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Black River Gorges in March
Better avoided: March is outside the recommended season (May – December (drier trails)). Against it: Cyclone Season: Watch the Class Warnings. Plan around: Maha Shivaratri: Pilgrims on the Plateau Roads. Maha Shivaratri at Grand Bassin can fall this month.
The season opens in May, 2 months away. Cyclone Season: Watch the Class Warnings: usually over after March.
2 days in Black River Gorges in March · from ₹17,194 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in March
What the season does to Black River Gorges this month.
Worth knowing
Cyclone Season: Watch the Class Warnings
January to March is the height of the cyclone season. Most weeks pass with heat, humidity and short downpours, but when a cyclone nears, Mauritius Meteorological Services issue warnings from Class I to IV: from Class III everyone stays indoors, buses stop, shops and sights close and flights are often cancelled for a day or two. Keep a spare day before your flight home, take travel insurance that covers weather delays, and follow your hotel's advice.
Before you book March
Closures, crowds and rules at Black River Gorges this month.
Heads up
Maha Shivaratri: Pilgrims on the Plateau Roads
In the days before Maha Shivaratri (February or March) the roads to Grand Bassin across the plateau are full of pilgrims on foot and some are closed to traffic: allow extra time, drive slowly, or visit the highlands from the west coast another day.
What’s on in March
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Maha Shivaratri at Grand Bassindates shift yearly
The biggest Hindu pilgrimage outside India: for three or four days before the night of Shiva, hundreds of thousands of Mauritians walk to Grand Bassin (Ganga Talao), many carrying kanwars, decorated arches of flowers and mirrors, to bring lake water home to their temples. Volunteers line the roads with free food and drink. The roads round the lake close to cars, and the plateau roads are full of walkers day and night; visit the lake another day unless you mean to join the pilgrimage, and drive with care across the island. A public holiday.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹17,194 for two
- Room a night₹6,500
- Food a day, each₹2,080
Mid-range
₹38,470 for two
- Room a night₹13,420
- Food a day, each₹4,800
Luxury
₹85,460 for two
- Room a night₹28,330
- Food a day, each₹11,200
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Mauritius yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Mahebourg (MRU), 28 km away
Then: Transfer · 54m (Taxi or private driver, per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 7 cities, one way from ₹26,000
Entry rules
Visa on arrival for up to 60 days
- Within 72 hours before you fly, fill in the free Mauritius All-in-One Travel Form at safemauritius.govmu.org (one per traveller, children included) and keep its QR code on your phone and on paper: the airline may ask for it at boarding. Sites that charge for it are not the official one.
- At immigration at SSR International Airport, show your passport, your return or onward ticket and where you are staying, and be ready to show you can pay for the stay (about US$100 a day is the figure usually quoted): you are stamped in free for up to 60 days. No visa is needed in advance.
- Staying longer than 60 days: ask the Passport and Immigration Office (passport.govmu.org) before you book; sources differ on whether to extend there or get a visa from the Mauritius High Commission before you fly.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; Confirmed return or onward ticket out of Mauritius; Hotel booking for the stay, or the address you are staying at; Proof of funds: a card or bank statement; Mauritius All-in-One Travel Form QR code.
Most sources give 60 days; a few say 90, so plan on 60. A paid electronic travel authorisation for all visitors is proposed for 2027 but was not in force in October 2026. Checked from news and guide summaries, as the official sites could not be opened: confirm on passport.govmu.org before you fly.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Mauritius in March
Instead in season this month.
- Belle Mare · good month
- Mahebourg · good month
- Chamarel · good month
- Pamplemousses · good month
Nearby in Southern Highlands:
Want this as a real plan?
Black River Gorges in March, day by day, priced for your group.