Tag: nomad visa

Is Mauritius Good for Digital Nomads? 10 Things to Consider

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In September 2022, I spent one month working in Mauritius as a digital nomad with my family. We stayed in the north of the island in Grand Gaube, which is a quiet, coastal spot with sea breeze and delicious food.

Mauritius has recently developed a reputation as one of Africa’s hottest digital nomad destinations. The visa is easy to obtain, the Internet is fast, and the people are super friendly.

As a result, I’ve seen lots of generic blog posts explaining why you should consider Mauritius as your next digital nomad destination.

Therefore, I’ve decided to write this article to give insight into what it’s actually like to spend time working in Mauritius, so you can decide for yourself – is Mauritius good for digital nomads?

Here are 10 things to consider.

Hiring a car is pretty much essential

When you look at Mauritius on a map, one of the first things you might think is just how small it looks, particularly when compared to other African islands like Madagascar.

But to get around Mauritius as a digital nomad, you really need to hire a car. The island is served by buses and there is even a metro in Port Louis (the capital city), but given that many of the island’s “must sees” are in different regions, a car is the best way to get around.

We hired a car for around $25 per day for our trip and we used it every day. The Airbnb that we rented was stunning, but it wasn’t close to any amenities or points of interest, so we would have been stuck without it.

The reason I mention this here is that if you’re spending a long time in Mauritius as a digital nomad, the cost of hiring a car is something that you should incorporate into your budget.

But traffic can be a problem

You would be forgiven for thinking that paradise islands like Mauritius don’t need to worry about traffic. But you would be wrong.

If you travel through the Quatre Bornes area or in and around Port Louis at rush hour, expect to be stuck in gridlocked traffic for a fair amount of time.

Granted, traffic isn’t much of an issue in the coastal areas, but you do need to plan your movements accordingly, particularly if you’re spending time in Port Louis or Ebene, as I introduce below.

Ebene is the business hub on the island

Ebene is the main business hub in Mauritius and is located in the west of the island. If co-working is important to you as a digital nomad, Ebene is perhaps the best spot on the island.

Regus has a co-working space in Ebene with affordable rates, and it’s a good office space to set up in with great internet and the opportunity to meet other digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and freelancers.

There are lots of short and mid term rentals available in and around Ebene, too, so it’s potentially a great spot to choose if you’re thinking about spending some time as a digital nomad in Mauritius.

Though Airbnb is a good option if you’re looking for short-term rentals, check out Lexpress for longer term rentals in Ebene and the surrounding areas.

But it’s not by the coast!

We stayed in the north of the island in Grand Gaube – the beaches were stunning, particularly at sunset!

Though Ebene is the business hub of the island, it’s not by the coast. Given that many digital nomads are attracted to life in Mauritius because of its stunning beaches, this can be an issue.

The closest tourist spot to Ebene is the coastal town of Flic en Flac, but the beaches are a good 30-60 minute drive away, depending on traffic.

Of course, every digital nomad is different, but if you want to benefit from living and working from Ebene, you need to sacrifice your dream of renting a beach-side apartment for the duration of your stay on the island.

Mauritius isn’t cheap

I’ve seen several writers online suggest that Mauritius is a good option for digital nomads because it’s cheap. I don’t think this is necessarily true.

Cost is relative, and while Mauritius has a cheaper cost of living than many countries in Western Europe and the US, it’s expensive compared to popular digital nomad spots in Eastern Europe (Georgia) and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, etc.).

I found the cost of groceries to be comparable to those in the UK, though eating out was slightly cheaper than enjoying a meal out at a restaurant back home.

Refer to this handy Mauritius cost of living guide to plan your budget accordingly before travelling.

But it’s not overly expensive, either

As mentioned, cost is relative and what is cheap to someone is expensive to someone else. I’m certainly not saying that Mauritius is expensive, particularly for digital nomads from Western Europe.

But I think it’s important to look past lazy suggestions that imply that Mauritius is this super cheap island paradise that is the perfect spot for digital nomads.

Nuance is required and you need to do your own sums, based on how you plan to live and where you plan to stay when you visit Mauritius as a digital nomad.

There are good international schools for nomad families

We enjoyed our month in Mauritius so much that we’re seriously considering returning for a longer spell (perhaps up to a year), in the near future.

Given that we’re a family of four (with another on the way!), the quality of international schools in Mauritius is something that we have done a fair amount of research into.

If you’re a digital nomad family, you can opt to send your kids to international schools in different parts of the country, depending on where you’re planning to live.

After doing lots of research online and contacting various schools directly, my wife and I settled on the following three schools that we could potentially send our kids to, should we return to Mauritius as a nomad family:

If you’re a digital nomad family, you can use these three schools as the starting point for your research, but be mindful that there are lots of other good schools available in Mauritius!

The food is great

Enjoying freshly caught fish at one of our favourite restaurants during our time as a digital nomad family in Mauritius.

One of my favourite things about spending time in Mauritius as a digital nomad was the food. Mauritian food is best described as a Creole infusion, with delicious spices, flavours, and textures.

Seafood is a big part of the local culinary scene, and one of the best meals I had was a Creole fish curry that was one of the most delicious plates of food I’ve ever tasted!

The malls in Mauritius also offer chain restaurants (McDonalds, Spur, etc.) that are great if you’re looking for cheap eats for the kids.

You will also find Chinese cuisine, Indian restaurants, and a host of other brilliant restaurants dotted around the island that you can eat out at with your family and friends.

Depending on where and what you eat, you can expect to pay $10-$20 for a meal in a standard restaurant in most parts of Mauritius, which I think is good value given the quality of the food on offer.

The digital nomad visa is easy to apply for

In my opinion, the biggest stumbling block to life as a digital nomad is bureaucracy, particularly visas.

Mauritius’ Premium Visa, however, makes entering the country as a digital nomad extremely straightforward. It’s free to apply for and you can stay in Mauritius for up to one year. You don’t even have to prove how much you earn to apply.

One thing you should be aware of is that you need to prove to the immigration official where you are staying, by signing some form of rental agreement.

Still, the Mauritius digital nomad visa is extremely easy to apply for and makes the whole process so much easier. You can find out more or apply for the Premium Visa here.

Mauritians are extremely friendly

My wife enjoying a stroll through the botanical gardens in Mauritius, one of our favourite spots for weekend relaxation.

Last but certainly not least, I found the people of Mauritius to be extremely friendly and welcoming. Our Airbnb host Michael couldn’t do enough for us and helped us in practically every way imaginable.

Any time we ate out as a family we found restaurant owners and staff to be chatty and accommodating and it certainly added to the experience.

Though we weren’t in the country long enough to make any friends, one of the reasons that we hope to return to Mauritius is because we found the people to be so awesome.

This is undoubtedly one of the best things about the island and you will find Mauritians to be open and welcoming of visitors.

My verdict: Is Mauritius good for digital nomads?

So, is Mauritius good for digital nomads? I would say yes, it absolutely is.

As a family, we loved the month that we spent in the country, so much so that we’re seriously considering returning to the island for a year in the near future.

I hope that this guide has revealed some helpful insights into what it’s actually like to spend some time in Mauritius as a digital nomad.

But if you have any more questions about life as a digital nomad in Mauritius, be sure to drop them in the comments below and I will get back to you!

If you’re keen to explore other digital nomad options in East Africa, refer to my short articles that explain whether Uganda and Kenya have special digital nomad visas.