Location and character
On either side of the south-western tip of Mahé there are two lovely bays with soft white sand and heavy surf. These two beaches are best for walking and photography, as the strong currents make swimming dangerous here. For that reason, and because they lie well away from the main roads, you will usually have this almost untouched stretch of coast completely to yourself.
Police Bay is the larger of the two bays, a broad sandy beach about 600 m long with forest behind it. Petit Police (also called Petite Police) follows within walking distance. The beach is much smaller and lined with old coral remains, which make good subjects for photos. Both bays face the open south coast and are exposed to the ocean with no protective lagoon. That explains the waves and the solitude.
Getting there
By car
Directions: These bays are about 17 km from the airport. Turn left at the airport and follow the main road south, past the petrol station in Anse Royale. Keep going until you reach the Quatre Bornes police station (on your right). Turn left here onto Intendance Road and drive for about 1 km until you come to another fork. Take the left-hand road of the two and follow it to the end.
From Anse Royale, allow about 20 minutes for the drive. The road first passes Anse Bazarca.
Parking and walking
The tarmac road ends at Petit Police. There are only a few parking spaces, mostly at the roadside. If you have a hire car, you should not drive any further along the sandy track. From here you continue on foot, taking 5 to 15 minutes to reach Police Bay depending on the path and your pace. There is a shorter and a longer route through a grove of palms.
By bus and taxi
The state bus company SPTC runs to Quatre Bornes. Visitors report that buses going anywhere near the beaches are infrequent. Whether and when a route goes that far is best checked beforehand in the current SPTC timetable. If you walk from Quatre Bornes, allow a good hour, including some steep sections. A taxi is more comfortable, and it is worth arranging the return trip at the same time, as you will find hardly any traffic along the way.
Swimming, waves and snorkelling
From May to October, when the south-east trade wind blows, the south coast is usually at its roughest. From June to September there is sometimes seaweed on the beach. Calm days for swimming are rare. Only confident swimmers with open-water experience should consider snorkelling, and only on days with little swell. At Petit Police, sharp-edged pieces of coral stick out of the sand, so you will need water shoes. At high tide the beach there becomes narrow. Surfers and bodysurfers make use of the swell, but that is only for the experienced.
Facilities and tips
| Amenities | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Shade | Little, mostly along the tree line behind the beach and near Petit Police |
| Toilets | None |
| Food and Drinks | No kiosks or restaurants on the beach |
| Sun Loungers and Umbrellas | None |
| Parking | A few spaces on the roadside near Petit Police |
Nearby
| Destination | Location |
|---|---|
| Anse Bazarca | about 560 m from Petit Police, roughly 8 minutes on foot |
| Anse Petite Boileau | about 1.2 km from Petit Police, roughly 17 minutes on foot |
| Anse Intendance | via Intendance Road, about 1.7 km from the Quatre Bornes police station |
For a meal, head to Anse Takamaka or Anse Royale. You will find restaurants under Restaurants on Mahé and places to stay under Holidays on Mahé. The page on Mahé presents more of the island's beaches.
