As one of the most underrated waterfalls in Mauritius, hiking to Cascade Leon (also known as Exil Waterfall) is great for those looking for an off-the-beaten-path adventure.
At Cascade Leon, you’ll find three water streams flowing right next to each other before crashing down into a large pool below.
With a height of about 20 meters, it tumbles down with such intensity that you’ll be drenched as soon as you get close to it! It’s definitely a great hike to add to your to-do list when visiting Mauritius!
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the Cascade Leon hiking trail, including detailed directions and what to expect during the hike.
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Where is Cascade Leon (Exil Waterfall)?
Cascade Leon is located in Rivière des Anguilles, in the south of Mauritius. Since it’s not too far from Rochester Falls and Gris Gris Beach, I highly recommend combining your visit with these nearby attractions.
How to get to Cascade Leon?
Before diving into this guide, below are some quick facts about the Cascade Leon hike:
- Distance: 4 km (one way)
- Duration: 1-1.5 hours (one way, depending on your level of fitness)
- Difficulty: Moderate
The Cascade Leon hiking trail starts at Rochester Falls. To get there, search for “Road to Rochester Waterfall” on Google Maps. You’ll find a small cemetery on your left where you can park your car (exact GPS location).
Instead of turning right to go to Rochester Falls, walk straight ahead along a track road between the sugarcane fields.
Along the way, you’ll find several little side roads but stay on the main trail until you reach a fork in the path as shown in the photo below. It should take about 20 minutes to get there.
Turn right (exact GPS location) and make sure to be careful as the path is usually very muddy.
You’ll eventually find a road on your right that leads down to the river but don’t go there. Instead, walk straight ahead and you’ll know that you’re in the right direction when you see a house on your right.
Stay on the main trail until you reach another fork in the path. The paved road on the right leads to some kind of power station and on the left side, you’ll find a boulder with a red arrow.
Related post: Top 18 waterfalls to visit in Mauritius
To get to Cascade Leon, you’ll have to turn left (exact GPS location). There’s a gradual incline in the path but nothing too strenuous. You’ll also find a few tiny waterfalls and streams and some huge water pipes along the way.
Read more: Hiking to 7 Cascades (Tamarind Falls)
You’ll eventually reach a dam (exact GPS location) which you’ll have to walk across. You’ll also find Cascade Cecile here but unfortunately, it’s dry most of the time.
Once you get to the other side, don’t take the road ahead, instead turn left towards the steep incline. Just keep an eye on the boulder painted in blue and you’ll know that you’re in the right direction.
After the incline, immediately turn left and keep walking along the trail until you reach a sign saying “Cascade Leon”.
Turn left to go down to the waterfall.
As you get closer, you’ll have to walk across some huge boulders. Be careful here as the rocks are very slippery.
Be sure to bring enough mosquito repellent as there are LOTS of mosquitoes here.
Alternatively, if you’re staying at L’Exil Lodges, you can easily get to Cascade Leon by walking for about 10-15 minutes along a trail found next to the lodges.
You can even get a bird’s eye view of the waterfall from L’Exil Lodges, making it the perfect place to stay for those wanting to visit Cascade Leon without having to hike there.
Read more: How to hike to the bottom of Alexandra Falls?
I hope you found this Cascade Leon hiking guide helpful. If you have any questions about the hiking trail, let me know in the comment section below.
More hikes in Mauritius:
- 18 best waterfalls in Mauritius
- The best hiking trails in Mauritius
- Guide to the Black River Gorges National Park
- Alexandra Falls hiking guide
- Cascade 500 Pieds hiking guide
- Eau Bleue Waterfalls hiking guide
- 7 Cascades hiking guide
- Cascade Minissy hiking guide
- Eureka Falls: Complete guide
- Ultimate guide to Gris Gris: beach caves, La Roche Qui Pleure, and waterfalls
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4 comments
Is it possible to go down to the Bottom of cascade Cecile ? Where is the trail found?
I think it’s possible to go to the bottom since I’ve seen people posting photos online. But I haven’t been personally so, unfortunately, I don’t know the way down.
Hello Steph, do you need any authorization to do this hike ?
Hi Romain, the main hiking path is open to the public so you don’t need any authorization unless you want to access the waterfall from Exil Lodges, then you’ll probably need to ask them.