Living in Curepipe and Floréal: Life on Mauritius’s Central Plateau

Curepipe sits 549 metres above sea level, and it is noticeably cooler and wetter than the coast. The town council itself describes a rainy climate. In July the average daytime high is 21.8°C at Vacoas, the station Mauritius Meteorological Services uses for the Centre region, against 25.8°C at Médine on the west coast. In return you get a proper town of over 70,000 people, with a market, a bus terminus, a Metro Express station and healthcare close by.

A plateau climate: what the official figures show

The Central Plateau is cooler than the coast all year, and the weather service’s records show it. The table below compares 1971–2000 averages for two stations that the service treats as representative of their regions. Curepipe is on the same plateau as neighbouring Vacoas.

Sunshine follows the same pattern. On high ground the service records about 6 hours a day in summer and about 5 in winter, while the coast gets 7.5 to over 8 hours in summer and more than 7.5 in winter. That makes a home’s orientation and ventilation matter more here than at the seaside, so check the walls and wardrobes during a viewing, and try to view on an overcast day.

For other regions and seasons, see our guide to the climate in Mauritius by season.

Daily life: a town, not a beach resort

Statistics Mauritius counted 70,008 residents in the town of Curepipe in its 2022 census. Everyday needs are close at hand. According to the town council, that includes the municipal market, the Carnegie Library built in 1920, the 27-acre botanical garden created in 1913 and the Trou aux Cerfs crater. The Jan Palach bus terminal, the largest in the country according to the council, handles 100,000 passengers a day.

Floréal is a former sugar estate that was subdivided into plots and, the council says, joined the town’s boundaries in 1960. It is more residential and more open than central Curepipe, with quiet streets and houses set in gardens. The trade-off is that shopping and services mean a drive or a short bus ride.

Getting around: the metro changes things

Phase 2 of Metro Express extends the line from Rose-Hill to Curepipe Central over 12.6 km of track. If you work in Port Louis, Rose-Hill or Quatre Bornes, the Curepipe station lets you manage without a car on weekdays. For weekends at the coast, a car is still the simple answer. Timetables, fares and the network’s limits are covered in our article on getting around Mauritius.

Healthcare and schools

The C-Care Darné clinic, formerly Clinique Darné and founded in 1953, is in Floréal. On the public side, the nearest hospital is Victoria Hospital in Candos. Our guide to health insurance and clinics explains how to choose a clinic and what cover to take.

Curepipe has a long schooling tradition, and the town council lists the Royal College Curepipe among its institutions. The right school depends on the age group and the stream, and it can decide which neighbourhood you pick. Our guide to living in Mauritius with children sets out the criteria.

Buying in Curepipe or Floréal as a foreigner

This is the question that decides everything, because Curepipe is not a seaside PDS area. Under the EDB guidelines (2022 edition), a non-citizen can acquire an IRS, RES or PDS unit, a home in a Smart City, or an apartment in a building with at least two floors above the ground floor. The apartment needs prior EDB approval and a price of at least Rs 6 million. Check that threshold with the EDB before you sign, as the text dates from 2022.

That last case, known as G+2 or R+2, is the one that applies to a foreign buyer looking for an apartment on the plateau. The rule that 85% of the price must be paid in rupees, in force since 13 December 2024 for IRS, RES, IHS, PDS and Smart City schemes, does not apply to G+2 apartments, according to the EDB’s February 2025 FAQ. Our article on buying an R+2 apartment explains how it works.

A house with a garden in Floréal is not on that list. Before you sign any sale agreement, have the notary and the EDB confirm what is possible in your case. For price levels, see our property prices in Mauritius page and the new-build programmes. If you would rather try the area first, a long-term rental is the safest way in.

Curepipe, Moka or the coast

Moka also offers highland living, and our guide to living in Moka sets out that choice. Against the coast, the trade is simple: the plateau’s cool climate against easy access to the beach. If your weekends are spent on the sand, the west or north coast makes more sense. If you want a complete town that does not depend on the summer, the plateau holds its own.

Who the area suits, and who it does not

It suits someone working in Port Louis or on the plateau who wants the metro and a real town, a family that has a specific school in mind, and a retiree who finds coastal heat hard to bear. It suits less anyone who wants the beach on the doorstep, a home that stays dry with no upkeep, or a PDS development to resell to a foreign buyer.

Sources and checks

• Statistics Mauritius: 2022 census, volume 3, table G1
• Mauritius Meteorological Services: climate of Mauritius, climatology sheets for the Centre (Vacoas) and West (Médine)
• Municipal Council of Curepipe: overview of the town
• Metro Express Mauritius: phase 2
• Economic Development Board: guidelines on the acquisition of residential properties by non-citizens
• Economic Development Board: February 2025 FAQ on the IRS, RES, IHS, PDS and SCS regulations