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A 30 to 40m charter yacht Mauritius in the 2026 May-to-November dry-trade season prices at $84,000 to $122,000 per week, plus a 28 percent APA, takes 8 to 10 guests, and bases out of the Caudan Waterfront and Port Louis main basin. Mauritius sits 2,000 kilometres east of Madagascar and 900 kilometres east of Reunion, with a near-continuous fringing reef and a lagoon system that runs around most of the island. The cyclone season runs December through April, the dry trade season May through November, and the inter-cyclone shoulder of late November and early May is the standard cruising window. The Indian Ocean 30 to 40m charter market is tiny and Mauritius is a reposition base more than a charter base; the bracket holds 1 to 3 yachts at Caudan in any given week and most of the inventory works the Seychelles, the Maldives, or southeast Asia for the rest of the year.
Why Mauritius is a reposition base, not a charter base
The Mauritius cruising area is real but narrow. The fringing reef means that yachts work the lagoon system through marked passes (Grand Baie pass, Trou aux Biches pass, the Tamarin pass on the southwestern coast), and the practical anchorages sit inside the lagoon at depths of 5m to 12m. The bracket fits but the reef-pass logistics demand a local captain or pilot for the first season; we do not recommend a charter captain new to the Mascarenes attempting Mauritius passes without one. Outside the lagoon the open Indian Ocean is rough, and the bracket does not run long open-water legs around the island as a routine cruising programme.
The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) handles direct flights from Paris, London, Dubai, Johannesburg, Mumbai, and Hong Kong, which makes Mauritius an unusually well-connected southern-hemisphere embarkation point. That is the case for Mauritius as a charter start or end, even when the yacht reposition runs through the Seychelles or the Maldives for the bulk of the season.
What the Mauritius cruising area offers
Grand Baie and the north coast. The protected northern lagoon, Coin de Mire, Île Plate, Île aux Serpents. The standard northern coast cruising day with tender access to the Trou aux Biches beach club lunch and the Île aux Bénitiers picnic anchorage on the southwestern run.
Île aux Cerfs and the east coast. The lagoon's marquee day anchorage, set inside the Belle Mare reef. Tender access to the GRSE estuary mangroves and the Touessrok pass. The eastern coast lagoon is the deepest cruising water on the island.
Black River and Le Morne. The southwestern lagoon, with Le Morne UNESCO site visible from the anchorage. The Tamarin Bay surf break for the morning swim and the Le Morne kite-surfing flats for the afternoon. The Île aux Bénitiers crystal-rock day anchorage is the photograph stop.
Rodrigues. 600 kilometres east of Mauritius, the second island of the Republic. Visited by 30 to 40m yachts on a 10-night Mauritius-Rodrigues round trip only with a captain who has the open-water leg in his logbook; otherwise a flight extension.
Reunion. 220 kilometres southwest. A French department with the Saint-Gilles marina and a strong volcanic-hike day. The 30-hour open-water leg from Port Louis is doable in the trade-season window for a yacht with full passage stabilization.
Weekly rates from Mauritius in 2026
Ranges below are for the trade-season firm pricing before APA at 28 percent and gratuity at 12 percent. The Mauritius bracket is small enough that quoted rates are negotiable on lead time.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and motor-sailor (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 30 to 33m | $84K to $98K per week | $62K to $84K per week |
| 33 to 36m | $94K to $112K per week | $74K to $98K per week |
| 36 to 40m | $108K to $122K per week | $86K to $116K per week |
Christmas-New Year rates do not apply because the December to March window is cyclone season and the bracket repositions to the Seychelles or the Maldives. The July to September French-school-holiday window runs at a 12 to 18 percent premium on the trade-season base.
What this bracket does in Mauritius
Quay berths. Caudan Waterfront has 10 to 14 berths on the Port Louis side with depths to 6m and stern-to mooring. Booking is required two months ahead in trade season. The bracket fits Caudan up to 36m; 36 to 40m hangs off the outer pontoon and trades comfort for capacity.
Anchorages. Grand Baie (the marquee north), Île aux Cerfs (the marquee east), Île aux Bénitiers (the marquee southwest). Overnight lagoon anchoring is normal in trade season; outside-reef anchoring is not.
Tenders. Two tenders is standard. The reef-pass tender ops reward a fast tender for the Grand Baie social run and a comfortable tender for the day-anchorage transfers.
At-anchor stabilizers. Required at the open-side lagoon anchorages on a building-trade day. Caudan inside the basin is calm.
Provisioning. Mid-quality. The Port Louis wholesale market and the Bagatelle Mall and the Winners supermarket chain cover the bracket on basics, fresh fish, and French and Indian provisions. Premium European wine and dairy is limited and runs through a single specialist importer; advance order is mandatory. Local rum (Chamarel, New Grove) and fresh tropical fruit are the differentiators.
Trip shapes that work
The 7-night Mauritius lagoon round-trip. Embark Caudan, two nights Grand Baie and the north, two nights Île aux Cerfs and the east, two nights Le Morne and the southwest, one return to Caudan. The standard introduction-to-Mauritius week.
The 10-night Mauritius to Reunion one-way. Embark Caudan, four nights Mauritius lagoon, the overnight passage to Saint-Gilles, four nights Reunion with the Cirque hikes, disembark Saint-Denis. The Mascarenes pair, run only by yachts with the open-water passage logbook.
The 14-night Mauritius to Seychelles reposition (May or November only). The marquee long-haul. Five days open-water passage through the Saya de Malha bank, two nights Bird Island, seven nights inner Seychelles. Run by repositioning yachts that sell the leg at trade-season rates.
Where this bracket falls short in Mauritius
The cyclone-season week. December through April is closed for the bracket. We do not book Mauritius December to April.
The deep cultural texture. Mauritius's land hospitality is strong (the French-Creole-Indian-Chinese mix is real) but the on-water cultural texture is thinner than the Seychelles inner-islands experience. Charter clients who want the cultural depth book Seychelles La Digue or Zanzibar Stone Town. See the 30-40m Zanzibar page for the Swahili-coast alternative.
The pure diving week. Mauritius has good lagoon snorkelling, but the marquee Indian Ocean diving is in the Maldives or the Aldabra group of the Seychelles, not Mauritius. Specialist diving weeks should base in the Maldives.
The pick
For a couples-only 10-night Mauritius and Reunion one-way in mid-October: a 33m motor yacht with full passage stabilization, two strong tenders, and a captain who has worked the Mascarenes for at least two seasons. Strong flight convenience on both ends through Paris or Dubai. Budget: $148K plus APA, all-in roughly $214K. Booking lead time: 8 months.
For a family of 8, a 7-night Mauritius lagoon round-trip in late July: a 36m motor yacht with full tender complement, the Caudan inner-basin berth, and the captain who has the Île aux Cerfs and Le Morne lagoon routine. Light cruising load, heavy beach-and-snorkel load. Budget: $108K plus APA, all-in roughly $156K. Booking lead time: 10 months.
What sits next to this page
The neighbouring siblings are 30-40m Madagascar, 30-40m Seychelles, 30-40m Maldives, and 30-40m Mozambique. For Indian Ocean editorial, see Charter Seychelles and Best expedition yachts 2026. For the season logic, see Indian Ocean charter season and Indian Ocean charter weekly rates.
Land-side context is on VillasForKings Mauritius and HotelsForKings Port Louis.