Ebony Forest Chamarel: Discover Mauritius’s Endemic Flora

Seeing what Mauritius looked like before human settlement takes only half a day on foot above Chamarel in the island’s southwest. Of the 287 endemic plant species recorded in Mauritius, more than 90% are now considered threatened, according to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Ebony Forest Reserve, open to visitors in the hills above Chamarel, gives access to one of the few places where this original flora has been actively replanted rather than simply preserved behind a fence.

One of the world’s most threatened floras

Mauritius has 644 native flowering-plant species, including 287 endemic to the island, and more than 90% of them are considered threatened. Around 100 species have fewer than 100 individuals left in the wild, according to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation’s rare-plants conservation programme. Deforestation through centuries of successive colonisation left the original vegetation surviving only in scattered fragments, mainly at higher elevations and in the hardest-to-reach areas. Black River Gorges National Park, the island’s largest protected area, is described by the National Parks and Conservation Service (NPCS) as containing the “last remnant” of Mauritius’s endemic flora and fauna. Ebony Forest Chamarel is not formally part of the national park: it is a separate reserve, but it pursues the same restoration objective.

Ebony Forest Chamarel: a reserve replanting what disappeared elsewhere

Located in Chamarel near Le Morne Brabant, Ebony Forest Reserve is a non-profit organisation that has been restoring native forest on the site for more than twenty years. It now manages three forests covering a total of 195 hectares, where more than 200,000 endemic and native plants have been planted and more than 50 hectares of forest have been cleared of invasive species and replanted. A total of 118 endemic and native plant species have been propagated in its nursery. The animal programme follows the same reintroduction principle: four endemic bird species have been released on the site, which is recognised by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area and is home to six of the nine endemic land-bird species still found in Mauritius, including the pink pigeon, Mauritius kestrel and echo parakeet. These are the same species found in Black River Gorges National Park, covered in our article on watching endemic birds in Mauritius.

Walk independently or book a guided visit

The simplest option, “Take A Hike”, requires no booking: between 2.3 and 6.1 km depending on the route chosen, taking one to four hours if you include the climb to Piton Canot. Prices shown on the reserve’s website in March 2026 distinguish residents from non-residents: Rs 380 per adult and Rs 230 per child aged 5 to 17 for residents, Rs 510 and Rs 310 for non-residents, with free entry for children under 5. Check before you go, as prices can change. For visitors who want a guided interpretation of the site, two bookable options start at 9 a.m.: a 3-to-4-hour birdwatching walk over 4.8 km, and a 3-to-4-hour cultural hike covering 5 to 6 km that explains how volcanism, deer farming and sugar cane shaped the neighbouring villages of La Gaulette, Case Noyale and Chamarel. As with any hike in Mauritius, the usual safety guidance applies: our guide to hiking safety in Mauritius and our article on whether you need a hiking guide explain what is common-sense preparation and what is actually compulsory. The marked trails and modest elevation gain on the short circuit also make it a realistic outing with children, along the same lines as the routes listed in our article on hiking with children in Mauritius.

Black River Gorges National Park and the biosphere reserve: the official framework around Chamarel

Ebony Forest is a private initiative, but it sits next to a much larger protected-area system. Black River Gorges National Park forms the core zone of the Black River Gorges – Bel Ombre Biosphere Reserve, officially recognised by UNESCO on 28 October 2020, replacing the Macchabée – Bel Ombre Biosphere Reserve designated in 1977, one of the world’s earliest according to the NPCS. The reserve covers 8,582 hectares in total: a strictly protected 6,574-hectare core zone, which is the national park itself, a 497-hectare buffer zone and a 1,511-hectare transition zone including the villages of Bel Ombre and Saint-Martin. Management is the responsibility of the National Parks and Conservation Service under the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security. In practical terms, the difference is one of scale and purpose: Ebony Forest can be visited in a few hours on a developed route, while the national park offers around 60 km of marked trails across 67.54 km², designed for longer outings and more focused on wildlife observation than on interpretation of the flora.

Extend the day in the surrounding area

Chamarel lies only a few kilometres from Le Morne Brabant and La Gaulette, an area where the property market is centred more on villas and nature-oriented residences than on urban living. Our article on property in Le Morne and La Gaulette explains what is available for anyone considering staying longer than a day. In the north, the Pamplemousses botanical garden offers a different view of the island’s flora, more exotic than endemic. Other southwest outings and how to prepare for them are listed in our overview of leisure activities in Mauritius.

Sources and verification

• Mauritian Wildlife Foundation – rare-plants conservation programme factsheet
• National Parks and Conservation Service – Black River Gorges – Bel Ombre Biosphere Reserve brochure
• Ebony Forest Reserve – presentation of the reserve and restoration results
• Ebony Forest Reserve – visiting information, distances and prices
• Wikipedia – area, creation date and trail length for Black River Gorges National Park (data sourced to the National Parks and Conservation Service)