Wo are the most beautiful beaches in the world? The island paradises in the Indian Ocean certainly end up in the top spots. With Mauritius, the Maldives and Seychelles, the smallest of the three large oceans has some real dream island groups. There are also lesser-known active holiday tips such as Réunion and Zanzibar.
Dabs of color in a vast, bathtub-warm sea, the islands are all the children of French, Dutch, and British colonies. Island cities like Port Louis on Mauritius and Zanzibar City are still characterized by an exotic mixture of Europe and India, China and Africa.
Another big plus is the small time difference. You can enjoy your holiday right from the start without jet lag. We present the most exciting islands in the region and tell you which type of holidaymaker is best accommodated where.
Seychelles: film set of the commercials
The beaches in the Seychelles are among the most beautiful in the world. This is especially true for those on the island of La Digue, to which excursion boats go from the main island of Mahé: Huge, black marbled granite rocks border the beach of powdery, white coral sand, in front of which the turquoise shimmering ocean spreads out.
Known from television advertising: the beaches of the Seychelles are popular backdrops
Quelle: picture alliance / Zoonar
Commercials for Bacardi and Raffaello have already been filmed at the world-famous Anse Source d’Argent. On the neighboring island of Praslin, a coconut enchants visitors: the large Cocos de Mer, weighing up to a good 40 kilograms, have the sensual shape of a female pelvis. The dark side of paradise are the high prices for local utilities.
Characteristics:
Length/Width (Mahe): 28 x 8 km
Resident: 100.000
high season: May to October, all year round
Water: 26-28 degrees Celsius
Luft: 28 (July/August) to 31 degrees Celsius (April)
Best Beaches: Anse Source d’Argent (La Digue), Anse Lazio (Praslin), Anse Georgette (Praslin)
Time shift: 3 hours
Excursion tips: Giant tortoises from Curieuse
Can be combined well with: Kenya, Dubai
Mauritius: dream destination for nature lovers
Hardly anyone knows the “Blue Mauritius”, the famous postage stamp, locally. The sale of stamps still brings money into the state treasury, but the big capital are the light sandy beaches around the island, the well-run hotels and the warm-hearted nature of the population, which peacefully and respectfully unites the cultures of Asia, Europe and Africa.
It got quiet here during Covid, but now the tourists are back: Mauritius
Quelle: picture alliance / empics
Because of the left-hand traffic, the best way for visitors to get to know the evergreen island is to take one of the inexpensive taxis: first to the lively market of Port Louis, then past beautiful colonial mansions through sugar cane plantations, on to waterfalls and the peaks of long-extinct volcanoes. At noon you can enjoy a spicy curry, in the evening the sunset on the beach.
Characteristics:
Length Width: 65 x 50 km
Resident: 1.2 million
high season: May until October
Water: 24 to 28 degrees Celsius
Luft: 26 (August) to 30 degrees Celsius (December).
Best Beaches: Deer hole, Flic en Flac, Le Morne
Time shift: 3 hours
Excursion tips: Tamarin Waterfall, Pamplemousses Botanical Garden.
Goes well with: South Africa
La Réunion: Eldorado for mountaineers
Most visitors come to La Réunion for hiking and mountaineering, the small coral beaches only play a secondary role. The active volcano Piton de la Fournaise rises 2631 meters high, the extinct Piton des Neiges rises a good 400 meters higher. Spectacular valleys cut deeply into the flanks, huge waterfalls and jungle accompany the hiker.
Exception to the rule: La Réunion is particularly popular with hikers and mountaineers
Quelle: picture alliance / Zoonar
The influence of metropolitan France is evident not only in the good roads, but also in the pavement cafes in the capital, St. Denis, the way of life of the people and the quality of the cuisine.
Characteristics:
Length Width: 50 x 70 km
Resident: 850.000
high season: September to October, dry season May to October
Water: 23-27 Degrees Celsius
Luft: 24 (August) to 30 °C (January)
Best Beach: Hermitage Beach
Time shift: 3 hours
Excursion tip: zum Vulkan Piton de la Fournaise
Can be combined well with: Mauritius
Maldives: Robinson feelings guaranteed
Almost 1200 islands in the shimmering turquoise ocean, lined with white sandy beaches and palm forests: these are the Maldives. Located 500 kilometers from the southern tip of India, the state has become the dream destination for island addicts. The special feature of the Maldives: Almost every hotel is on its own island. So Robinson feelings are guaranteed.
The Maldives are a bathing and diving paradise
Quelle: picture alliance/dpa/Kurumba Maldives
The water is bathtub warm: The water temperature of the Indian Ocean is a tropical 27 degrees all year round. These are the best conditions for coral reefs. The sand-fringed islands are therefore ideal for divers. Just a few meters from the beach you are in the middle of schools of colorful fish.
Characteristics:
Length Width: about 1200 tiny islands only a few hundred meters in diameter
Resident: 440.000
high season: January to March, rainy season: May to October
Water: 22-29 degrees Celsius
Luft: 29 (September) to 33 degrees Celsius (April)
Best Beaches: Baros, Meeru and many others
Time shift: 4 hours
Excursion tip: Visit to a local island.
Can be combined well with: United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka
Zanzibar: Spice Island for dreamers
In earlier times, sailors were said to be greeted by the scent of cloves as they entered the port. Even today, many locals still live from the cultivation of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla and nutmeg, but now almost everything revolves around tourism.
The archipelago off the coast of Tanzania is a paradise for divers, nature lovers and romantics. Luxury lodges have emerged on the most beautiful stretches of beach in Zanzibar and on the small tropical paradises of Mnemba and Pemba Island. Stone Town, the island’s capital, is decked out for visitors.
An eco-luxury hotel is tucked away on the island of Mnemba in the Zanzibar archipelago
Quelle: picture alliance/dpa/andBeyond
After a stroll through the winding old town, a cocktail in “Mercury’s Restaurant” is a welcome change. It pays homage to Queen singer Freddie Mercury, the island’s most famous son – although his hits are rarely played there, in deference to the predominantly Muslim population.
Characteristics:
Length Width: 83 x 37 km
Resident: 1.3 million
high season: Dry seasons January to February and June to October
Water: 25-30 degrees Celsius
Luft: 29 (August) to 32 degrees Celsius (February)
Best Beaches: Michamvi Kae, Nungwi East, Mnemba-Atoll
Time shift: 2 hours
Excursion tips: Spice Tour and Jozani Forest
Can be combined well with: Kenya or Ethiopia
Where does the Indian Ocean begin and end?
The Indian Ocean is the smallest of the three world seas. The abbreviation Indik, formed analogously to the Atlantic and Pacific, is hardly ever used in practice. It is bordered by Africa to the west, Asia to the north, Indonesia and Australia to the east, and Antarctica to the south.
The northernmost point is commonly defined as the port of Suez in Egypt, counting the Red Sea as part of the Indian Ocean. To the east, off the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse near Perth, Australia, the blue waters of the Indian mix with the grey-brown of the Pacific Ocean. And to the west, the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic at the southern tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas. The more famous Cape of Good Hope is already washed by the Atlantic on both sides.