Full-Day Mauritius Volcanic Wonders Tour Including Swimming with Wild Dolphins

Excellent

Great value for money and a fantastic way to see some of the main sites on the island! The dolphins were amazing even though we couldn't swim with them due to poor weather conditions and visibility.

Not respectfull for dolphins

I was very disapointed the dolphins expérience, so NOT respectfull of the animals. Arounf 30 boats, angine on, chassing dolphins during 1 h in à small area. It was also dangerous for the swimmers.

Mostly a good day but not the dolphin section

Most of the day was fabulous- we had a private taxi to escort us between locations who was fairly knowledgeable on the local area. We specifically enjoyed the Seven Coloured Earth, home to the coldest ice cream in the world and giant tortoises. The snorkelling was very enjoyable however the beginning of the trip observing 2 pods of dolphin (we were recommended not to actually get into the water due to poor visibility) we found to be borderline unethical and cruel. This was because there were over 50 boats chasing the dolphins in a lagoon where the dolphins were trying to protect their young. It made us uncomfortable.

Excellent full day outing

The swimming with dolphins exceeded our expectations. The water is clear, calm and warm - so even the weaker swimmers are comfortable to get in. We had a bonus on the day as we saw two whales on top the dolphins. Rest of the tour was restful with lots of stops at wonderful viewpoints. The seven coloured earth is an experience - even after some rain we found the colours striking.

Awful

Awful experience today, we waited an hour for a boat and kept being told to wait whilst others boarded. If it wasn’t for our taxi driver we wouldn’t have been able to go at all. Didn’t get to see the dolphins due to poor visibility in the water. It took 40 minutes to reach the dolphins which meant we were then only able to visit Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark as we didn’t have enough time.

Great way to see all that Mauritius has to offer in one day!

Fantastic tour of island by Lawrence..excellent guide..very knowledgeable .went above and beyond to make the day enjoyable and make the most of making it interesting and memorable. Visit to Grand Bassin amazing. Early start was definitely worthwhile to see and swim with dolphins (730am) as apparently can get extremely busy with lots of likeminded tourists later in day! National Park beautiful..giant tortoises so adorable..coloured earth so unusual. Thoroughly recommend this trip to catch a glimpse of all the island has to offer. Bonus that tour was individual so could be flexible with time spent at each attraction.

Breathtaking views and 5* guides

The views were incredible and a must see if coming to Mauritius, our tour guide was amazing 5* and made the trip more special.

Great full day tour

This was a great tour, the only reason I scored it a 4 star is because of the weather (high winds) that affected the snorkel and wild dolphin part of the tour other than that it was a great full day tour of the sights mentioned. Our tour guide picked us up at our hotel and was a wealth of knowledge about the island and its people. Totally worth it.

Dolphins portion was brilliant but the rest was disapointing

The tour was odd. I was picked up by a taxi on the morning of the tour which took me around to various locations. Other than the swimming with wild dolphins portion which was the first activity of the day the rest of the tour consisted of just myself and the taxi driver. None of the other passengers on the boat were on the same 'tour' as I was. I made the best of it but the expectation of a guided tour with planned hikes etc which I had in my mind was not the reality on the day. For much of the day I was wondering what exactly was going on.

A really great day out!

We were picked up early in the morning and driven straight to the dolphin’s experience, the time out on the boat was great, and we did see a couple of dolphins, but there were so many boats and people doing the same thing, following the dolphins that it was hard to get a clear view and we didn’t want to jump in with them as we felt it was unfair on the dolphins, it was great so observe them from afar though. The rest of the day was great, we visited so many different things, the chamarel 7 colours was beautiful as were the giant tortoises. Our driver was really helpful and he took us to a Mauritian restaurant as we had some time for lunch and we wanted something authentic. It didn’t disappoint. I recommend this trip, as it was a good experience and day out.

A really great day out!

A truly memorable experience! The dolphin swim was a real experience although it is quite intense jumping in and out of the water. The snorkelling that followed at the coral reef was stunning and much more relaxing. You are literally surrounded by hundreds of beautiful fish. Then the visiting the sites was good as well. Dave our driver was brilliant we visited 23 colour earth which was incredible with waterfalls, beautiful sites and the amazing volcanic earth, a volcano, a Hindu temple, a model shipbuilders and then a couple of shops that do rum and tea tasting. The shops that do the tasting and the shipbuilders are a bit of a tourist trap trying to sell you various touristy items but other than that it was a really magical day.

Wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy

This was by far the worst trip we have ever been on in our lives. The volcano didn't even exist or if it did it must've been invisible. They were chasing the dolphins round making it very uncomfortable to watch for them to hurry you in and not see them. It was a very long day stopping at places we didn't want to see in the end up we told the driver to take us back to hotel this trip is a waste of time not enjoyable at all very disappointing to what they say your going to see don't waste your money.

Magical experience

Our driver was friendly, kind and very informative, we actually swam with wild dolphins- hundreds of them on Christmas eve, What more can i say! Magical !

Still worth it through rain!

Swimming with the dolphins was so fun! Our driver was very professional. It was raining the later half of the excursion but still worth it!

Enjoyed all but the boating activities

Our driver was fantastic. The swim with the dolphins disappointing. We saw dolphins, but that’s all. We saw a whale and spent too much time chasing the poor thing. The boat captain did not have enough snorkeling equipment, give instructions, or have enough life jackets. The ocean swim was difficult

Natural beauty & dolphin “chasing”

Firstly, I want to say a massive thank you to Kesaven, who was our guide/driver for the day. He was super friendly, helpful, knowledgeable & we were in good hands. To start with I would recommend this trip. We had a chance of experiencing the amazing natural beauty of Mauritius, specifically around the centre of & south of the island. We were genuinely awe struck by the beauty & the natural sights alone would’ve been worth the price. To add to this we also visited Grand Bassin & the Hindu temple. This was amazing & we as non Hindu’s felt welcome, as well as receiving a blessing. For lunch we were taken to Ebony Table D'Hote, where the staff were like Kesaven, friendly & welcoming with great food, somewhere I’d recommend for sure. Now for the drawbacks. Seeing & swimming with the dolphins was truly amazing. However, being 1 of I’d say 15-20 other boats with roughly 6-20 per boat did take away from the experience. We also felt that we were more chasing the dolphins, which we worried may’ve been distressing for the pod. I think sadly this is the only way to see the dolphins. In a way the second stop we did to see some coral was nicer in that it was only our boat there & felt less hectic. Furthermore, we were also taken to a duty free shop & a model ship builders shop. Would happily have not gone to either, but that’s more our personal preference. I would recommend this trip & hope you drop lucky with Kesaven as your guide.

Good, but a little disorganised.

The tour started ok, but did not appear to be well organised. We nearly did not get to go on the Dolphin swim, and had to ask the boat skipper if we could go, rather than having this worked out in advance. The tour part was good and the guide was nice.

Exceptional experience in Mauritius

It was amazing … we got to see so many dolphins .. and the city tour was equally exceptional… thanks to our driver he explained to us everything and showed us around . We will be going back with a bag full of memories and would surely recommend viator to our family and friends

Great experience

Very nice trip but it was raining so we couldn't enjoy the dolphins so much. If it wasn't raining everything would be perfect

Great trip, lovely people, stunning island

A great trip seeing the sights of Mauritius, with our own driver so could spend as little or much time as possible. Started off swimming with dolphins, visited a temple, dormant volcano crater, national park and coloured sands

Mixed feelings, beautiful tourist trap

This tour left us with mixed feelings. On the bad side: - The guide could hardly speak English. - The snorkeling part of the boat trip did not take place. - The delfin encounter was really a hunt, done by 10 or so speed boats. Once dolphins were spotted, people were told to jump into the water and swim fast in the direction of the fleeing dolphins. This procedure with people swimming between boats and far from their own boat on open water seemed very hazardous. No safety instructions given or questions about abilities were asked. - The driver/guide took us to tourist traps. The dinner was at a very pricy but equally unhygienic resturant. After the planned part of the tour next (unplanned) stop was at the "Diamond factory", then the "model boat factory" .. until we ordered us driven back to the hotel. - The trip was quite expensive - more than 200 euro for us two. Meals and entry fees excluded. The good part: We saw many beautiful sights during the drive. We actually saw dolphins. The driver was friendly enough, but his guiding/language skills low. We would use another vendor.

Amazing experience!

An excellent experience that met and surpassed our expectations. Our driver, San, was fantastic and passed on a wealth of information about the island, its culture and all sorts of other knowledge. A brilliant day from beginning to end.

Good day but...

