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Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel: A Last Haven for Native Flora and Fauna in Mauritius
4.8
89 Ratings
Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel
Discover Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel, a last haven for native flora and fauna in Mauritius. Explore stunning views, mid-canopy walkways, and escape the hustle and bustle of the island.
Duration:
3 hours, 18 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Ebony Forest Reserve - A warm welcome awaits you at our Visitor Centre. We are located just beside the Seven Coloured Earth near Chamarel so follow the signs and join us at our luscious tropical paradise. Be sure to stop and admire the Chamarel Waterfalls. We recommend you arrive at our entrance by 15:00 at the latest to ensure you have plenty of time to enjoy your visit.
What can you expect?
• Open air safari jeep rides every 30 minutes (subject to availability)
• 30 minute guided tour along a raised (0.5m – 4m high) walkway through the Flycatcher Forest
• Breathtaking views of the south and west coast from Sublime Point
• Witness 8 million years of history in our Ebony Experience Museum
• Meet our endemic and rare threatened birds (Mauritius Flycatcher, Mauritius Black Bulbul, Pink Pigeon, Echo Parakeet, Kestrel)
• Easy hikes along our ridgeline trail with spectacular views of Le Morne UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Optional hike to Piton Canot for a 360̊ panaroma
• Hug an ebony tree that stood at the time of the dodo
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Museum
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Lunch
- Drinks
Additional Information
Imagine one of the last remaining places on Mauritius where majestic black ebony trees stand tall and Paradise Flycatchers and Mauritius Black Bulbul chase each other through the trees. Once home to the Dodo, Ebony Forest, remains a refuge for threatened native flora and fauna. Visitors will be treated breathtaking views from Sublime Point and unique mid-canopy walkways. With less than 2% native forest remaining in Mauritius, Ebony Forest is a jewel for nature lovers and those wishing to escape from the beaches and hustle and bustle of Mauritius.
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- Discover the history of the island, from its volcanic origins to the arrival of humans and the destruction of the forest in our Ebony Experience Museum. Then see our amazing forest restoration efforts to conserve the native fauna and flora. Its first stop is the Flycatcher Forest where you will be treated to a 30 minute guided tour along a raised walkway through one of the best preserved ebony forests remaining in Mauritius. Spot the native birds, learn about the value of ebony wood and hug some trees!
- After your tour, to get to Sublime Point you hike along the idyllic Ridgeline Trail (1.1 km) with amazing views of Ile aux Benitiers and Le Morne. The name says it all, Sublime is a view not to be missed during your visit to Mauritius. Relax and watch the bats flying, white tail tropic birds soaring and acrobatic performances of the Mascarene swiftlets. Why not enjoy some local snacks to full savour the experience.
- For those energetic visitors, we recommend a hike to the summit of Piton Canot for a spectacular view of the south-west coast and village of Chamarel.
- If hungry, you can purchase some local snacks at Sublime Point, why not grab some snacks, along with a souvenir, from our boutique which sells mostly local artisanal products. Profits generated are reinvested into our ongoing forest restoration work (weeding and planting) and reintroduction of birds. We have planted more than 148,000 native trees, but we have a lot more work to do. Be part of our forest restoration project by visiting us.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Ebony Forest Reserve Chamarel
Take the Seven coloured earth road which leads to our visitor centre.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(89 Ratings)
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Pv06700
Jun 21, 2024
Ebony the bomba - 2 hours of walking in the forest among birds and turtles. A passionate and fascinating Avish guide to explain and decipher.
A highlight with magnificent views of the coast
A small explanatory museum on the evolution of wildlife
Everything is there to avoid staying on the beach and come to understand Mauritius
Magnificent welcome at the entrance A very nice moment
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cristina
Jun 2, 2024
Very nice discovery - Thank you very much for this beautiful, very pleasant discovery well explained by our guide Avish who puts heart into his explanations and answers to our questions
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Doriag348
May 26, 2024
Magic forest - Just an amazing place with amazing people who are doing their best to preserve the ebony forest. Soo worth of visit! You can really see and feel how people made so many mistakes in the past which led to extinction of so many species on this small island. So glad to come and meet all this lovely people who are trying to save and bring back to life the forest and all its inhabitants.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Seahorsenursery77
May 15, 2024
Boulders that move! - Super experience for our Ebony Forest trip. Delightful introduction to destruction of the forest and dodos with artefacts to touch. We then travelled up the mountainside by safari truck and stopped to feed any boulders (tortoises!) that needed to be moved off the truck. Flycatcher canopy walk was interesting but the real treat was Sublime view. We were an intergenerational group of 7 and were lucky to be there with no one else so totally immersed in the stunning views. Delicious lemongrass cordial - in real glasses at the little hut. Fantastic few hours and incredibly good value. Absolute highlight of Mauritius holiday.
Don’t forget sun hats, sun screen and mossie spray!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aureilhan
May 14, 2024
Very nice discovery - A very rewarding walk in parts of preserved original forest. Several routes are possible. For the more enduring, a very beautiful view of the Grand Morne area from Piton Canot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cico
Apr 6, 2024
Ebony trees, jeep tour and musuem - Visited the Ebony Forest in Mauritius and started with a short museum tour, but very informative, and you will learn everything about the island. The walk through the forest was refreshing, showcasing the native ebony trees leading to the summit. For an easier ascent or in case you have less time, a guided jeep tour is available, where guides like Chris offer friendly and helpful insights. A must see for those interested in Mauritius's natural history and scenic beauty.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bolognav2024
Mar 13, 2024
Nice excursion - Very beautiful reserve which highlights the preservation of the species and vegetation of the island
Damien, our guide, knew how to communicate his love for this reserve to us
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dylan_moonien
Feb 19, 2024
Beautiful place - This was my second visit to this magnificent place. Thank you especially Damien who was a great guide and with whom we learned a lot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kanchana_menon
Aug 2, 2024
Beautiful and created with a vision, but... - Ebony is a beautiful forest reserve near the Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark. In fact, being more interested in nature than touristic locations, we decided to visit the geopark only because we had booked a hike in the Ebony forest. To our surprise, the former was more rewarding. Not that the reserve or the hike were not great. But their website had given us higher expectations about the guided tour, especially after our experience at Île aux Aigrettes (details in its review).
We thought we would first be taken into the forest by a guide, and then allowed to explore on our own. But there was no one available. So we found a guide after a short hike to the raised walkway. He then gave us a largely rote description (most of which was already on the information boards placed along the walkway), and the rest was more about the procedures rather than the species of birds and animals being saved from the brink of extinction. At the wildlife film room, the screen was blank and the room, empty. The museum had a lot of information but the room was musty because of which we couldn’t spend much time inside. Overall, it was evident that the reserve was established with a vision and a lot of effort went into creating it. But we felt the enthusiasm in running the daily operations is a bit lacking…
Our self-guided hike was good though – the view was great; and we saw a Mauritian flying fox, a Mascarene paradise-flycatcher, a couple of giant tortoises (up close in the wild!), and even two tropicbirds in the distance! The trails are marked. Hikers can click a photo of the route map and take the paths they wish to at their own leisure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventure16129970115
Jul 10, 2024
What to do - A very nice site, interesting to visit. Many thanks to Damien for his explanations on the management of the reserve, on the evolution of flora and fauna. We were able to observe the rooster and the geckos, among others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
