The Chamarel Coloured Earths, 4km southwest of Chamarel, has, for reasons that remain something of a mystery to us, become one of the sights on the island's usual tourist circuit. Most travellers find it quite underwhelming after a long journey, but if you temper your expectations and approach an excursion here as a quirky side trip, then there's a greater chance of enjoying the variations of colourful sand – a result of the uneven cooling of molten rock. Tortoises are kept in an enclosure just below the coloured earths, which lie 3km inside the reserve.
The entire property was once the private estate of Charles de Chazal de Chamarel, who entertained Matthew Flinders during Flinders' captivity in Mauritius during the Napoleonic Wars.
