Licensed doctors 24/7 across Mauritius
Mauritius health guide
Doctor-written health guidance for holidaymakers, expats and students in Mauritius: what to pack, how to stay well in the tropics, when a symptom needs attention, and who to call at three in the morning.
Before you fly
Mauritius asks for a yellow fever certificate only if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a country where yellow fever is present. For most visitors no vaccination is compulsory, but routine cover such as tetanus, measles and hepatitis A is worth checking with your own doctor a few weeks before you fly.
Bring prescription medication in its original packaging, with a copy of the prescription or a short letter from your doctor, and pack enough for your stay plus about a week. Some medicines that are routine at home are restricted or simply unavailable here, so ask us before you travel rather than after you land.
The island is warm and humid for most of the year, and almost everyone underestimates the first forty-eight hours. Slow down on day one, drink more than you think you need, and keep the hardest walking or sport for the early morning.
Season by season
Mauritius is a year-round destination, but every season has its own health profile. Knowing what is coming means you spend more of your holiday enjoying the island and less of it recovering indoors.
Coastal days of 25 to 33°C with high humidity. This is when we see the most heat exhaustion, dehydration, and skin or ear infections after long days in the water. It is also the cyclone and heavy-rain window, so keep a few spare days of medication in reserve.
Roughly 18 to 26°C on the coast and windier in the south and east. These are the best months for hiking and long days outdoors, but the sun is still strong, and cooler evenings bring the coughs, colds and flu-like illnesses that travel well on long flights.
Warnings are issued in classes and your hotel will brief you at each stage. Keep your phone charged, your medication with you and bottled water in the room. Our team works through the alerts, and when it is not safe to travel we consult by phone or video instead.
Mauritius is malaria-free, but dengue can circulate during the warm, wet months. Use a repellent containing DEET or icaridin at dawn and dusk, cover up outdoors, and sleep with screens or air conditioning. Call us for any fever above 38.5°C with headache or muscle pain.
If something goes wrong
Most international travel policies cover medical assistance in Mauritius when care is arranged through an approved local provider. Send us your policy number and your insurer's assistance line early: where direct billing is possible we settle with the insurer and you avoid paying upfront.
If you feel unwell, call 86115. A coordinator takes your details, a doctor decides with you whether this needs a teleconsultation, a visit to where you are staying, or a hospital, and we stay with the case until you are better or safely handed over.
Mauritius has both public hospitals and private clinics, and they suit different situations. We advise which is appropriate for your condition and your cover, then coordinate the admission, the paperwork and the reports your insurer will ask for.
In and on the water
The lagoon looks like a swimming pool and behaves like the sea. Currents run fast where the reef opens into channels, boat traffic is heavy near the launch sites, and the calmest-looking water can still pull a confident swimmer away from the shore.
Most of the marine injuries we treat are avoidable: sea-urchin spines on rocky entries, coral grazes that look trivial and become infected within a day in warm water, and the occasional stonefish sting, which is rare but a genuine emergency.
If you are diving, respect the interval between your last dive and your flight home, and speak to a doctor before flying if you have had any ear, sinus or breathing trouble underwater.
Inland and on the trails
Le Morne, Black River Gorges, Tamarind Falls and the Chamarel trails are the best of the island and the source of a steady stream of our weekend calls. Almost all of them come down to the same three things: starting too late, carrying too little water, and wearing the wrong shoes.
Basalt and red clay stay slippery for hours after rain, phone coverage is patchy in the gorges, and canyons can flood quickly during a downpour. Walk with a guide on the harder routes, and tell someone at your hotel which trail you are taking and when you expect to be back.
If you turn an ankle or come back with heat exhaustion, we can see you where you are staying and arrange an X-ray or a specialist if the examination suggests something more than a sprain.
Good to know
The things our guests ask about most often, in roughly the order they need them.
TouristDoctor answers on 86115, twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year. The national ambulance service is 114 and the police are 999. Save all three before you travel.
Tap water is treated and generally safe in the main residential and tourist areas, though it tastes different from home. Bottled or filtered water is the simpler choice for short stays and sensitive stomachs. Street food is fine when it is freshly cooked and served hot.
Every main town has a well-stocked pharmacy, and familiar medicines are often sold under different brand names. Opening hours vary and a night-duty rota covers the island, so call us and we will point you to the closest one that is open.
Our consultations are held in English, French or Creole. If your medical history is complex and written in another language, bring a short summary: it saves time and avoids misunderstandings.
We bill many international insurers directly. Where that is not possible you pay at the time of the consultation, and we provide an itemised invoice and a medical report for your reimbursement claim.
Most of our consultations happen where you are staying, whether that is a hotel room, a villa, a boat or the airport, rather than in a waiting room. In the main tourist regions a doctor is typically with you within the hour.
Thirty seconds now, and most of what sends visitors home early is already handled.
Travel health FAQs
Straight answers from the doctors who take the calls. If your question is not here, message us and a coordinator will answer it.
No vaccination is compulsory for most travellers. A yellow fever certificate is required only if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a country where yellow fever is present. Make sure routine cover such as tetanus, measles and hepatitis A is up to date, and speak to your own doctor a few weeks before departure if you have a chronic condition.
Mauritius is malaria-free, so no antimalarial tablets are needed for the island itself. Dengue, spread by day-biting mosquitoes, can circulate during the warm and wet months from around November to April. Use repellent, cover up at dawn and dusk, and call us for any fever above 38.5°C with headache, muscle or joint pain.
Tap water is treated and generally safe in the main residential and tourist areas, but it tastes different from what you are used to and can unsettle a sensitive stomach. For a short holiday, bottled or filtered water is the simpler choice. Ice served in hotels and established restaurants is made with treated water.
Call 86115 or message us on WhatsApp. A coordinator takes your details and symptoms, and a doctor decides with you whether a teleconsultation is enough or whether you should be seen in person. In the main tourist regions a doctor is typically with you within the hour and can issue a prescription on the spot.
Most international travel policies cover medical assistance in Mauritius when care is arranged through an approved local provider. Share your policy number and your insurer's assistance line as early as possible: where direct billing is available we invoice the insurer, and otherwise we give you an itemised invoice and a medical report for your claim.
Yes, after a consultation. Bring the original packaging or a copy of your prescription so the doctor can match the medicine and the dose to what is available locally. Some medicines that are routine at home are restricted or unavailable in Mauritius, so it is always safer to travel with enough for your whole stay.
It depends on where you are and on the time of day. In the main coastal tourist regions a doctor is typically with you within the hour, and remoter parts of the island take longer. Urgent cases are triaged first, and while you wait our coordinators stay in contact and tell you what to do in the meantime.
Yes. We carry out fitness-to-fly assessments, write the medical reports that airlines and insurers ask for, and advise on the safe interval between diving and flying. If you have been unwell during your stay, a short pre-flight consultation is often all it takes to travel with confidence.
Licensed doctors, available 24/7 by phone, WhatsApp, video or a visit to your hotel, villa or boat anywhere in Mauritius.
