west-facing bay that visitors rarely find. The lighthouse gives portraits a focal point no beach can offer, and the clifftop catches the full sunset. My favourite "secret" on the entire west coast — ideal for proposals and editorial-style couple sessions.
Local secret Casela
Not a beach at all: a nature park in the western hills with savannah-like plains, mountain backdrops and resident wildlife. It offers something genuinely different for families and adventurous couples — safari textures on a tropical island. Late afternoon softens the light on the hills; combine it with Flic en Flac for a hills-then-sunset double bill.
Local secret Baie du Tombeau
A local west-facing bay just north of Port Louis that the tourist trail ignores completely, with long views down the coast and the capital's mountains behind. Sunset here is as good as anywhere, with none of the audience. Useful, honest and quick to reach for couples staying near the capital or Balaclava.
The Highlands
Mauritius does not end at the sand. Drive twenty minutes uphill from the south-west coast and the temperature drops, the air smells of rain and coffee, and the island turns into rolling green mountains, waterfalls and viewpoints that look down on the lagoons you were just standing in. For couples who have already done a beach session — or who simply prefer mountains to sea — the highlands are a complete change of world without a change of island.
#6 — Chamarel
The jewel of the interior: the Seven Coloured Earth geopark, the 100-metre Chamarel waterfall and roadside viewpoints over the whole south-west coast and Le Morne. Mid-morning light brings out the colours of the dunes, while the viewpoints are at their best in the soft late afternoon. Superb for adventurous couples — and the island's best answer when the coast is grey, since the moody mountain weather photographs beautifully.
How to choose your location
After fifteen years of these conversations, here is the decision order that actually works. First, light: decide whether your session is a sunrise or a sunset one. Sunset points you west and south-west — Le Morne, Flic en Flac, Albion. Sunrise points you east — Belle Mare, Blue Bay, Poste Lafayette. Second, distance: everything in this guide is within roughly ninety minutes of any resort on the island, but a beach fifteen minutes from your hotel means more relaxed shooting and no pre-dawn alarm. Third, the session itself: weddings and elopements earn the drama of Le Morne or the privacy of Ilot des Deux Cocos; families are happiest at Trou aux Biches, Mon Choisy or Blue Bay; proposals want the seclusion of Albion, Pointe aux Cannoniers or Bain Boeuf.
And remember that you do not have to choose just one. Locations cluster: Le Morne, La Prairie, La Gaulette and Maconde sit on one short stretch of road, as do Cap Malheureux, the red church, Bain Boeuf and Grand Gaube. A standard two-hour session covers two or three of them without ever feeling rushed. Tell me where you are staying and what you are celebrating, and I will map the exact route and timing — it is the part of my job I enjoy most. You can see how each area photographs on my regions overview page, or if you would rather shoot inside your resort's grounds, my hotel photography pages cover every major property on the island.
Photoshoot Locations in Mauritius — FAQ
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