World of Seashells Museum

World of Seashells Museum in Bel Ombre, Mauritius, showcases over 8,000 seashells from 1,500 species, making it Africa’s largest collection.

Planning your visit

The World of Seashells holds over 8,000 shells from around 1,500 species — the largest such collection in Africa — assembled across decades and displayed by family and region.

Conchology sounds narrow until the objects are in front of you: the cone shells whose venom is being studied for painkillers, the nautilus with its chambered logarithmic spiral, the cowries used as currency across the Indian Ocean and Africa for centuries, and the deep-water species whose forms look invented.

Mauritius sits in an ocean of exceptional molluscan diversity, and the Indo-Pacific material is the strength.

Bel Ombre is on the wild south coast, away from the resort strip of the north, near the Frédérica nature reserve and the sugar estates.

Quad and buggy operators in the area frequently include entry.

Allow forty-five minutes. Current availability is shown below.