La Vallée des Couleurs tour: the 23-coloured earth & Mauritius's adventure valley
Private day trips · your group only · pickup anywhere · since 1998
Quick answer: everyone knows Chamarel's Seven Coloured Earth — far fewer know that the south hides a valley with 23. La Vallée des Couleurs (Vallé Adventure Park) at Chamouny is a 450-acre reserve around the island's rarest geological wonder, wrapped in the south's biggest adventure menu: a 1.5 km zipline (the island's longest), the 350 m Nepalese bridge (the longest suspension bridge in the Indian Ocean), a luge-kart run, quad and buggy trails, four waterfalls and the only geology museum in Mauritius. Our private day handles transport from anywhere, entry, and — crucially — pre-booking the activities, which sell out. Per-vehicle price. Tell us your date on WhatsApp.
[ Plan your Vallée des Couleurs day on WhatsApp ]
Private transport · activities pre-booked · 23-coloured earth · zipline & Nepalese bridge · English & French
The valley with 23 colours
Discovered on 4 July 1998, the 23-coloured earth is the signature of this green amphitheatre in the deep south — bands and domes of red, ochre, purple, blue and twenty shades between, born of the ancient Bassin Blanc eruption and unique in the world. Around it, 450 acres of plateaus, craters, fern gardens and forest roll down toward the south coast, with tortoises, Java deer, monkeys and the rare pink pigeon in the trees.
What's inside:
The 23-coloured earth — the island's rarest geological display, best in full sun
Four waterfalls — Vacoas, Bois de Natte, Cheveux d'Ange and the lovely Chamouzé, pouring over volcanic rock into forest pools (viewing only — swimming isn't permitted here)
The adventure menu — the 1.5 km zipline across the valley, the 350 m Nepalese bridge skywalk (age 12+), the luge-kart track, quad bikes (drivers 16+, passengers from 6) and buggies
The geology museum — the only one in Mauritius, with all 23 colours labelled and the island's volcanic story told
The gentle side — the easy 2.2 km loop trail (under an hour), the Zen rock-and-fern garden, safari rides, and the Bouquet Banané that blooms only at year's end
The panorama — the whole south coast unrolled below the high plateaus
Three ways to do your Vallée day
1. The adventure day — zipline, Nepalese bridge, luge and quads, pre-booked so the slots are yours; the coloured earth and waterfalls between the thrills. For teenagers and the young-at-heart.
2. The gentle day — the loop trail, the 23 colours, the waterfalls, the museum and the gardens at strolling pace, with a safari ride for the views. Perfect with younger children or unhurried travellers.
3. Vallée + the deep south — pair it with La Vanille's giant tortoises (20 minutes away), Grand Bassin's sacred lake, or the Gris Gris cliffs for the full wild-south day.
And to be clear on how this differs from our Chamarel tour: Chamarel is the seven-coloured earth, the big waterfall and the rum — the classic.La Vallée is the 23 colours plus the adventure park — the active day. Many guests do both on different days; we'll tell you honestly which suits your crew if it's one.
Your day, hour by hour (adventure version shown)
08:00–09:15 · Pickup & the drive south — collected anywhere on the island; arriving by 9:30 beats both the heat and the activity queues.
09:30–10:00 · The 23-coloured earth first — in morning sun, when the bands glow and the coaches haven't arrived.
10:00–12:30 · The big three, pre-booked — your reserved slots on the 1.5 km zipline, the Nepalese bridge and the luge-kart run, timed so you're never standing in a line.
12:30–13:30 · Lunch in the park — the panoramic restaurant above the valley.
13:30–15:00 · Waterfalls & the museum — Chamouzé and the cascades, the geology museum, the fern garden — the exhale after the adrenaline.
15:00–16:30 · Home — or one more stop — La Vanille's tortoises or Gris Gris on the way, if the day has room.
La Vallée des Couleurs practical facts
Pre-book the activities — seriously. The zipline, bridge and quads run on limited slots and fill up; walk-ins routinely wait or miss out. We reserve your slots when you book the day.
Entry vs activities: park entry is modest (around Rs 400 adults / Rs 200 children); the adventure activities are each ticketed on top. We quote the honest all-in total upfront.
Age & size rules: Nepalese bridge from 12 years (40–150 kg); quad drivers 16+, passengers from 6; the luge suits most ages. We'll match the menu to your crew.
No swimming here: unlike the Tamarind Falls hike, the park's waterfalls are for viewing, not swimming — bring the swimsuit for a different day.
Best season & time: May–October is coolest and driest; year-round, mornings beat heat, queues and cloud. The colours need sun — we watch the forecast.
Underfoot: the loop trail is easy (about 2.2 km, under an hour) but the park is real terrain — proper shoes, sunscreen, water.
Where it is: Chamouny, deep south — 20 minutes from La Vanille, a short hop from Grand Bassin, a genuine drive from the northern resorts (which is what door-to-door transport is for).
