I did the hike with my mom and it was absolutely lovely. We started at 6:30 to avoid the heat, and so glad that we did! We met some amazing locals along the way. One being the sweetest seven year old boy who kept chatting with us to practise his English. It hadn’t been raining but the trail was still a bit wet. Normal trainers are fine but if I could do the hike again I’d wear proper hiking shoes with better grip. The hike took us about 2 hours 30 mins round trip. The trail is also well marked so we didn’t get lost. A must-do hike when visiting Mauritius!

Le Pouce is the 3rd highest mountain in Mauritius and a good short walk (4 hours with 30 minute summit stop). We walked up from the bus station in Port Louis. We use OS maps on our phones and decided to follow the assigned path of the “Pouce to Port Louis”.This was a mistake. This path takes you up the back streets and past a lot of litter and slightly sketchy vibes. The path we came down followed on from the street “Chateau d’Eau Street” is all newly tarmacked and lovely. This seems to be the main entrance. Going up from the intended path, the track is rocky but wide, surrounded by mature woodlands and the occasional monkey sighting. There are only sporadic signs. After the woodland walk, the first main sign will lead you left into a fairly overgrown path, major Tarzan vibes. It’s a lot more narrow but a constant slow incline. Easy enough. Just wear bug repellent. This undergrowth continues up the majority of the walk with the occasional opening to see the amazing views. Good for shade cover though. There’s a view point at the base of “The Thumb”. From there to the summit is a scramble (Grade 1 by UK standards) but only 80 meters worth. The summit itself has breathtaking 360 views but is VERY narrow with vertical drops all around. Again, easy walk back down, just watch your footing in places and I’d still recommend at least trainers. Loved this walk but I’m slightly biased as my boyfriend proposed at the top!