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🇲🇺 Itinerary · Mauritius · 30 days

1-month Mauritius itinerary 2026: the grand Mascarene tour

Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues in 30 days: lagoons, volcano, cirques and a preserved island. Day-by-day itinerary with budget, inter-island flights and season.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

30 days

Islands

3 islands

Average budget

€4,500-6,800

Total distance

~1,200 km

Profile

Beach, volcano, nature

Season

May-Oct

North Mauritius 4d · West Mauritius 3d · Le Morne 3d · Rodrigues 5d · Saint-Denis 2d · Cilaos 3d · Salazie 2d · Piton de la Fournaise 3d · Saint-Pierre 5d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Map of the 1-month Mascarene itinerary: Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion, volcano and cirques

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

9 days, day by day

1

Stop · 4 days

Mauritius · Arrival and north

  • Plan Grand Baie, lagoon, Mont Choisy, Cap Malheureux, catamaran to Île aux Cerfs and the northern islets. Port Louis (market, Aapravasi Ghat UNESCO) and Pamplemousses garden. A gentle warm-up.
🛌 🛌 Grand Baie · e.g. Veranda Grand Baie (4 nights)·🚗 Car (drive on the left)·Mauritius guide →
5

Stop · 3 days

Mauritius · West and Tamarin

  • Plan Dolphin trip at Tamarin, Flic en Flac beach, Black River Gorges national park (hiking), Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth and its waterfall.
🛌 🛌 Flic en Flac · e.g. Sands Suites Resort (3 nights)·🚗 Car, west coast
8

Stop · 3 days

Mauritius → Le Morne · Wild south

  • Plan Hike at Le Morne Brabant (UNESCO), kitesurf, wild south (Gris Gris, Le Souffleur), Blue Bay marine park, Mahébourg. Lagoon relaxation before the hop to Rodrigues.
🛌 🛌 Le Morne · e.g. LUX Le Morne (3 nights)·🚗 Southern coastal road
11

Stop · 5 days

Mauritius → Rodrigues · Preserved island

  • Plan Flight to Rodrigues (1h30). A genuinely Creole Mauritian island: a vast lagoon, Île aux Cocos and its birds, the François Leguat tortoise reserve, the Port Mathurin market, octopus fishing. The slowest pace in the Mascarenes.
🛌 🛌 Rodrigues · e.g. Mourouk Ebony Hotel (5 nights)·✈️ Mauritius-Rodrigues flight
16

Stop · 2 days

Rodrigues → Réunion · Saint-Denis

  • Plan Back to Mauritius then flight to Saint-Denis, Réunion (45 min). Creole capital, colonial houses, market, the Barachois seafront. Pick up the car.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Denis · e.g. Le Saint-Denis Hotel (2 nights)·✈️ Inter-island flights
18

Stop · 3 days

Réunion → Cilaos · Southern cirque

  • Plan Road of 400 bends, Cilaos village, hot springs, hikes (Roche Merveilleuse, Bras Rouge), Cilaos wine and lentils. View of the Piton des Neiges.
🛌 🛌 Cilaos · e.g. Le Vieux Cep (3 nights)·🚗 Mountain road
21

Stop · 2 days

Réunion → Salazie · Green cirque

  • Plan Salazie cirque, the wettest and greenest, the Bridal Veil waterfall, the listed Creole village of Hell-Bourg, chouchou and hot springs.
🛌 🛌 Hell-Bourg · e.g. Relais des Cimes (2 nights)·🚗 Salazie road
23

Stop · 3 days

Réunion → Piton de la Fournaise · Volcano

  • Plan Plaine des Sables, Pas de Bellecombe, hike to the Dolomieu crater of the active volcano. Langevin waterfalls, Sainte-Rose lava road, flows frozen to the ocean.
🛌 🛌 Bourg-Murat · e.g. Gîte du Volcan (3 nights)·🚗 Volcano road
26

Stop · 5 days

Réunion → Saint-Pierre · Creole south

  • Plan Saint-Pierre, Saturday market, Grande Anse lagoon, Saint-Leu and its surf spot, l'Hermitage lagoon, Maïdo and its plunging view over Mafate. Final rest before the return flight on day 30 from Roland-Garros.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Pierre · e.g. Villa Delisle (5 nights)·🚗 South and west coast

