Luxury Catamaran Cruise: The Northern Islands

Good food, good scenery, a bit too popular

The boat was nice and the crew was fantastic. The only downside is that the tour is not what I’ve expected. I was expecting a “lonely” and “niche” feeling to explore those northern inhabited islands. However, they turned out to be quite crowded with lots of people making it not “hidden” at all. Despite of this, the water was beautiful in different shades of blue and the beach was nice. It’s good if you want a day out in the sea. Less if you are expecting some sort of adventure into the inhabited islands.

Great Catamaran Trip (overpriced on Viator)

The Catamaran tour was very well organised, from the Hotel Coin de Mire Attitude, the lunch was great, the staff were very attentive, and the snorkelling at Gabriel Island was a particular delight. It would however be cheaper to book directly through the hotel (3200MUR PP)

Incredible. Start to finish.

Trip of a lifetime! Incredible cruising grounds with amazing winds, amazing yacht with an even better crew. Best vacation I have ever been on (I travel a lot!). Do not hesitate to book this!

A beautiful day despite the wind!

This could have been a fabulous experience and we actually made lemonade out of lemons. This had nothing to do with the company, the crew, the operators, the equipment, the food, the music, or anything like that! All of that was amazing. It was even a beautifully sunny day. We did, however, have wind and very choppy seas, 2 meter high waves, which made the ride out to the islands rather rough and wet. Upon arrival at the islands, the water and currents were so strong, snorkeling was prohibited which was a disappointment. But, as I said, we made friends on board, played around and made jokes with the crew and I even quasi-snorkeled by hanging onto the stairs with my mask on in order to see some beautiful fish!

Mediocre

The service was excellent and the crew was very friendly. The beach visit was disappointing. Enormous amount of rocks in the sand which made the swimming uncomfortable. The food on the boat was very mediocre.

Well organized trip,...

Well organized trip, super friendly and entertaining crew, nice atmosphere and amazing scenery, highly recommend!

”Luxery catamaran tour” 😂👎

The cat is probably the smallest on the island. Not even enough seats for the number of passengers they took onboard. Too smal to move around when you’re onboard. Only about 10 seats in the very back. The departure was nearly one hour delayed for unknowned reason. Food had to be eaten standing up due to lack of seats and were no different to non luxury catamaran trips. The same goes for the drinks. The only luxury on this trip was the price. Possibly due to the delayed departure we never went to Flat Island - all other tours do, and there is where you find the good snorkeling. If you plan a trip to the northen islands, chose another tour operator. It will be both cheaper and deffinately better. I’ve done three cat tours and this ”luxery catamaran tour” really did hit the bottom mark.

Amazing catamaran cruise

We had a fantastic day on the paradise cove (catamaran) the captain and his 2 crew were so funny, the food was amazing, and they got everyone singing and dancing, would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for that trip to the northern islands

Although starting in the rain, the return sailing trip was amazing

The morning was bad with a lot of rain an stormy. Also on the island it rained twice. Because of the rough weather we could swim or snorkel oin another place, unfortunately there was no snorkeling equipment available,. You had to bring your own. They should have mentioned that, we had food on the catamaran, which was delicious and plenty. Sailing back with a sunny sky was amazing

Laid-back day with drinks, good food, and good company. Recommended!

Only 16 of us on the boat so plenty of room for all. Seating inside, outside, shady, and sunny. Crew of 3 were really friendly and worked hard keeping everyone supplied with drinks. They cooked us a great lunch too. They did play quite loud music but when it got a bit much and I asked them to turn it down a bit, they did straight away. Also changed the tunes when I said I’d had enough of the BeeGees! I have some mobility issues (arthritic knees) and the crew and the helpers who ferried us out to the main boat were extremely thoughtful and careful helping me on and off, carrying my bags for me etc. I was able to swim at Flat Island - the sea was warm and very clear. There were also some rough benches and tables in the trees lining the beach so there was shade and a place to sit other than on the sand. Didn’t go snorkelling off the boat - not sure I’d would have been able to get back on from the sea! Those who did said there were some nice fish but, like everywhere I have seen so far in Mauritius, the coral didn’t look very healthy. I really enjoyed the day, as I love boat trips. The vibe was fun but not raucous, and as a 60+ solo, I was well looked-after, and welcomed. I was driving back to my hotel so wasn’t drinking, but the beer, wine, and rum was flowing so I think you can definitely get your money’s worth!

