Mauritius Travel

Mauritius Flights

When you consider the geographical location of Mauritius – nestled amid the vast Indian Ocean, just north of the Tropic of Capricorn – one can immediately understand why aircraft flight is considered the only viable option when it comes to traveling there. Although it is possible to reach the island by boat, this is only offered from the neighboring islands, all of which have the same associated difficulties when it comes to finding flights.

Flying to Mauritius may sound terrifying, with journey times from the Northern Hemisphere often running over 10 hours, not including the time spent waiting for transfers. The irony is that what makes Mauritius such a desired travel destination – the isolated splendor of a tropical island retreat in the Indian Ocean – is also what makes it so difficult to get there. Still, long haul traveling is almost becoming an accepted part of the dream holiday, so perhaps it's best to see the traveling as a necessary spell in purgatory before you arrive in Heaven!

Several countries, almost always in the Southern Hemisphere, offer flights directly to Mauritius. From Dubai, you can fly to Mauritius in around four hours, with flights leaving almost every hour during peak season. For this reason, most of the northern hemisphere airlines tend to use it as the most popular place for flight transfers to Mauritius.

Dubai, however, is not the only option. Many airlines – including Qantas – offer direct flights from several Australian cities. Direct flights also operate from South Africa (Johannesburg) and India, offered by a variety of airlines including Air India. Other possibilities for direct flights are Nairobi in Kenya, Antanariva in Madagascar and Moroni in Cosmoros.

However, depending on where you live in the northern hemisphere, a direct flight may be possible. Flights direct to the Mauritian airport do currently leave from major European cities, including London, Paris, Zürich, Geneva, Rome, Munich, Brussels, Vienna and Frankfurt. These flights, however, due to the convenience offered can be expensive. They do however offer a journey including just one stop for any traveler from the United States.

The best place to fly direct to Mauritius from is Paris, as flights are both regular and reasonably priced due to the French link with Mauritius. Both Air Mauritius and Air France operate frequent flights from Paris to Mauritius, as well as to neighboring island Reunion, from which a boat ride can take you on to Mauritian shores. Therefore, even if you live in one of the cities which does offer a direct flight, from continental Europe your best choice price ways is to fly through Paris, France.

In general, the more transfers you are willing to make, the cheaper your fare will be. Connecting flights may be one of the worst sides of long haul travel, but the advantages do help offset this somewhat. In particular, if you can leave it as late as possible before booking, many airlines will be offering relatively cheap stopover flights. A little pain, but upon Mauritius you will discover the traveling was for a lot of gain.