Coastal walk: Blue Bay → La Cambuse → Le Bouchon

From Blue Bay, follow the coastal path round the bay and along the shore to the south-west: the lagoon fades into wilder water, the beaches empty, and you reach La Cambuse, a wide, quiet beach backed by a casuarina forest, with waves breaking on the reef. Beyond it, rocks and small coves lead on to Le Bouchon.

The whole walk is about 9 km one way along the coves (take a taxi back). The short version is just La Cambuse → Le Bouchon (about 2.3 km each way), a lovely last walk before a flight: the airport is 10 minutes away.

• Wild, empty La Cambuse beach
• From the marine park to the fishing village
• A last walk before the airport

Trail map

Traced along the shoreline; round the inner bay of Blue Bay, the path follows the coast road.

Trail traced on OpenStreetMap paths: check the signs on the ground, and take the OSM or an offline map app (Organic Maps, maps.me) with you.

What to expect on this walk

📍 Where it starts

Blue Bay public beach (≈ 1 h 15 from the villa), or La Cambuse public beach for the short version.

🧭 The route

Round Blue Bay, then south-west along coves and beaches to La Cambuse (wide beach, casuarina forest), then over rocks and small coves to Le Bouchon (≈ 9 km in all).

🪨 Terrain

Sand, coral rubble and rocky stretches.

👁️ Views

The reef, the wild south-east coast and the planes landing nearby.

🌅 Best light

Morning: calmer sea and softer light, before the trade wind picks up.

🚧 Obstacles

• Rocky points and coral rubble between the coves
• Round the inner bay of Blue Bay on the road

🌊 Tide

Easier at low tide (firmer sand, rocky points and river mouths easier to pass): check the tide table.

🏊 Swimming

At Blue Bay; at La Cambuse only close to the shore on calm days (currents).

👟 Footwear

Proper shoes with grip: rock, roots or mud (not flip-flops).

🔁 Getting back

One way: a taxi from Le Bouchon back to Blue Bay (≈ 15 min, Rs 600–900).

🦟 Insects

Mosquitoes in the casuarinas at dusk.

💧 Water

Snacks at Blue Bay; little else on the way.

👥 Crowds

Very quiet after Blue Bay.

📶 Phone signal

Good coverage.

🎒 Bring

Hiking shoes · 1.5 litres of water each · Hat and sunscreen · Swimsuit

1. Blue Bay
2. La Cambuse
3. Le Bouchon

Getting there

Tips

• 💡 Hiking shoes for the rocky stretches between the coves.
• 💡 Strong currents at La Cambuse: swim only close to the shore on calm days.
• 💡 Short of time? Walk only La Cambuse → Le Bouchon and back.