Mauritius airport to Belle Mare, door to door
A private transfer from Mauritius airport to Belle Mare covers the 49 km between Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International, in the island's south-east corner, and the long white beach on the east coast. Your driver meets you as you come out of arrivals at SSR International Airport, loads the cases and drives you north along the coast in about 55 minutes, a little longer when the villages are busy.
No airport bus serves the east coast. The terminal's three bus lines run to Mahébourg, Curepipe, Port Louis and Rivière des Galets, so Belle Mare by bus means at least one change with your luggage. An airport taxi or your resort's own transfer will also get you there; a pre-booked car gives you one fixed price for the whole vehicle, agreed before you fly, and a driver who is already waiting.
Belle Mare is also the base for Palmar, Trou d'Eau Douce and the Flacq coast, all on the same quote. Staying in the north instead? See Mauritius Airport to Grand Baie.
| Pickup | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Belle Mare |
| Distance | About 49 km by road |
| Journey time | 55 min – 1h 15min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | Island & luxury |
| Busiest season | Year-round |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from MRU to Belle Mare
From the terminal your driver heads north past Plaine Magnien and Rivière des Créoles to join the B28 coast road, the Route Royale between Mahébourg and Flacq. That is the line on the diagram below: about 49 km and just under an hour. It is a two-lane road through fishing villages rather than a motorway, so the pace is steady rather than fast.
The B28 follows the shore of the Grand Port bay, with the lagoon on your right and the hills on your left. It passes Vieux Grand Port, where the Dutch built their first fort in 1638, then runs through Bois des Amourettes, Bambous Virieux and Quatre Soeurs. Just inland from the village of Grand River South East it crosses the river of the same name, then turns inland through Bel Air Rivière Sèche before dropping down to the Belle Mare coast.
The other choice is inland: the M1 motorway towards Port Louis, then east through Montagne Blanche and Centre de Flacq. It is about 60 km but can be as quick when the coast villages are slow, and your driver picks between the two on the day.
Mauritius drives on the left, as in the UK. Village roads are narrow, often without pavements, and pedestrians, cyclists and slow motorbikes without lights use the main roads after dark, so a driver who knows every bend matters more here than speed. Fuel and parking are included in your fixed price.
Allow about 55 minutes in normal traffic and up to 1 hour 15 minutes on weekday afternoons, when traffic builds through the villages.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 15 min · 14 km
Vieux Grand Port
The first settled corner of Mauritius. The ruins of the Dutch Fort Frederik Hendrik, built in 1638, are part of a national heritage site here.
About 25 min · 21 km
Bambous Virieux
A fishing village halfway up the coast road, with the lagoon on one side and the hills of the Grand Port range on the other.
About 35 min · 32 km
Grand River SE
The road crosses the river just inland from the fishing village. Boat trips run from here and Trou d’Eau Douce to the waterfall at the river mouth.
Arrival · 55 min – 1h 15min · 49 km
Belle Mare
Drop-off at your hotel’s front door. Most resorts sit along the beach road, a few minutes apart, behind the casuarina trees.
MRU to Belle Mare: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Mauritius Airport
SSR International has one passenger terminal. After immigration and health checks, take the escalator down to baggage reclaim, then clear customs into the Tour Operators and Hotels Hall, where the resort and tour operator desks are. Your driver meets you with a name sign as you leave that hall, where friends and family greet arriving passengers. Golf bags and other oversize items arrive on the out-of-gauge belt beside belt 1.
SSR International has one passenger terminal. Have the QR code from your Mauritius All-in-one Travel Form ready for the immigration and health counters, then take the escalator down to baggage reclaim and clear customs. Golf bags and other oversize items come out on the out-of-gauge belt next to belt 1.
Beyond customs you walk through the Tour Operators and Hotels Hall, where the resort desks are. Your driver waits with a name sign as you leave that hall, where friends and family meet arriving passengers. Add your flight number and we track it: the pickup moves with any delay, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land.
For the trip home, your driver collects you from your resort lobby and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Mauritius Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Belle Mare and the east coast
Belle Mare is less a town than a stretch of coast: one of the longest beaches on the island, with resorts and villas along the shore road and the village a little inland. Every address is door to door, and resort drop-offs are at the main lobby. For private villas and guesthouses, send a map pin with the booking, because some entrances are on unsigned lanes.
