Le Morne Brabant

Le Morne Brabant is special in many ways. First, its exposed location at the very south-western extremity of Mauritius. Here, this colossal rock towers above the peninsula of Le Morne. Second, its impressive, almost daunting, appearance dominating the area. Third, its history. In 2008 it became a UNESCO world heritage site due to its historical and cultural importance. Through the 18th and the early 19th century this mountain served as shelter for runaway slaves and maroons and has become a symbol of the slaves' fight for freedom. And fourth, the more or less recent and ongoing controversy regarding ownership, access, construction plans and heritage site.

For the time being, there is no public access to the mountain. It is surrounded by private land (hunting grounds) and the owner reportedly only allows guided tours. To be on the safe side you may want to look into that.

However, the summit with its huge plateau of Le Morne Brabant is a wildlife sanctuary and hence it is off limits as well. Anyway, the summit is naturally "protected" against access by a cliff. This track leads you just until this cliff on a saddle with a metal cross on it. And this is as far as you get without climbing gear.

There are several dirt roads and paths which converge after a while, allowing different starting points for a hike. My GPS track starts on a dirt road south west of the mountain. The first two-thirds of the way are on dirt roads (at least some of them are still being used for hunting and by the security guard(s)?!) and make a pretty easy walk. The last third gets more interesting as the dirt road turns into a winding foot path. There are two steep passages where the path leads through rocky streambeds which almost appear to be stairs cut into the rock. But they are full of loose rocks and not only in rainy weather they are very slippery. The final ascend to the saddle with the cross is likewise steep and you have to be careful where you place your hands and feet as many rocks are loose and/or friable!