In this guide · 16 sections
- What the scene actually looks like
- Pride and events
- Saunas, beaches and cruising
- Gone but still Googled
- Where to stay
- Getting there and around
- Practical tips
- A few words in Kreol
- At a glance
- FAQ
- Is there a gay bar in Port Louis?
- Is homosexuality legal in Mauritius?
- When is Mauritius Pride?
- Is Port Louis safe for gay travellers?
- Which LGBTQ+ organisations can I contact in Mauritius?
- Where should I stay in Port Louis?
The honest summary: Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius and its business and market town, with about 140,000 people (2022 census). It's busy by day and quiet after the offices close. Neither the city nor the island has a gay bar, club or sauna, and we'd rather say so than dress up ordinary bars as gay ones. LGBTQ+ Mauritius is real, though: the community groups and the yearly Pride, held in Rose-Hill, are where you'll find it. And since 2023 the law is on its side.
Legal in one line: Sex between men has been legal since the Supreme Court's ruling in Ah Seek v State on 4 October 2023, and sex between women was never criminalised. The Equal Opportunities Act 2008 bans discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. There is no marriage, civil union or legal gender change.
What the scene actually looks like
We checked Travel Gay, Spartacus and misterb&b, Mauritian media (L'Express, Defimedia, Le Mauricien) and Google Maps searches in English and French ("gay bar", "bar gay", "LGBT", "drag"). None of them lists a gay bar, club, regular queer party or drag night anywhere in Mauritius in 2025-2026. The guides that mention Mauritius say there is no openly advertised scene, and that Grand Baie and Flic en Flac are relaxed tourist areas rather than gay ones.
Map searches for "gay bar Port Louis" return Côté Jasmin, Santana Bar, the waterfront hotel bars and the big Grand Baie nightclubs. None of them presents itself as gay or queer, so we don't list them as gay venues. Mixed groups go out at the Caudan Waterfront in the early evening. Most of the island's nightlife happens in Grand Baie, about 25 km north.
Where LGBTQ+ Mauritius does gather is through its organisations:
- Collectif Arc-en-Ciel (CAEC), founded in 2005 and based on Darwin Avenue in Quatre Bornes. It organises Pride, runs a legal clinic and was a party to the 2023 decriminalisation case.
- Young Queer Alliance (YQA), youth-led since 2014 and based in Rose-Hill. It leads the marriage-equality campaign.
- PILS, the HIV organisation since 1996, at 47 St Georges Street in central Port Louis. Its helpline is 8999.
- 2026: the 21st march took place on Saturday 13 June under the theme "Ansam, Nou Pli For" (Together, We Are Stronger). It was co-organised by YQA, PILS, Gender Links, ekiT and RekonekT.
- 2025: 7 June. 2024: 27 July, with the US, UK and French ambassadors attending. 2023: 21 October, two weeks after the ruling.
- 2027: not announced at the time of writing. Recent marches have been on a Saturday in June.
- Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel: the most central upmarket address, 4.4 on Google.
- Le Suffren Hotel & Marina: next door on the marina, from the same Ninety-Six group.
- Le Saint Georges: three-star hotel with a pool on Rue Saint Georges.
- Champ de Mars by Ivory Hotels: basic three-star hotel opposite the racecourse.
- Kirin Restaurant and Guesthouse: budget rooms above a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.
- Villa Anakao: small hotel at Pointe aux Sables, 7 km west.
- Cocotiers Hotel: seafront at Baie du Tombeau, 6 km north.
- Hennessy Park Hotel: business hotel in Ebene Cybercity, 12 km south, near the Metro.
- Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita: luxury resort on the east coast, about an hour away.
- Air: SSR International Airport (MRU) at Plaine Magnien is about 48 km south-east by road, 45-55 minutes by motorway, longer at rush hour. The Metro doesn't go to the airport, so take a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.
- Metro Express: the light rail runs from the Victoria Urban Terminal in Port Louis via Rose-Hill and Quatre Bornes to Curepipe (Rs 55 end to end). A branch from Rose-Hill serves Ebene and Réduit. It's the easy way to reach Pride in Rose-Hill.
- In town: the centre is walkable: the Caudan Waterfront, the Central Market, Chinatown, the Aapravasi Ghat (a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006) and the Champ de Mars racecourse are all within about 20 minutes on foot of each other.
- Safety: Port Louis is generally safe for visitors, and Pride marches since 2020 have passed peacefully. Religious conservatism is strong, though, and CAEC reported a wave of online hate and threats after Pride 2026. Keep public affection low-key in the city and in villages. Resort staff treat same-sex couples like anyone else.
- Health: PILS (helpline 8999) can point you to HIV testing, PEP and PrEP.
- When to go: May to October is cooler and drier. November to April is hot and humid and is cyclone season, worst from January to March. Racing at Champ de Mars ran from 25 April to December in 2026.
