Mauritius sits some 2,000 kilometres off the south-east coast of Africa, a small volcanic island in a very big ocean. And yet, for a destination that feels so wonderfully remote once you’re here, getting to Mauritius is far easier than most first-time visitors expect. More than twenty international airlines connect the island to over forty destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and beyond, landing at a single, easy-to-navigate gateway: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU).
The trade-off for that sense of seclusion, though, is capacity. Mauritius isn’t served by the kind of multiple-daily-departure routes you’d find flying into London or Dubai, which means seats on the flights that do operate — especially during the island’s two peak travel windows — go quickly. This guide walks through where flights to Mauritius depart from, how you’ll get from the airport to our stretch of coastline in Balaclava, and why booking early is one of the simplest ways to protect both your travel dates and your budget.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, in the island’s south-east near Plaine Magnien, is Mauritius’s only airport handling international arrivals. On an average day it receives somewhere in the region of 30 flights — a manageable, low-stress arrivals hall by international standards, but also a reminder that route frequency here is genuinely limited compared to major global hubs.
Europe offers the most consistent year-round access to Mauritius. Air France and Corsair both operate non-stop from Paris; British Airways and Air Mauritius fly non-stop from London Gatwick, on what is actually the longest scheduled route out of the island, at around twelve and a half hours; and Condor flies daily out of Frankfurt. Alongside these year-round services sit a handful of seasonal routes that are worth knowing about if you’re travelling from further afield in Europe: Edelweiss from Zurich, Discover Airlines from Frankfurt, Iberojet from Madrid, and Austrian Airlines from Vienna, which typically operates between October and April, timed to the island’s warm season. Air Mauritius also adds a seasonal Geneva service for the Swiss market.
For travellers connecting through the Middle East or arriving from Asia, Emirates flies non-stop from Dubai, and Turkish Airlines connects via Istanbul — both excellent options if you’re coming from further afield in North America or Asia and want a comfortable, well-timed stopover along the way. Saudia serves Mauritius from Jeddah, and on the Indian subcontinent, Air India and IndiGo both fly from Mumbai, with IndiGo in particular now carrying a significant share of the island’s international traffic.
Mauritius has deep, frequent connectivity with the African continent. South African Airways, Airlink and Safair all fly from Johannesburg, historically one of the island’s single busiest source markets, while Kenya Airways connects via Nairobi and Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa. Closer to home, Air Mauritius and Air Austral operate multiple flights a day on the short hop over to Réunion Island — genuinely one of the busiest routes in and out of MRU, and a lovely way to extend a trip with a few days exploring Réunion’s volcanic interior if you have the time.
There are currently no non-stop flights between Mauritius and the United States, Canada, or the eastern Australian cities. Most North American travellers connect via Paris, London, Dubai or Doha; Air Mauritius does operate a non-stop service to Perth, which is a useful option if you’re travelling from Western Australia, while those coming from Melbourne or Sydney will generally route through Perth or a Middle Eastern hub. It sounds like a long way to come — and it is — but a well-placed stopover city can turn the journey itself into part of the holiday.
Once you land, the resort is roughly 60 kilometres from the airport, on the sheltered north-west coast — about an hour drive, depending on traffic around Port Louis. It’s a scenic crossing of the island, passing sugar cane fields and the mountains of the interior before the road drops down toward Balaclava’s calm lagoon, one of the reasons we love this particular corner of Mauritius. Our team can arrange a private transfer ahead of your arrival, so there’s nothing to organise once you land — just let your booking confirmation guide the way, and we’ll take care of the rest from Gate 5 onward.
Mauritius has two distinct high seasons, and they don’t always match what you’d expect from a Southern Hemisphere island. The first runs from mid-December into early January, coinciding with the island’s own summer and the global Christmas and New Year holidays — read more in Why Mauritius Is Perfect for Christmas Holidays. The second runs through July and August, which is technically Mauritius’s cooler, drier winter, but lines up with the European (and South African) summer school holidays, making it just as sought-after — we’ve written more about what makes this season special in Where Is the Best Area to Stay in Mauritius During Winter?
Because so many of the routes into Mauritius operate once, or a few times, a week rather than several times a day, each departure carries a fixed and relatively small number of seats. When a Christmas-week flight from Paris or London fills up, the alternative usually isn’t a later flight the same day — it’s a different date, a costlier fare class, or a routing with an extra stop. Seasonal-only services, like the Vienna, Zurich, Geneva and Madrid routes, are especially exposed to this, since their operating calendar is shorter to begin with.
