Serenity's Plymouth Island Location: Where was Serenity filmed?

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This is the story of a fishing boat captain confronted with his past on an unknown island, located in the middle of nowhere. Serenity was filmed on the island of Mauritius, doubling as the fictional Plymouth Island.

The small Indian Ocean nation in East Africa is trying to promote itself as a filming destination, with a generous film tax incentive program to attract international productions.

Serenity actors John Mason Baker Dill and Karen Zariakas

The cast is headed by Interstellar stars Matthew McConaughey as Baker Dill and Anne Hathaway as Karen Zariakas.

This dark thriller with a plot twist is an excellent opportunity to explore a bit deeper into the wonders of Mauritius, this exotic country known for its gorgeous beaches, lagoons and reefs.

Here is our spoiler-free guide to the filming locations of Serenity:


Serenity Island aerial view
A few interesting facts: Port Louis is the capital of a country of more than a million inhabitants, living in an area slightly bigger than Hawaii's Maui island.

The picturesque nation is located east of Madagascar, around 200 miles from the overseas French department island of Réunion. Pictured, a spectacular aerial view of the 'underwater waterfall' of Mauritius Island.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Pietro Lambert - Map


Port and pier in the town
According to local newspaper Le Mauricien, most of the movie was filmed in a small harbor built for the occasion in the northern town of Trou-aux-Biches.

The village hosts one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. The houses of the set were painted in bright colors to create a 'contemporary fictional world, not in the Caribbean nor the Indian Ocean'.
Image courtesy of Aviron Pictures - Map


Où a été filmée Sérénité
The colorful church is the Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice located in Cap Malheureux.
Image courtesy of Aviron Pictures and Dave Chapman - Map


lieux tournage phare
The magnificent Albion lighthouse (or Pointe aux Caves lighthouse) stands on the top of a cliff on the North West coast of Mauritius.
Image courtesy of Carrotmadman6 - Map


Mauritius Landscape mountain and beach
Pictured, the iconic shape of Rempart Mountain located near Tamarin on the west coast.
Image courtesy of Aviron Pictures - Map


Crew and cast filming movie on a boat
Filming in an exotic paradise location wasn't as smooth as it might look. The cast commented in an interview for Bustle that while working on the sea, they had to repeat some scenes multiple times due to the difficulty of recording the sound in this environment.

There could be like 20 people working onboard the small cabin of the Serenity boat, and it could get extremely hot. Also, most of the filming equipment had to be shipped from South Africa.
Image courtesy of Aviron Pictures


Mauritius Le Morne cape
There are two World Heritage Sites in Mauritius inscribed to the prestigious UNESCO list. Le Morne Cultural Landscape is the peninsula near the striking underwater fall (pictured in the second image of this report).

The other one is the historical site of Aapravasi Ghat, the old Immigration Depot.
Image courtesy of Ashtanga 2004 - Map


Serenity insel drehort
Mauritius is not only home to blue turquoise waters and world-class sandy beaches. The Seven Coloured Earths is a scenic landscape formed by several colorful layers of volcanic ash.

Silly fact: It has nothing to do with this film, but the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias is set in the fictional town of Serenity, South Carolina.
Image courtesy of Sofitel So Mauritius - Map

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6 comments:

1- Jill - June 25, 2019 at 8:08 PM
Nice, thank you!

2- Anonymous - June 23, 2020 at 4:48 PM
Beautiful sights!

3- Anonymous - February 22, 2021 at 7:28 AM
My wife and I watched the movie last and wondered where the heck is this beautiful island? Good movie with a very strange twist!

4- Anonymous - Sep 24, 2022, 6:55 AM
Very beautiful country!

5- Anonymous - Apr 9, 2023, 3:17 AM
I watched Serenity last night and was curious as to where 'Plymouth Island' was located. Thanks for the interesting information.

6- Bruce Grieve - Jan 4, 2024, 5:01 AM
Fascinated by this island and that underwater waterfall, it's something I would love to see in person.


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