A great day out.

We had a fantastic day spent on the catamaran. Unfortunately for us it was the only cloudy day we had in Mauritius that week. The food was really good and the staff on the boat were excellent. They entertained us as well as kept us very safe. A really good day out

Fulfiling trip

It was great. We were waiting at the reception, where representative person of cruising company picked us. We went to the beach where boat picked us and drove us to the catamaran. Catamaran crew welcomed us and we started with cruising. In first minutes “Captain” of the catamaran presented the schedule of the journey, rules of behaviour on the catamaran, what we can get for drink (it was a lot of beverages). Gabriel island beach was very nice. Snorkling on near by island was great - a lot of exotic colorful fishes. Food was excellent (tuna, sausages, chicken, salad, kuskus). Crew members were constantly offering drink to us.

Amazing route with not much luxury

The cruise itself was amazing, fantastic places and views. Totally must do route. Crew was friendly and professional. However, there was not much luxurious about it and catamaran was a bit too crowded to fully enjoy it. There seemed to be not much difference with cheaper catamaran cruises doing exactly the same routes and activities. And by cheaper, I mean up to 3 times cheaper. I would go north islands cruise again any time, but I would go with cheaper options or private speed boat.

Incredible experience. An outing one should do when in the north.

Wonderful experience. Will highly recommend it for anyone visiting the north of Mauritius. The staff was fabulous and the food was very tasty.

Amazing trip

The trip was amazing, the tour guides in the Catamaran boat were very friendly and sweet. We enjoyed our trip because of their vibes and dances. The food on boat was BBQed chicken wings and hotdogs as well as fish in addition to that they had couscous, potato salad and some kind of maurichian salad with cakes they all tasted very good, my sister and I loved it alot. Although we are arabs and wearing our burkini and hijab we didn’t feel that we aren’t welcomed instead we had a wonderful day. Much respect to all of the team and group.

Amazing day!

Amazing day with a really nice crew. The food was really tasty and there was fresh drinks all the time. We had a good time. Highly recommended!

Even if you only have one day in Mauritius, do this

One of the best excursions ever. I only had one day to do something fun in Mauritius while travelling for work, and I definitely made the right choice. The breathtaking water and beach, fantastic snorkeling, good food... and Christian and Bouba were great. I was on my own and quickly made friends with the other passengers. Highly recommend.

A must do trip at a bargain price

Top trip utterly stunning with a great crew. The 1stvleg out to the islands was very choppy but so worth it. This trip is a bargain and the lunch also great..final snorkeling was the icing on the cake. Great trip highly recommended

Definitely Recommend

The team was great and the island had a clear water beach, super lovely. We could see whales on our trip as well as doing snorkel in an area full of colourful fish. The only bad thing for us was the weather, as we experienced a rough way to the island due to big waves that made us sea sick. Bad luck I guess!! The team handled it in an excellent way, though!

Exciting water trip and don't miss it to see the beautiful Island rock. Snorkeling was adventurous.

What an experience! Beautiful Rock Island depicting nature at its best. The crew was safety conscious and making us feel at ease during the whole time and cracking jokes. Well done Captain and your crew including the lunch, mouth watering!

Very friendly crew, good lunch unfortunately we weren't able to visit the flats Islands . However the Gabriel island was lovely

Amazing crew, weather was quite wet on arrival, went snorkeling saw alot of tropical fish but overall would reccomend this trip.

Magic

Christophe and the team at Catamaran Cruises were exceptional from beginning to end. We arranged a private charter for a day and sailed out to the northern islands with my partner and young son. The crew were great company, highly professional, fun to be with for the day and very knowledgable about the areas we visited. The boat itself was luxurious, clean and very well stocked. We wanted for nothing! We even had the good fortune of spotting a sea turtle while snorkeling during one of the stops in some of the clearest water I've seen. Arranging the day via phone and email was swift and hassle free, with the team accommodating our every request. To top it off, they helped make an already amazong day unforgettable by taking us to a deserted beach which made an unforgettable backdrop for me to propose. I can't thank the team enough, and we truly will never forget this magical day!