As a general rule of thumb, we suggest securing flights around six months ahead for July and August travel, and closer to eight or nine months ahead if Christmas and New Year in Mauritius are on your calendar. It’s also worth pairing your flight booking with your resort booking early, since our own room availability and any seasonal rates tend to move in step with airline demand — our Inspired Offers page is usually the best place to see what’s currently on the table for early planners.
If you’re flying from Zurich, Vienna, Geneva or Madrid, confirm your airline’s seasonal calendar before you commit to dates, as these routes don’t run year-round.
With no non-stop options from North America or eastern Australia, a night in Dubai, Doha or Paris can turn a long journey into two experiences instead of one.
Tuesday and Wednesday departures are consistently among the more affordable options on most routes into Mauritius.
During peak weeks, pre-arranged private transfers are more reliable than airport-arrival taxis — ask us to set this up when you confirm your stay.
With frequent short flights between the two, it’s an easy add-on if you’d like a few days of hiking and volcanic landscapes alongside your beach time.
However you make your way here — non-stop from Paris or London, via Dubai or Doha, or by way of Johannesburg or Nairobi — Balaclava is waiting at the end of the journey with a private ocean-view suite, a wellness programme built around slowing down, and a calendar of island experiences to fill the days in between. If you’re eyeing the July–August or Christmas–New Year windows, our reservations team is always happy to help you think through flight timing alongside your stay — reach out, browse our current Inspired Offers, or go ahead and book your dates while peak season availability is still open.
BOOKING.COM Winner, Traveller Review Award (2026)
TRIPADVISOR Winner, TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award (2026, 2024, 2022, 2016, 2013)
KAYAK TRAVEL AWARDS Winner (2026)
WORLD LUXURY HOTEL AWARDS Winner, Best Luxury Design Hotel in the Indian Ocean (2024) Winner, Best Luxury Romantic Beach Resort in the Indian Ocean (2024) Winner, Best Luxury Spa Resort in the Indian Ocean (2024) Winner, Best Luxury Wellness Resort in the Indian Ocean (2023) Winner, Best Luxury Honeymoon Resort in Mauritius (2023) Winner, Best Luxury Boutique Resort in the Indian Ocean (2023, 2019) Winner, Best Luxury Destination Spa (2014)
SUSTAINABLE LUXURY AWARDS Winner, Most Sustainable Luxury Beach Resort in Mauritius (2024) Winner, Most Sustainable Luxury Honeymoon Resort in Mauritius (2024) Winner, Most Sustainable Luxury Wellness Retreat in Africa (2024)
WORLD SPA AWARDS Winner, Best Wellness Retreat in Mauritius (2022, 2019) Nominee, Best Resort Spa in Mauritius (2022, 2017)
CONDE NAST TRAVELLER 4 Mauritius Resorts to die for (2017) Best Hotel for Romance in Mauritius (2017) Africa’s Best Beach Stays (2017)
BANYAN TREE HOTELS & RESORTS Hotel of the Year Award (2016)
WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS Nominee, Mauritius Leading Beach Resort (2023) Nominee, Mauritius Leading Resort (2023) Nominee, Mauritius’ Leading Green Resort (2015, 2016) Nominee, Indian Ocean’s Leading New Resort (2012)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER Featured in Spa & Wellness Collection (2025)
INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS Winner (2025)
CNN TRAVEL Best Hotels in Mauritius: Top designers remake luxury in paradise (2018)
GLOBAL ELITE AWARDS Featured in Top 100 Brands at the Global Elite Awards (2025)
Overlooking Le Jadis’ shimmering lagoon-style pools and lush gardens, our Lagoona Suites set the tone for the resort’s laid-back, barefoot elegance. Each 72 sqm suite opens onto a private balcony or veranda, and interconnecting options make this the natural choice for families and multi-generational groups travelling together.
Step through sliding glass doors and your private heated infinity pool is waiting. From 84 sqm, these ground- and upper-floor suites pair a plush emperor king bed and daybed with garden, pool or partial sea views — and two interconnecting suites can even become your own two-bedroom hideaway.
Set along the resort’s edge with the ocean stretching to the horizon, our Oceanfront Luxury Pool Suites with Hammam are where honeymooners come to disappear. At 125 sqm, each suite pairs a private heated pool with a hammam and handcrafted stone tub, made for slow mornings and quiet celebration.
Steps from the sand, our Beachfront Luxury Pool Suites with Jet Pool & Hammam feel like an island within an island. An L-shaped infinity pool and bubbling jet pool spill onto a private veranda, while an in-suite hammam and stone tub with ocean views complete this peninsula-like escape.
