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Curepipe · dormant crater
Trou aux Cerfs
Trou aux Cerfs is a dormant crater in Curepipe, the cool plateau town of mist, wool-shop weather, and older Mauritian urban life. A road rings the rim. The bowl is wooded; views toward the west and the coast appear on clear days. It is popular with walkers and joggers. It is not a hike into wild interior. Come to understand the plateau — humidity, cooler air, a different Mauritius from the hotel coast — and to see a volcanic landform in the middle of a town.
History
Why this place exists
Trou aux Cerfs is a dormant crater in Curepipe, the cool plateau town of mist, wool-shop weather, and older Mauritian urban life. A road rings the rim. The bowl is wooded; views toward the west and the coast appear on clear days. It is popular with walkers and joggers. It is not a hike into wild interior. Come to understand the plateau — humidity, cooler air, a different Mauritius from the hotel coast — and to see a volcanic landform in the middle of a town.
First visit
To do
- A slow circuit, not only the first photo gap in the trees.
- The circular depression, rim trees, and, in clear air, the west coast line.
Tickets
Cheaper here
Hotel desks add a cut. Buy at the official gate or a licensed skipper. Confirm the price the morning you go.
Location
On the island
OpenStreetMap, live. Pins are the place, not a sponsored hotel.
-20.3172° S · 57.5133° E
The story
Curepipe grew as a highland residential and commercial town when the coast was considered malarial and the plateau cooler. The crater is the geological souvenir in the middle of that choice. On cloudy days you will see trees in fog; that is also Curepipe.
What to look for
The circular depression, rim trees, and, in clear air, the west coast line.
Best time to visit
Clear winter mornings. Afternoons often mist. Combine with a plateau day, not a beach day.
How to get there
Curepipe is on the inland urban spine (the 'towns'). Buses from Port Louis and the plateau towns. From Grand Baie it is a crossing — bundle with other centre/south-west stops or skip.
Cost
Public rim. No need to pay a guide for the car-park loop.
Time needed
30–45 minutes.
Do not miss
A slow circuit, not only the first photo gap in the trees.
Source / references
Municipal landmark; volcanic origin is standard geography of Mauritius.
The town around it: a Mauritius that is not a beach. Also missed: how often the view is closed by cloud — have a bakery backup, not a tantrum.…
Crowd: moderate