Amazing trip

Great trip , hassle free . The crew on board the boat where fantastic great hosts kept the drinks flowing all of the trip and cooked us up some fantastic lunch followed then by the most amazing snorkelling in crystal clear waters full of the most amazing fish ! Would highly recommend if visiting the north of Mauritius

Below par experience

What we liked - on time, neat & clean boat and in good condition, good food What we disliked - we couldn't do any of the planned activities since waters were too choppy for the boat cause of winds. But that's obviously not in crew's control. However, given that it was windy, these guys could have honestly told the situation and given the option of partial/full refund. That would have saved our day. Instead, they decided to start. When they realized (in 30 mins) that they can't reach the planned destination, they parked the boat a few miles away from the starting point along the north shore and asked the tourists to get down on a small, dirty beach. After that, they put us get onto a glass bottom boat (available very cheaply compared to the cruise) to do snorkeling in cloudy lagoon waters (could hardly see anything). All in all, this trip turned out to be a big disappointment.

Amazing trip

On previous holidays we have had mixed experiences with this sort of trip however this catamaran trip was fantastic. The crew were polite, friendly and attentive. We shared the boat with 8 other people ( and a baby), different nationalities but by the end of the day we were all friends as we had shared such a great experience. The absolute standout was the food. A bbq cooked on the boat but one of the best meals we had all week ( and we have eaten well!)

Great cruise to paradisiac islands

The cruise was smooth and crew very nice ! The islands are beautiful with crystal clear water. BBQ and food was great, lots of beverages to drink. Alexandre and Yohan gave us good information about the islands, we were able to stop at Gunner’s Quoin to do some snorkeling and see plenty of fishes !

Islands of an island

The crew (2) was really exceptional. The members on board were friendly and it was a good experience

Great views and snorkeling spots

Great adventure! I don’t regret choosing this trip over the Ile aux Cerfs at all. The northern islands are amazing. You can find some really good snorkeling spots. For this activity I recommend the Flat Island - just walk a little along the beach :) Highly recommending the trip itself and the company!

Lovely cruise

Wonderful organisation, not too full with only 6 guests. Delicious food, friendly skippers, nice spots for snorkeling. Only on Flat island a bit too crowded. Too many boats, too loud for the animals living there. Beware your nature.

Another good Tour by Eco Holidays

Went for the Catamaran cruise to ilot Gabriel and Flat Island with my wife on February 14, 2020. Tour organized by Eco Holidays. We were picked up from our hotel at Le Meridien ile Maurice at 8.15am by Rajan to the Grand Baie Beach area to board the Catamaran. Eco Holidays personnel and safety conscious boat crew members were professional. Good music on board, drinks and Delicious BBQ on Flat Island. We had enough time to swim in the beach and relax on both islands. It was money well spent. Kudos to Eco Holidays

The colors, the turtles the dolphins

Money well spent. Well organized trip all way to Gabriel island. Snorkeling equipment was provided by the crew. If you want to see turtles, head further away to the back of the beach where there are rocks and a bit deeper water. On our way back from Gunner's Quoin, a pack of dolphins came to swim with our catamaran.

Great visit! pleasant, professional, attentive team made trip truly special

Team paid attention to the little details from the first minute, and as advertised with hospitality and agenda. Couldn't recommend more! Great trip and team

Wonderful trip

What a wonderful day trip this luxury cruise was. The crew were really attentive to all our needs, the atmosphere was chilled, the food and drinks all good and in constant supply. The different islands and the snorkelling trips were stunning. We enjoyed our day so much we booked a trip swimming with turtles the next day with the same company and crew which was an equally good trip.

Relaxing day out

Wonderful sailing day out. Left the departure point at 10am and set off. Took a leisurely sail past Coin de Mire and headed off to Flat Island where reached via dinghy from the catamaran. Spent some time on Flat island sunbathing, some went snorkeling until the crew came to collect us back to the catamaran for lunch. Lunch was a barbecue with chicken, marking and sausages with rice, pasta/potatoes and salad. Delicious, although be warned that most boat excursion companies do the same lunch menu so if you have a couple of sailing trips planned, you will be facing a very similar lunch menu for a few days. After lunch we sent off to the lagoons around Coin de Mire for more snorkelling. The crew attract the fish by throwing bread and there were so many varieties of fishes coming and loads to see underwater. There was also a free flow of drinks , soft and alcoholic throughout the day. The crew was so accommodating and tend to the guests' every needs. If you are staying at the Coin de Mire Attitude hotel, this company has a desk inside the hotel where you can book directly. We stayed with another hotel and booked via Viator.