How much

Budget for this itinerary (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€4,500

per person

  • ✈️ Paris return: €800
  • ✈️ Inter-island flights (3): €350
  • 🏨 Guesthouse and gîte: €55/night
  • 🚗 Rental cars: €700
  • 🎫 Excursions and parks: €400
Recommended

Comfort

€5,600

per person

  • ✈️ Paris return: €850
  • ✈️ Inter-island flights (3): €400
  • 🏨 3-4★ hotel and gîte: €110/night
  • 🚗 Comfort cars: €850
  • 🎫 Volcano, catamaran, Rodrigues: €600

Premium

€11,000

per person

  • ✈️ Comfort flight: €1,400
  • ✈️ Inter-island flights: €500
  • 🏨 5★ resort and lodge: €340/night
  • 🚖 Driver and mountain guide
  • 🎫 Volcano helicopter, private trips: €1,200

Shorter, longer

Other durations

1 week

1 week

The island loop, north, west, south and central plateau.

2 weeks

2 weeks

Mauritius and Réunion combined, beach and volcano.

You're here

1 month

1 month

Mauritius in depth, Réunion and the island of Rodrigues.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

A month in the Mascarenes combines rental cars on each main island and 3 inter-island flights (Mauritius-Rodrigues, Rodrigues-Mauritius, Mauritius-Réunion). Budget ~€1,100 of transport over 30 days.

✈️

Flight Mauritius ↔ Rodrigues

~€200 return · 1h30 · Air Mauritius, the most isolated island

✈️

Flight Mauritius → Réunion

~€120 · 45 min · Air Mauritius or Air Austral

🚗

Rental cars

~€35-40/day · left in Mauritius, right in Réunion

🛥️

Île aux Cocos pirogue (Rodrigues)

~€30 · full day · bird reserve and lagoon

Adapt by season

May to October to link the three islands

A month in the Mascarenes crosses three neighbouring climates. The austral winter (May to October) is the prime window: dry and clear to hike on Réunion, mild to explore Mauritius, ideal for the Rodrigues lagoon. The austral summer (November to April) bathes the Mauritian and Rodriguan lagoons, but drowns Réunion's trails in afternoon cloud, with a cyclone risk from mid-December to February on all three islands. For this grand tour, aim for May to October, and keep sea trips to the morning.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In September 2024 I gave Rodrigues five days in the middle of the loop: after the bustle of Mauritius, the empty lagoon, the octopus fishing and the Creole pace were the best memory of the month. Do not sacrifice it, it is the island no one does.
  • • Do Mauritius, then Rodrigues (rest), then Réunion (effort): the gentle-then-nature progression works over a month.
  • • Keep the volcano for a dawn start, clear sky guaranteed before the midday cloud.
  • • Five days in Saint-Pierre at the end to roam the whole south and west of Réunion.
  • • Book the inter-island flights early, especially to Rodrigues, with few rotations.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Skip Salazie if time is short, in favour of an extra day at the volcano.
  • • In austral summer, schedule all Réunion hikes in the morning before the cloud.
  • • Rodrigues is small: 4 days are enough if you prefer more time on Réunion.
  • • Do not chain flights on the same day as the international return from Réunion.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is a month justified for the Mascarenes? +
If you want to combine Mauritius (lagoons), Rodrigues (preserved island) and Réunion (volcano, cirques), yes. A month lets you live each island without rushing and include Rodrigues, which few travellers take time to visit.
How do you reach Rodrigues? +
Only by air from Mauritius: a 1h30 flight with Air Mauritius, several rotations a week. Rodrigues is an autonomous island attached to Mauritius, 560 km to the east.
Do I need a visa for this loop? +
Mauritius and Rodrigues: a free tourist permit on arrival up to 90 days for French and EU citizens. Réunion is a French department, so no formality for French travellers: it is France.
When is the best time? +
May to October (austral winter): dry and clear for Réunion, mild for Mauritius and Rodrigues. Avoid mid-December to February (cyclone risk and Réunion trails in cloud).
What budget for a month? +
Allow €4,500 to €6,800 per person including flights at comfort level, three inter-island flights and cars included. As Réunion is in France, prices there are mainland-level; Rodrigues stays affordable.
Is this loop tiring? +
It alternates rest (the lagoons of Mauritius and Rodrigues) and effort (Réunion's hikes). Over a month the pace stays sustainable with long bases at Rodrigues and Saint-Pierre.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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