Belle Mare beach road
The main resort strip along the public beach, north towards Poste de Flacq. Most hotels have their own gated driveway, so the car stops at reception rather than on the road.
Palmar
The southern end of the same beach, a few minutes from Belle Mare, with smaller hotels, villas and its own public beach facing the lagoon.
Trou d’Eau Douce
The fishing village south of Palmar where boats leave for Île aux Cerfs. Restaurants line its streets, and the jetty is easy to reach by car.
Poste de Flacq and Pointe de Flacq
North of Belle Mare, where several larger resorts sit on headlands and peninsulas. About ten to fifteen minutes beyond the Belle Mare beach road.
Beau Champ and Grand River South East
Villas and resorts around the Beau Champ estate and the river mouth at GRSE, south of Trou d’Eau Douce and a little closer to the airport.
When to book your Belle Mare transfer
Belle Mare works all year, and Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks for the resorts. The island has two seasons. Summer, from November to April, is hot, with calm mornings and the highest chance of rain from January to March. Winter, from May to October, brings cooler days and a stronger breeze, which the east and south coasts feel most; July and August are the windiest months. September to November are usually the driest.
The official cyclone season runs from November to mid-May. The airport stays open under Class I and II warnings, but it closes within three hours of a Class III warning, when driving is also prohibited, so flights and transfers are rescheduled. If that happens, message us on WhatsApp and we will rearrange your pickup.
Thaipoosam Cavadee (January or February) and Diwali (October or November) are public holidays, and in February or March pilgrims walk from all over the island to the sacred lake at Grand Bassin for Maha Shivaratri, so expect slower main roads in the days before.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Belle Mare
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 55 min – 1h 15min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Resort transfer | About 1 hour | Several east coast hotel groups have desks in the Tour Operators and Hotels Hall and sell their own transfers. Worth comparing: ours is one fixed price for the car, however many of you travel. |
| Airport taxi | About 1 hour | Official airport taxis have a counter in the Tour Operators Hall, opposite the customs exit, and publish a fare list. Fine on arrival, but you queue on the day rather than being met by name. |
| Public bus | 2½ hours or more | No airport bus goes to the east coast, so Belle Mare means at least two buses and a change with luggage. Rural buses run from about 6:30 to 18:30, so evening arrivals miss them. |
| Rental car | About 1 hour plus pick-up | Desks are in the terminal. You drive on the left on narrow village roads, and drivers must carry yellow chalk or a marker to mark the car’s position after an accident. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Belle Mare
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Belle Mare transfer suits
Honeymooners and couples
After a long-haul night flight, nobody wants a bus change in Mahébourg. The car goes straight to the lobby, and the coast road makes a gentle first look at the island.
Golfers
Belle Mare has two 18-hole courses, the Legend and the Links, and Île aux Cerfs has its own island course. A minivan takes up to seven people with golf bags.
Families
Child seats fitted before you land if you tell us the ages, and one price for the car rather than per seat. Useful when the children slept on the plane and you did not.
Late and early flights
Rural buses stop around 18:30. A pre-booked car is there for a midnight landing or a 05:00 departure from Belle Mare, with the waiting time included.
Plan the rest of your Belle Mare stay
- Fill in the Mauritius All-in-one Travel Form before you fly; its QR code is scanned at immigration and health. The airport warns of fake sites: the only official one is safemauritius.govmu.org.
- Boats to Île aux Cerfs leave from Trou d’Eau Douce, a short drive south of Belle Mare, with a regular shuttle. Book a car to the jetty if your hotel has no boat of its own.
- For a view over the whole lagoon, climb Lion Mountain above Vieux Grand Port, or walk among the giant ebony trees of Bras d’Eau National Park, further up the east coast.
- Splitting your stay between coasts? We quote hotel-to-hotel rides anywhere in Mauritius, including Grand Baie, Flic en Flac and Le Morne, on one fixed price.
- For your flight home, leave Belle Mare about four hours before a long-haul departure. That allows an hour or a little more on the road, plus check-in and security.
- Combining Mauritius with the Seychelles? Our Seychelles Airport to Beau Vallon transfer works the same way, with a driver waiting at arrivals.
- Connecting through Dubai? Break the long flight with a night by the sea at the Palm Jumeirah; we run that airport transfer too.