Carpe Diem

What an amazing day it was. I was hesitant to book this trip because boat rides are not always easy for me. This trip was a highlight of our vacation for me and my husband! I couldn't be more happy with service guys provided for us. They are very polite- making sure we had rum and coke in our hands always:) The islands are just a heaven on Earth! I mean it. I've been to Zanzibar and Bali and Ilot Gabriel is just breathtakingly beautiful place. The catamaran is new and stunning! What a boat! Lunch was very delicious. The sea was quite rough on the day we traveled as it was August(winter sea)so I got little seasick so if you are prone to sea-sickness- take Dramamine with you- its also good to seat in front of the boat. We've met 3 amazing couples on this trip and went even to a bar in Grand Baie afterwards so it was a pleasure to have other people on board too. Book this with no hesitation!

Amazing day out, great crew and gorgeous views!

What an experience! The weather was amazing, crew was super friendly and helpful. We got to swim and snorkel off the shores of Gabriel Island while a fabulous BBQ lunch was being prepared for us on the boat. Ended the day off with an incredible snorkeling experience in the deeper waters near Flat Island. Definitely a day to remember!

Awesome day with wonderful crew

Thoroughly enjoyed our day spent out on the catamaran, great weather, lovely bbq and competent, helpful and amusing crew. We were well entertained. Highly recommended.

The Best crew ! Thanks!!

The most memorable day !the best crew and facilities .warlmy recommended! From the beginning till the end I can say that ..amazing everything!

Great day super staff saw lots of Dolphins

My wife and I just got back from our day cruise, we had a brilliant day thanks Marcel and his crew. Unfortunately there was clerical error with our booking so we weren’t on his passenger list, despite paying up front before we left the UK. This was soon rectified by Marcel and we had a great day saw lots of dolphins, visited two nice islands and enjoyed Snorkeling. Definitely a must do in Mauritius

Fantastic experience

Brilliant cruise with friendly staff. Number of participants on the boat was very well suited to the capacity.

Amazing crew

I had my foot broken and the skipper carried me from boat to boat... so I could still enjoy the trip. Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it. Best trip even tho I couldn’t walk.

Amazing trip to Flat and Gabriel island!

Amazing day! Especially thanks to the crew members for making this day special. They spotted and showed us dolphins and sea turtles and all the trip they were very helpfull.

Trip to Northern Islands

This was the best day of our holiday. An amazing day out with great snorkelling and great food. Highly recommended

Stunning, amazing, fun trip to Gabriel Island

We left Grand Baie at 10:00am, the seas was calm on our crossing to Gabriel Island the captain and crew of the Catamaran were fun, attentive and excellent hosts. Drinks were served on board; Arrived snorkeling equipment is given out, the swimming and snorkeling experience at this island is unforgettable. The same crew served us an board braaied luncheon of various meats, salads, sweets. Around 3pm we crossed back to Grand Baie. This is a trip worth experiencing when you are in Mauritius, put this on your bucket list.

Absolutely recommend!

What an amazing day out. We took the day trip to flat island on 11th December 2018. From the moment we arrived, the staff were so friendly and welcoming. The snorkelling was amazing and after that we had lunch on the boat by flat island. The food was amazing. Really tasty barbecue with drinks and some great guitar playing from one of the guys. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Don't forget the sun block!

