Port Louis (Mauritius) - General Info
Where is Port Louis?
Port Louis is the capital and main port of the island of Mauritius. It lies between a well-sheltered, deepwater harbour – accessible to vessels through a break in the coral reef – and a semicircle of mountains. It is known for its French colonial architecture and with its lively Caudan Waterfront is an interesting place to explore.
Entrance Notes and Cautions for Port Louis:
The flat water sail down the NW coast of Mauritius to Port Louis is a welcome relief after the endless swells of the Indian Ocean.
Entrance into Port Louis is straight forward and well marked. There are two harbours here; the southern one is the main port and it is where yachts enter.
Cruiser Highlights for Port Louis:
Cruisers who have crossed the Indian Ocean recommend a stopover here where you’ll find a huge marketplace for vegetables, fruit, fish, meat and poultry within walking distance of the marina.
Port Louis Position (harbour entrance):
020° 08′ 49″S, 57° 28’54” E
Last updated: April 2024
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domander says:
Jul 06, 2018 08:55 AM
Yoann is indeed a reliable electronics fellow who is very friendly and capable. He would like you to also have his email address for all your electronic repairs. He’s fixing Prince Diamond’s Raymarine chartplotter. He can be reached at the phone number seen above or at yoann.ddm@live.com
Report from Chris Higham – September 11th, 2017
We are currently in Mauritius and have an update about the availability of gas refills in Port Louis.
We visited three stations as mentioned on noonsite but they all stopped doing gas refills two weeks ago. Apparently, they do not have enough demand. Local Gas bottle swap is still an option.
Further comments from SY Lusi following their experience:
The best solution when tying up for clearance is to tie a vessel to the N/S wall as swell/wakes tend to roll along it. It was full when we arrived so we were directed to tie to the E/W wall. The swell tends to hit this wall at 90 degrees, so bounces off and is worse. It was calm when we tied up.
The walls are both terrible with any wake in the inner harbour, which happens many times a day. We just got a particularly bad one and on the worst wall.
The walls are not designed to accommodate vessels – there are no bollards or cleats so the boats are just tied to the railings (which are strong). There aren’t any steps, ladders or gates so you must scramble up however you can – difficult with a low tide.
We had 3 fenders out, which worked fine in the normal conditions, but when the extreme roll came they squashed under the pressure.
My vessel has quite an angle inwards to the water line so there was more pressure at the deck level. We were being pushed out about a metre at deck level then slammed back in – it was the most violent thing I have experienced on a vessel in 45 years of boating and 40,000 ocean miles.
Only the health inspector came to the boat and all he wanted was a chat and a crew list. Other crews said he just stayed on the dock.
Best advice is not to use E/W wall, fender up as much as possible, get off as soon as health has been as all the other officials can be visited on foot.
Caudan Marina is not boated friendly either – there is a nasty lip on the concrete wall that can catch the deck on a rising tide.
Highly recommend Patrick, a mechanic. He has done a great job with both our engines. He serviced and troubleshoot both. He is thorough, extremely helpful and very reasonable. He has been working on other boats here too, and the responses have been positive. Call him on 5942-9989. Speaks good English.
Posted on Hehalf of Gary & Jackie King of SV Inspiration Lady
We have found an excellent repair shop for alternators, starters, generators ( wind & water) and refrigeration compressor motors,
We have been carrying all of the above-broken parts for several years, not wanting to part with the items, hoping somewhere we would find a repair facility. Jamal Automotive Centre is the cleanest repair workshop we have seen in our travels. We have had 2 obsolete Balmar alternators rebuilt ( internal and external regulated), an obsolete Red Baron wind generator rewound, a Northern Lights alternator repaired that the supplier says is not a serviceable alternator and the commutator repaired on armature assembly of an obsolete, 12 V 1hp compressor motor for Glacier Bay Refrigeration. The latter item failed in Reunion Is, where no one would attempt repair necessitating bringing in a replacement motor from the US. Items were repaired with a 1-2 day turnaround. Repair costs were very reasonable, and excellent value vs replacement costs.
Jamal Automotive Centre is located in Port Louis on Royal Rd. It is within walking distance of the Caudan Marina basin or the bus terminal if coming in from Grande Baie.
Contact details are,
Moona ( shop manager) email: jamalac@myt.mu. Ph +230- 57125563
The Customs dock at Port Louis is very dangerous. Sailing vessel Lusi was damaged yesterday. The damage was caused by a Coast Guard vessel exceeding the port speed limit. The wake threw Luci into the wall many times.
Finding a taxi in Port Louis is very easy. Finding a taxi driver who takes no advantage of you is not that easy. We tried several of them and most of them overcharged us. We also used one who was recommended on this website and decided not to use him anymore (he was getting too greedy) Finally we continued to use Mr Wu. One of the nicest taxi drivers we ever met. We could ask him anything and nothing was too much for him.
We know his way around. If you need spare parts you could ask him and he will bring you to the right place. You need a refill of your gas bottle he will get you the refills etc…
He is even a fantastic guide.
He drove us around the island showed us many interesting places. A one day trip cost 2500 Rs. (doesn’t matter how many hours) A round trip to the supermarket Bagatel cost 800-1000 Rs. (He brings you and waits until you finished your shopping). Whatever you need he will try to find it for you.
Anyhow this is the experience we want to share with you.
contact details: Josian Wu +(230) 52530391.
You will not be disappointed.
Hire car – good value, clean car and friendly person to deal with.
Hire Car – Gerard Monet, Monet Car Hire, e-mail: admin@carhiremauritius.io, Web Site: http://www.carhiremauritius.io, Tel: 00 230 5251 1802
For Metalwork section: We had some work done and it was done very well.
Integrity Metal Works Ltd
Marine Road, Albion Docks, Port Louis, Mauritius
Tel: +230 216 9321
F: +230 217 6148
E: contact@integrity.mu
W: http://www.integrity.mu
Re Caudan Waterfront, there has been no limit to our stay. We’ve been here four weeks and have had no trouble extending week by week. Docking fees are MR300 per day for a 12m boat.
LPG – Gas refills available from VIVO Energy on Cemetery Road, about 4kms north of Caudan Waterfront. You can get a taxi but be prepared to pay for two trips as you may have to leave the bottles and return later. Was easier for us to hire a car. Cost in July 2014 was MR67.60 per kilo (A$2). VIVO Energy Mauritius, Cemetery Road, Roche Bois, Mauritius, Tel: +230 206 1225