Gris Gris Beach

In contrast to many of the beaches on Mauritius, Gris Gris Beach is not ringed by a protective coral reef, and therefore sees the full force of this part of the Indian Ocean come ashore. As a result, it is a beach predominantly visited for its dramatic clifftop scenery and location at the southernmost point on the island, rather than as a place to relax on its pale sands, which are often doused in a fine mist of sea spray.

Roughly 2.5 kilometres southeast of the village of Souillac, Gris Gris Beach is not recommended for swimming, with signs on the beach warning against it because of the strength of the waves at his point on the coast.

This is one of the theories behind the beach’s unusual name, which is usually associated with voodoo-like black magic. An alternative theory has Gris Gris Beach named after the puppy of cartographer Nicolas-Louis de la Caille, who was mapping the island while it was part of the French Empire in 1753.

Whatever the truth of the matter, nearby you’ll find the Roche qui Pleure, or Weeping Rock, that looks like a crying human head among the waves.