Commonly referred to by their French name sept cascades or Tamarind Falls, the 7 waterfalls of Mauritius are exactly that: a series of seven waterfalls dropping through the upper gorge of Tamarin River. A bit further downstream, there are four additional waterfalls before the river flattens out. We chose the spot for a short hiking trip on a fair morning during our two-month stay in Mauritius.
The trailhead (Google Maps) to the 7 Waterfalls is located 11 km away from downtown Curepipe, near the village of Henrietta by the Tamarind Reservoir. Direct buses run to it from Port Louis, Curepipe, and other towns. We drove there on our scooter.
Some guys beckoned us to stop as we drove past the bus station of Henrietta: a parking lot basically. They were local guides pitching their services. We turned them down, but since they were assembled there, we assumed that was the trailhead and parked.
A trail appeared on the map starting from beside a viewpoint (location) of the waterfalls, some 100 meters down a side road. We spotted it with difficulty through the thick vegetation and descended along a steep, slippery, overgrown track. A swarm of ravenous mosquitos began raiding us from every direction, and then a wasp bit Sophie.
We paused, double-checked the map, and realized we were on the wrong trail. This one was concluding an exhaustive round route down the bottom of the gorge and up to the top, passing by all eleven waterfalls. It’d have been tempting for another day with more time, full-body coverings, mozzie repellant, and perhaps a machete. But certainly not for today. We turned back with our tails between our legs.
Anyhow, this detour allowed us to find the viewpoint, which offered a spectacular view of the entire gorge and the ocean. We returned after the hike to fly our drone.
By the correct trailhead, parked cars lined the side of the narrow road and more guides were gathered. They were stubborn, following every independent hiker to insist the hike was difficult and dangerous.
A guide is not mandatory and no entrance fee applies to visit the 7 Waterfalls. If you have reasonable hiking experience you won’t need a guide to find the trail and stay safe. But if you’re unsure, you can hire one of those guys or join one of the organized tours below. An additional benefit of this approach is that the guides bring with them climbing gear, which will allow you to reach spots inaccessible by trekking and scrambling alone.
Two separate trails took off from the field beside the road. Their entrances were intentionally unmarked, concealed in the uncleared thickets.
We first tried the trail at the north tip of the field (coordinates: -20.350204, 57.466299). It was steep but distinct and easy. The zebra mozzies had a feast on us, here too. It led us to a ledge beside the edge of the sixth waterfall. The view of both the lower gorge and the other waterfalls above was majestic. We took our drone off for some nice shots, but some aggressive swallows forced us to land sooner.
Then we headed back up and took the trail at the western tip of the field. Similar to the previous one but shorter, this brought us to a rock shelf below the second waterfall. The spot was quite crowded, with a constant influx of groups coming down. A deep and broad pool was formed by the fall’s bottom; ideal for a dip. I climbed to the top from the side rocks for a jump. The water was much warmer than I expected.
After drying out and having lunch in this idyllic setting, we climbed back to the scooter and departed.
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Photos
View (and if you want use) all my photographs from the Seven Waterfalls in higher resolution.
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