- Money and language: the currency is the Mauritian rupee (Rs). English is the official language, French dominates business and the media, and nearly everyone speaks Kreol. Many shops in the centre close on Sundays.
The trans-led groups are VISA G and ekiT, which is based in Albion. We found no public office address for either.
Pride and events
Mauritius Pride (the Marche des Fiertés) has been organised by CAEC since 2006. Since 2020 it hasn't been held in Port Louis: it starts from the Plaza in Rose-Hill, about 10 km south, with a Pride Village before the march.
Pride's history in the capital is a hard one. In 2018 the Port Louis march was cancelled after armed protesters blocked the route and organisers received death threats, and a sit-in at the Caudan Waterfront took its place, according to MambaOnline. CAEC marked its 20th anniversary at the Caudan Arts Centre on 15 May 2025. Our Port Louis events page will show any LGBTQ+ events we find, though most of the year it is empty.
Saunas, beaches and cruising
There is no gay sauna in Mauritius. We also found no gay beach or cruising area documented by any current source, so we don't list one. Resort spas are mainstream wellness spas. If an old web page tells you a particular public beach is "the gay beach", treat it as unverified. Public indecency laws still apply.
Gone but still Googled
Some online directories, including an earlier version of ours, listed "gay-friendly bars" in and around Port Louis: Jumping Frog on Sir William Newton Street, Queen's Club in Quatre Bornes, Banana Beach Club in Grand Baie and a "Le Caudan Waterfront Bar". We found no LGBTQ+ source for any of them. They are ordinary bars and clubs, and the waterfront bar doesn't exist as a single business. Older guides also say Mauritius decriminalised homosexuality "in 2017". That is wrong: the date is 4 October 2023.
Where to stay
There are no gay or gay-marketed hotels in Mauritius. Everything below is a mainstream hotel. The capital empties out at night, so most visitors spend a night or two here and then move to the coast.
Caudan Waterfront
City centre
Edges of the city and further out
See all of them on the Port Louis hotels page.
Getting there and around
Practical tips
A few words in Kreol
Bonzour (hello), Mersi (thank you), Ki manyer? (how are you?), Ansam, nou pli for (together, we are stronger: the 2026 Pride theme).
At a glance
| Gay bars / clubs | None in Port Louis or anywhere on Mauritius |
|---|---|
| Gay saunas | None |
| LGBTQ+ groups | Collectif Arc-en-Ciel, Young Queer Alliance, PILS (HIV) |
| Pride | Rose-Hill, a Saturday in June (13 June 2026); 2027 not yet announced |
| Airport | SSR International (MRU), about 48 km |
| Legal | Legal since 4 October 2023; anti-discrimination law since 2008; no marriage or unions |
FAQ
Is there a gay bar in Port Louis?
No. We checked Travel Gay, Spartacus, Mauritian media and map searches in English and French and found no gay bar, club, sauna or regular queer party in Port Louis, or anywhere else on Mauritius, in 2025-2026. Older online lists that call Jumping Frog or Queen's Club gay bars have no source behind them. LGBTQ+ social life runs through the community groups and the yearly Pride.
Is homosexuality legal in Mauritius?
Yes. On 4 October 2023 the Supreme Court struck down Section 250 of the Criminal Code in Ah Seek v State, which decriminalised sex between men. Sex between women was never illegal. The Equal Opportunities Act 2008 bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, but there is no marriage or civil union and no legal gender change.
When is Mauritius Pride?
The Pride march is organised by Collectif Arc-en-Ciel and takes place in Rose-Hill, about 10 km south of Port Louis. The 21st march was held on Saturday 13 June 2026. The 2027 date had not been announced at the time of writing; recent marches have been on a Saturday in June.
Is Port Louis safe for gay travellers?
Port Louis is generally safe for visitors, and recent Pride marches have passed peacefully. Society is religiously conservative, though, and after Pride 2026 activists reported a wave of online hate and threats. Most same-sex couples keep public affection low-key in the city and save it for the resorts, where staff treat couples alike.
Which LGBTQ+ organisations can I contact in Mauritius?
Collectif Arc-en-Ciel (Quatre Bornes) runs Pride and a legal clinic. Young Queer Alliance (Rose-Hill) is youth-led and runs the marriage-equality campaign. PILS (47 St Georges Street, Port Louis) is the HIV organisation; its helpline is 8999.
Where should I stay in Port Louis?
The Caudan Waterfront is the most practical base, with the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel and Le Suffren Hotel & Marina side by side. Smaller, cheaper options in the centre include Le Saint Georges, Champ de Mars by Ivory Hotels and the Kirin guesthouse in Chinatown. All of them are mainstream hotels; there are no gay hotels on the island.
Last verified: November 2026.