Original data · The Barefoot Bespoke Index
The valley in honest numbers
23 — Colours in the earth here; Chamarel's famous site has 7
1.5 km — The zipline across the valley, the island's longest
350 m — The Nepalese bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the Indian Ocean
450 acres — The reserve, rolling from the high plateaus to the south-coast views
4 — Waterfalls: Vacoas, Bois de Natte, Cheveux d'Ange, Chamouzé
[Your price] — Your per-vehicle price for the Vallée day — fill in your real figure
The honest takeaway: this is two attractions wearing one ticket — a rare geological site and the island's biggest adventure park — and the day is won by booking: the activity slots sell out, the colours need morning sun, and the deep-south drive rewards a plan. Handled right, it's the most action-packed day in the south.
Source: Vallé Adventure Park published information; AllTrails trail data.
The process
How your Vallée day works
Tell us your crew and their appetite
Zipline daredevils, luge-kart kids, or stroll-and-photograph — the day flexes.
We pre-book the slots
Entry plus your reserved activity times, so the queues belong to other people.
Door to door, timed for the sun
Morning colours, midday thrills, waterfall calm after.
The south wrapped around it, if you like
Tortoises at La Vanille, the sacred lake, or the Gris Gris cliffs on the way home.
Case study
Two teenagers, one grandmother, one valley
Guests: three-generation family from Belle Mare · Brief: "thrills for the teens, gentle for grandma — without splitting up"
The teenagers wanted the zipline and the bridge; grandma wanted no part of either. Most parks force that family to split or compromise — this one doesn't, if it's planned. We pre-booked the teens' zipline and Nepalese bridge slots, walked grandma and the parents through the coloured earth, the fern garden and the museum on the same clock, and reunited everyone for the luge — which, it turns out, grandma insisted on riding twice. Lunch above the valley, Chamouzé waterfall after, home via the tortoises at La Vanille.
The challenge — Teen adrenaline and a gentle pace in one day The fix — Pre-booked slots run parallel to the strolling route The surprise — Grandma on the luge-kart, twice One vehicle — Three generations, nobody compromised
The concrete result
What the planned valley day delivered
Zero queues — every activity slot pre-reserved
The 23 colours in morning sun, before the coaches
Three generations satisfied in one park, one day
5★ review — "the only day of the trip that thrilled the teens AND charmed grandma"
First-hand reviews
In our guests' own words
★★★★★ "The 1.5 km zipline over the valley was the single best thrill of our holiday — and because our slots were pre-booked we never queued once." — J., United Kingdom (via Google)
★★★★★ "We'd done Chamarel's seven colours and thought we'd seen it. Twenty-three, with waterfalls and that bridge — the south's best-kept secret." — C., France (via TripAdvisor)
★★★★★ "Perfect family logistics: teens on the quads, us on the trail, everyone at the luge. The driver even fit the giant tortoises in on the way home." — S., Germany (via GetYourGuide)
A contrarian view
The famous coloured earth has seven colours. The one nobody's heard of has twenty-three.
Chamarel's Seven Coloured Earth is on every itinerary, every postcard, every coach loop — deservedly; it's iconic. But ask visitors if they know the island has a second coloured-earth site with sixteen more colours, four waterfalls, the Indian Ocean's longest suspension bridge and its longest zipline — and almost none do. Fame and merit aren't the same list.
Chamarel is the coloured earth everyone photographs. La Vallée is the one that photographs back — from a zipline, 1.5 kilometres across the valley.
We sell both days happily, so here's the straight steer: Chamarel for the classic — the icon, the big waterfall, the rum, the south-west circuit. La Vallée for the active day — more colours, real adventure, fewer crowds, deeper south. Families with teenagers, pick the valley; first-timers doing the greatest hits, pick Chamarel; two-week stays, do both and thank us later.
The fair caveat: if adrenaline isn't your thing and you only want coloured earth, Chamarel's site is the more polished single stop — the valley's magic is the combination, not any one piece.
Questions, answered straight
La Vallée des Couleurs — FAQs
What's the difference between La Vallée des Couleurs and Chamarel?
Chamarel is the famous seven-coloured earth with the big waterfall and rum distillery — the classic. La Vallée is the 23-coloured earth plus a full adventure park: the island's longest zipline, the Indian Ocean's longest suspension bridge, luge-karts, quads and four waterfalls. Classic day vs active day — we run both.
Do I need to book the activities in advance?
Yes — the zipline, Nepalese bridge and quads run on limited slots that fill up. We pre-book your times with the day, so you never queue.
Is it good for families?
Excellent — the luge and safari rides suit most ages, quad passengers ride from 6, the loop trail is easy, and the adventure menu scales for teens. The Nepalese bridge is 12+ (40–150 kg).
Can you swim in the waterfalls?
No — here they're for viewing. If waterfall swimming is the dream, our 7 Cascades hike is the day for that, and we'll say so honestly.
How long do you need?
A comfortable full day if you're doing activities; half a day for the gentle version — which pairs perfectly with La Vanille or Grand Bassin nearby.
Where do you pick up from?
Anywhere on the island — the valley sits in the deep south at Chamouny, so door-to-door transport earns its keep from the north and east especially.
Tell us your crew and their appetite for heights
That's all we need to build your Vallée des Couleurs day — colours in the morning sun, activity slots pre-booked, and the wild south around it if you fancy.