Gris Gris

Gris Gris is the south coast at its most dramatic and least forgiving. Set on the headland beyond Souillac, it is a place of bare basalt cliffs, wind bent grass and a heavy swell that rolls in unbroken from the open Indian Ocean. Unlike almost every other beach on the island, there is no reef offshore to tame the water, so the sea arrives at full strength and explodes against the rocks below the lookout. It is raw, loud and genuinely beautiful, and it feels nothing like the calm turquoise lagoons of the north.

The headland is the experience here rather than the sand. A short grassy path leads to a viewpoint where you can watch the waves break far below, and a little way along the coast sits La Roche qui Pleure, the crying rock, named for the way the spray runs down its face. The whole stretch carries a faint air of island folklore, and the name itself nods to old superstition. On a blustery day it is exhilarating, and the light in the late afternoon is superb for photographs.

This beach suits walkers, photographers and anyone who values wild scenery over comfort. It does not suit swimmers, families with small children hoping to paddle, or visitors expecting sunbeds and a bar. There is nothing gentle about the water, and the appeal is entirely in the drama of the cliffs and the ocean rather than in getting in. Treat it as a coastal viewpoint and a walk, not a bathing beach.

Come prepared for exposure to the sun and wind, because there is little shade on the open headland. Stay well back from the cliff edge, especially when the swell is large and the spray is high, and keep children close. There are usually a few vendors selling snacks and drinks near the car park, but no club, no loungers and no table service on the sand itself. For a daybed and food you look to venues elsewhere on the coast, listed in the Mauritius beach clubs directory.