Chamarel is a natural hub for exploring the southwest of Mauritius. Most visitors base themselves on the coast and come here for the day, but the village also makes a good jumping-off point for several other destinations within an hour's drive.
Le Morne Peninsula lies about 25 km to the southwest. The dramatic basalt monolith of Le Morne Brabant rises from the sea at the tip of the peninsula and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, associated with the last communities of escaped enslaved people who sheltered here in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The beaches around Le Morne are among the most beautiful on the island, and the lagoon offers excellent kitesurfing.
Black River (Rivière Noire) is the nearest coastal town, around 20 km from Chamarel. Its bay is the main base for big-game fishing on the island — blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, and mahi-mahi are the targets — and several operators run half-day and full-day fishing trips. The Black River Gorges National Park is most easily entered from the visitor centre near Black River town.
Flic en Flac is the largest resort beach on the west coast, about 30 km away. It has a long sweep of white sand, calm lagoon water, and a decent concentration of restaurants and dive operators. A useful destination to combine with a morning in Chamarel: sights in the highlands, beach in the afternoon.
Bel Ombre lies along the south coast, about 35 km east. The coastline here is wilder than the west coast beaches, with rougher surf and longer stretches of relatively undeveloped shore. The heritage sugar estate at Bel Ombre runs tours and has a restaurant on the old plantation grounds.
Rochester Falls, near Souillac on the south coast, is a series of basalt steps over which a river drops in a broad, shallow curtain. Unusual and photogenic — quite different from the single-drop Chamarel Waterfall. About 45 km from Chamarel.