Heritage golf at Bel Ombre on the south coast of Mauritius, a leading buddies golf base in the Indian Ocean

Ranked · 7 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf for a Buddies Trip in Mauritius

Mauritius is the Indian Ocean's answer to a golf and beach trip: a compact island that packs championship courses by Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer and Peter Matkovich into a few short drives, wrapped in luxury resorts, great seafood and warm, clear water for the down time. For a group of mates who want serious golf and a proper holiday in one place, it is a rare double. Here are the seven courses we rate most highly for a buddies trip, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Heritage golf, Bel Ombre, Mauritius, via Google

How we chose them

A buddies trip to an island wants a slightly different mix from a mainland golf tour. The group wants courses worth the airfare, a single luxurious base with a beach and a bar, short transfers so nobody spends the holiday in a minibus, and a spread of difficulty so the whole fourball enjoys it. Mauritius delivers on all of it, and because the island is small, a group can stay in one resort and play a different course most days. The choice comes down to coast: the sheltered south west around Bel Ombre, or the resort heavy east around Beau Champ and Belle Mare.

We weighed course quality and design pedigree, how well each venue and its resort suit a group, the playability across a range of handicaps, and how the wider cluster works for a multi round week. Bel Ombre scores highest as a base because La Reserve and Le Chateau sit on one estate with Paradis close by; the east coast follows with Anahita, the island hop to Ile aux Cerfs and the Belle Mare courses. Every detail was checked at the time of writing. The order and the verdicts are our editors' view, so reasonable people will reorder the list. If you want any of these built into a costed group trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

La Reserve Golf Links, Bel Ombre

South coast · Peter Matkovich · the island's top ranked course

Widely rated the best course in Mauritius, Peter Matkovich's links inspired layout climbs the slopes of the Heritage Bel Ombre estate with sweeping views down to the Indian Ocean and the Black River Gorges behind. It is a bold, dramatic test of golf, all elevation change and big horizons, and a genuine reason to fly south rather than just to a beach. For a group it anchors the strongest cluster on the island, sharing the estate with Le Chateau so two of the country's best courses sit on one base. The standout round of a Mauritius buddies trip.

Read the La Reserve profile

Heritage Le Chateau, Bel Ombre

South coast · Peter Matkovich · opened 2004 · multiple award winner

The long established championship course at Heritage Bel Ombre, a Peter Matkovich design from 2004 that runs from the foothills down toward the sea, with wide fairways, natural water and the mountain to ocean vistas that made it a multiple award winner. Less severe than its newer links sibling, it is a supremely enjoyable group course that flatters a range of handicaps while still testing the low markers. Sharing an estate with La Reserve makes it the cornerstone of a south coast buddies base, with the resort, the beach and the restaurants on hand.

Read the Heritage Le Chateau profile

Anahita Golf Club, Beau Champ

East coast · Ernie Els · opened 2008

Ernie Els' first design in Mauritius, opened in 2008 on the east coast at Beau Champ, with several spectacular holes running right along the lagoon and one of the most photographed finishes in island golf. The generous fairways and five sets of tees make it a treat for a mixed group, and the modern resort base, the marina and the boat trips to the offshore islands give the trip plenty off the course. Pair it with Ile aux Cerfs across the water for a two course east coast week. A scenic, sociable round on the island's quiet side.

Read the Anahita profile

Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club

East coast · Bernhard Langer · opened 2003 · island course

The most memorable golf experience on the island, a Bernhard Langer design that occupies its own small island off the east coast, reached by a short boat ride and played entirely surrounded by turquoise water. It is target golf through tropical vegetation with carries over inlets and the ocean rarely out of view, more spectacle than stern test, which suits a group out to enjoy the day. The novelty of the ferry, the beach and the seafood lunch makes it a buddies trip highlight rather than just a round. Unforgettable, and easily paired with Anahita.

Read the Ile aux Cerfs profile

Mont Choisy Le Golf, North

North · Peter Matkovich · opened 2017

The pick of the north, a Peter Matkovich design opened in 2017 near Grand Baie, a championship parkland layout that brought serious golf to the island's busiest resort strip. Wide and well conditioned with mountain views, it gives a group based around Grand Baie a quality course on the doorstep, with the bars, restaurants and nightlife of the north for the evenings. For a buddies trip that wants livelier nights than the south coast resorts offer, the north is the answer and Mont Choisy is its best course. A modern, enjoyable round near the action.

Read the Mont Choisy profile

Tamarina Golf Club, Black River

West coast · designed by Rodney Wright · opened 2007

The west coast option, set in a dramatic bowl between the mountains and the sea at Black River, where the course runs through a valley with the peaks rising on one side and the lagoon on the other. It is a scenic, characterful layout with real elevation change, a contrast to the resort courses and an easy add to a west coast or Tamarin base near the dolphin watching and the Black River Gorges. For a group that wants golf with a wilder backdrop and the sunset coast for the evenings, Tamarina earns its place. A handsome, less crowded round on the sunny side.

Read the Tamarina profile

Paradis Golf Club, Le Morne

South west · resort course · foot of Le Morne

A flat, seaside resort course wrapped around the Le Morne peninsula in the island's south west, played in the shadow of the iconic Le Morne Brabant mountain with the lagoon never far away. It is a gentle, scenic layout rather than a championship test, which makes it a relaxed group round and a fine warm up or wind down between the bigger courses, with the Paradis resort beach and water sports on hand. Pair it with La Reserve and Le Chateau up the coast for a full south coast week. Easy going golf in a postcard setting.

Read the Paradis profile

Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026 from the resorts and leading databases; visitor access, group rates and tee times vary by season and party size. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Plan your Mauritius buddies trip

Tell us the group size, the rough dates and whether you want a south coast base around Bel Ombre, an east coast week near Anahita and Ile aux Cerfs, or the livelier north around Grand Baie, and we will build it. One concierge secures the tee times, sorts the resort and the group dinners, and costs the whole trip to the head, with no obligation.

Mauritius buddies golf questions

Where is the best base for a buddies golf trip in Mauritius?

Two clusters stand out. The south west around Bel Ombre puts La Reserve Golf Links and Heritage Le Chateau on one estate, with Paradis at Le Morne a short drive away, ideal for a group that wants two of the island's best courses on the doorstep. The east coast around Beau Champ pairs Anahita with the boat ride to Ile aux Cerfs and the Belle Mare courses, a sheltered side that suits a relaxed resort week. Most buddies trips pick one coast and play three or four courses.

Is Mauritius a good buddies golf destination?

For a group that wants championship golf wrapped in a beach holiday, it is hard to beat. The island packs a clutch of genuinely good courses by Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer and Peter Matkovich into a compact, safe and easy going destination, with luxury resorts, great seafood and warm water for the down time between rounds. Distances are short, so a group can play a different course most days from a single base.

When is the best time for a golf trip to Mauritius?

May to November is the prime window, the island's cooler, drier season, with comfortable temperatures and lower humidity for walking 18 holes. December to April is hotter and wetter and is the cyclone season, though rain tends to be short and sharp. The east coast can be breezier than the sheltered west and south. Always confirm conditions before booking.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, course details and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.