Islets National Park

Mauritius · Africa · Visited 21 September 2025 · Established 2000

There isn't a huge amount to say about this one. Islets National Park is made up of eight small uninhabited islands (islets) scattered around the coast of Mauritius. The country has 49 offshore islets in total, and these eight have been designated as a national park to protect their ecosystems, which include mangrove forests, endemic plants like the blue latan palm, and nesting sites for seabirds. Seven others are separately protected as nature reserves.

I'm glad they're protected, but I'm not entirely convinced this one warrants national park status, especially given how difficult it is to actually set foot on the islands. Most are off-limits or require special permission, and the largest, Île d'Ambre, is the only one that sees regular visitors. It's a designation that serves conservation well but offers very little to a visitor in practical terms.

The helicopter ride

What I did get to do was a helicopter tour of the island. It was incredible - my first ever helicopter ride. The flight took in views over many of the protected islets from above, giving a real sense of their scale and isolation that you simply can't appreciate from the mainland.

The two highlights were the famous underwater waterfall and the Chamarel Falls. The underwater waterfall is actually an optical illusion off the coast near Le Morne, where sand and silt are carried by ocean currents down the slope of the underwater Mascarene Plateau, creating what looks exactly like a waterfall plunging into the ocean depths. It's only visible from the air, and seeing it from a helicopter is one of those moments that genuinely takes your breath away. The Chamarel Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall in Mauritius, were equally impressive from above, surrounded by dense rainforest within the Black River Gorges National Park.

Why it's worth mentioning

Mauritius is an incredible country and well worth visiting in its own right. The Islets National Park itself is more of a conservation designation than a visitor experience, but the helicopter tour over the islands and coastline was one of the most memorable things I've done on this project. If you want to do one helicopter ride in your life then I would seriously recommend this one. It's a unique perspective on a stunning part of the world.