This is for young and old. 9:30 yoou meet at Grande Baie, from here you hand in your shoes (make sure it is in the right container for the right catamaran - if you do make a mistake you will have to wait for the others to come back to return your shoes) You have a barman on board and offers you drinks, from local beer pheonix to rum and coke... they have wine and most things on board, then you are set out to the island. We went to Gabriel which looks close, but took a good 1h30min to get to. There is a toilet abord, so that was a ton of fun helping our 10yr old down stairs in choppy sea after a drink. But all good humoured and lovely like minded people with us onboard. They played some music, quiet a mix of old school 90s and some local music with some French songs in between. Was very enjoyable esp when the water got a little more rough when we got closer to flat island. Good view of the cliff, then another 4omin or so further out to Gabriel. The catamaran drops anchor and you are escourted onto the rubber dingy, they speed you off to the beach and here you get to walk around for an hour on an island. No one lives on this island, but there is young boys renting out umbrella and loungers for t"the day"... knowing full well you are there for an hour! So I was given 2 seats and the umbrella for Rs600, they asked for Rs800, which is pretty pricey for an hour. But it was pretty hot and having a child with me I wanted the shade. you can carry a bag with you so if you have some sort of pop up shade, that would be good to carry along. This was a lovely place to snorkle, there were turtles around, apparently 6 turtles live around there and are seen often. My family were very surprised and excited to have swam along side a wild turtle. Who was not too fussed with them being near by. when the hour is up, the rubber dingy comes back to the shore to collect you, here you are taken back to the catamaran and served a bbq. Salads and a rice dish await, with fish, susage and chicken done on the bbbq. More drinks are served and if you are a good swimmer you can jump over board and do some more snokling. They washed the dinner plates on board and I had mixed feelings about them throwing the chicken bones over board... but the fish were waiting, they were hanging around the guy washing dishes... they knew what was coming. Never seen little tropical fish swarm a bone like a pack of paranahs. I thought about how many birds end up in the ocean and decided it was far better than them getting fed bread. There was no liter and no garbage in the water, you could see that the staff had a healthy respect and a love for their environment and made certin no serviettes or plastic fell in the water. From here it was an 90min trip back to Grande Baie, we saw flying fish a plenty and were honoured by some dolphins, to my 10yr olds delight. Apparently you rarely see dolphins on the trip to Gabriel Island, dolphins are normally around Tamrin area. We used the Calypso catamaran and we booked via the tour company next door to the Perebeyre hotel. Across from pereybere beach. Great guys, even escorted us to the pier. The tour companies all are comissioned out to the catamaran companies that leave at the same time. So you end up in the same place, so shop around and get the best price between the companies. One of my photos has the calypso catamaran guys t-hirt with their contact numer. A definite must do.

Day cruise to Coin de Mire then Gabriel’s Isle

We did the day cruise to Coin de Mire with BBQ at Gabriel’s Isle. Very nice day. We decides to go for the low capacity catamaran thus we were only 14 passengers. Great boat, wonderful crew. Lunch was very good and tasty. We spent 45 minutes snorkeling at Coin de Mire then headed to Gabriel’s Isle for a lunch on the boat. Then we had 45 minutes on the Isle. Coin de Mire was a beautiful snorkeling spot, almost nobody there. At the Isle, there was 15 other catamarans unfortunately but nevertheless, it was a really nice day. We would have appreciate to get more time in Coin de Mire and the Isle...

Very nice experience!

We went to Ilot Gabriel and Flat Island with a big catamaran. Despite the big waves on the sea we enjoyed our trip and on the return we could even see some whales. It’s a 1h30min trip from Grand Baie and arriving they let us on Flat Island for about 2 hours. Then we returned and had a good lunch with sausages and chicken and a couple of things. The only problem was the fact that they didn’t allowed us to pay in cash (because of the credit card rates and taxes) and we had to pay with credit card.

Catamaran cruise to Gabriel Island Mauritius

We had a full day catamaran cruise to Gabriel Island Mauritius. The boat started from Grand Bay jetty at about 9 am and took around 1 and half hours to get to the island. It was an experience in the choppy sea with water splashing about. The toilet was rather illequpped on the lower deck. But the beer and local rum was very good. On route we was this gigantic whale-like island. We reached the usland and were ferried to the prestine beach with white sands. The waters in the cove were a wondetful ultramarine blue. Calm and peaceful. I could swim upto half a kliometer into the sea. Enjoyed swimming for a hour. Lolled on the beach chairs for half an hour . Took some pictures. Then had a couple of beers and felt in heaven. The food was basic but the good part was that it was not only sea food but vegetarians also had options. Nice food. The island the beach and the catamaran ride are a must must.

Cancelled without notice!

This was the MOST DISAPPOINTING part of our recent trip to Mauritius. We had booked a full day cruise well in advance and we reached the pick up point on schedule on given day only to find out that we WERE NOT GOING TO BE PICKED UP because no boat arrived. We were not informed on email or by phone. When we called Catamaran Cruise, Priscilla simply apologised saying that they are full and will give us a refund. They had absolutely no regret of any kind and did not offer any other activity for that day in order to compensate. We were travelling with elderly parents who are not likely to go back to Mauritius again. I certainly DO NOT recommend them because of their unprofessional attitude.