The 7-Colored Sands Of Chamarel, Mauritius

Ever visited the African country of Mauritius? It is an island nation east of Madagascar in the southwest corner of the Indian Ocean. It was the only known habitat of the now-extinct Dodo bird. And much like that ill-fated avian species, the colored sands of Chamarel are also unique to Mauritius. Nowhere else on earth have they been found. Hell, they cannot even be explained yet!

The Chamarel Waterfall in Mauritius is a beautiful and popular tourist destination
Chamarel Waterfall

Mauritius has long had a reputation as a gorgeous island renowned for its many waterfalls. One of the most famous is the 83 metre (272 foot) Chamarel Falls. However a discovery in the 1960’s is finally beginning to make the region famous for something else…

The breathtakingly beautiful yet strangely unexplainable seven-colored earth of of Chamarel, #Mauritius #traveltips #unique #oneofakind #incredible #travel #offbeat #chamarel #holidaze #geology

The 7-Colored Sands Of Chamarel

This place baffles the experts and has started attracting tourists.

The breathtakingly beautiful yet strangely unexplainable seven-colored earth of Chamarel is quickly becoming a perplexing tourist attraction. The sand is distinctly different colors, including red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple, and yellow.

According to geologists the colored sand was created from clay made of lava cooling off at different times, which effectively caused seven different colors of sand to form. But the mystery does not stop there, it only gets stranger…

The rainbow seven-colored earth of Chamarel, Mauritius are a geological wonder and unexplained by geologists
The rainbow 7-colored sands of Mauritius are a geological wonder and unexplained by geologists

When you take all the colors and mix them together, they will naturally separate and rejoin their correct color grouping.

Experiments have been conducted where the sand is shaken and mixed together in a test tube, however a couple of days later it is always separated into individual bands of like colors. Scientists who have studied this are still mystified! And what if I were to say it gets even crazier than that…

The 7-colored sands of Mauritius are a geological wonder and still unexplained by scientists

Chamarel Falls and the seven-colored earth of Mauritius are included in The HoliDaze Ultimate Travel Blogger’s Bucket List

Mauritius is becoming famous because of the rainbow colored earth of Chamarel

Despite the torrential downpours that occur with the wet season every year, the sand experiences absolutely no erosion! It has now been blocked off and people are prevented from walking on it or disturbing it. Visitors must be content to experience the view from the over-looking platform.

Have you heard of the 7-colored sands of Chamarel before?

What are your thoughts? Want to visit?

See More Strange, Unique & Offbeat Destinations Around The World
Enjoy it? Tell a friend
About Derek Freal

"Some people eat, others try therapy. I travel."   Cultural enthusiast. Adrenaline junkie. Eater of strange foods. Chasing unique and offbeat adventures around the world since 2008. Derek loves going to new destinations where he does not speak a word of the local language and must communicate with hand gestures, or places where he is forced to squat awkwardly to poo -- supposedly its healthier and more efficient. For more information (about Derek, not squat pooing) including popular posts and videos, check out his bio.

1 thought on “The 7-Colored Sands Of Chamarel, Mauritius”

Leave a Comment