Ile aux Cerfs receives more than 300,000 visitors annually, yet the 87-hectare island remained uninhabited until a small nine-hole golf course opened in 2003.
The island sits two kilometers off Trou d'Eau Douce on Mauritius' sheltered east coast, where the barrier reef creates a natural lagoon averaging four meters deep. Dutch sailors named it Ile aux Cerfs in the seventeenth century after the deer they released there, though the herd vanished within a generation. The protected waters between the mainland and the island harbor coral gardens at depths accessible to novice snorkelers, with visibility exceeding fifteen meters on calm days.
A Mauritius catamaran cruise to Ile aux Cerfs departs from several embarkation points along the east coast, with the majority leaving from Trou d'Eau Douce's public jetty. The crossing takes twenty to thirty minutes depending on wind conditions and the vessel's size. Most catamarans anchor in the shallow lagoon rather than docking, allowing passengers to wade the final meters to shore through knee-deep water. The island's northern and eastern beaches retain their wild character, fringed by casuarina trees and scattered with driftwood, while the western shore facing the mainland hosts the main landing zone and day facilities.
The lagoon's reputation rests on its clarity and colour gradient — pale jade near the shallows deepening to cobalt where the reef drops away. Afternoon light renders the water nearly transparent, revealing starfish and sergeant majors darting through turtle grass beds. Operators typically include a snorkeling stop at a reef patch midway between the mainland and the island, where brain coral formations rise three meters from the sandy floor. The catamaran format offers stability in the consistent trade winds that sweep the east coast, with trampolines stretched between the hulls providing space for up to forty passengers on larger vessels. Onboard barbecue lunches feature grilled fish, chicken, sausages and local salads, served while anchored in the lagoon's sheltered northern arm.
7 hr