The day started off extremely early but we were ready for it, what we weren't ready for was the intense sea sickness I experienced on the boat to see the dolphins, the crew did not have water to st least assist me with my illness. Once we got back from the boat our guide Sam was so thoughtful, concerned and helpful I don't have words he brought me coke and sweets to try help me get rid of my motion sickness. For the rest of the day he continued to check on me. If I didn't feel this horrible I would have given a full 5 stars. I suggest putting a warning that weather conditions can cause extreme motion sickness. Please note I have been snokerling before but not here with these kind of waves/swells so it was very unexpected. I would do this trip again but avoid the boat. Thank you Sam for salvaging our day for us, your kindness and assistance is truly outstanding

long day but worth it

What a day. Swimming with the dolphins you need to be a good swimmer and quick those guys move quickly and all the boats are trying to do the same thing get you in front of the dolphins so doesnt work for all. Then we had a private car for the remainder of the day and brought us to all the tours in the south. We dont usually do these tours but we loved it and wasnt too much walking as the driver drops you near all the spots.

Great full-on tour on a nice day

The 3 of us were picked up at our hotel on the East coast by a friendly taxi driver-guide. Swimming with the dolphins was very special and worth the very early start. However, we found ourself uncomfortable as at some point we were around 20 boats following and circling the poor animals. Unfortunately, weather changed after and we did the rest of the tour under tropical rain. So, Chamarel 7 colours earth were a little dull and we barely saw Alexandra waterfall. Grand Basin Hindu temple setting was impressive. Would highly recommend this full on day with a nice weather for energetic ones. Very good to discover Mauritius natural wonders with a little of culture.

Amazing day.

We had our driver San pick us up at our hotel and give my wife flowers for her birthday, which was very kind of him. He is also a very nice man and was really good to us. The whole day was great we enjoyed every moment of it we got to see alot of Marutuis in a short time and we were very happy. We would like to visit some of these sites and spend more time in the future.

An amazing day

Wonderful day exploring some amazing places. Our driver and guide was exceptional from start to finish and allowed us as much time as we needed at each stop. Dolphins were plentiful and a joy to watch in their natural habitat. A truly remarkable day

Terribly heartbreaking.

This was the worst experience of my life, 16 people crammed onto a small speed boat, going out with 15 other speed boats that had maximum of 6 people, chasing the pod of dolphins and splitting the pod up, the dolphins had come to the spot to feed. There were babies within the pod which were trying to keep up. 4 people out of our boat were allowed in the water at a time, all the other boats everyone got into the sea, the people on our boat had to sit on the side of the boat and jump in as quickly as possible and then they chased the dolphins, 4 minutes later they were called back so the boat could chase after the dolphins again. Next 4 people had to quickly jump in and this was repeated several times. My friend and I refused to jump in as we were terribly disturbed by what we are seeing. When the pod finally went away the boats left. We were then taken to a supposedly coral reef, I went in with my snorkel and only saw rocks and a few fish. The speedboat only had one small rail high up in the boat of which I could not get my leg up to due to a spinal disability, I had to go to the side of the boat of which the 16 people had to stand on the same side, to make the boat lower into the water, I was then unceremoniously dragged onto the boat like a seal. The trip should have been 2 and a half hours swimming with dolphins, snorkelling over a coral reef and going to the volcano after the dolphin experience. Due to being dragged onto the boat the guys pulled at my arms which has made my spinal condition painful. We were told by our taxi driver that we would see the sites we had seen on a day out before this trip. So we went back to the hotel. This was absolutely the worst experience of my life but I should think it’s worst for the poor dolphins and their babies. Plus they were trying to feed so the 15 boats chasing them was heartbreaking to see. My friend and I came away severally upset at what we saw.

custom made tour

Pracash is a very gentle and flexible driver. We rearranged the stops to lunch at Splendid spotview of restaurant chamarel, we had booked ahead. 7 coloured earth is not interesting, but we had a interesting tea Factory visit at bois cheri The swim with the Dolphins needs swimming talents we did not have, but we could see them. It is also a nice seaview opportunity.

Poor Dolphins

Would not recommend the swimming with Dolphins part. There were about 15-20 speedboats chasing these poor group of Dolphins. Felt like a criminal, but the rest of the trip was great.

Little bit of paradise

Swimming with dolphins and the Coloured earth ,and the volcano views. We had an amazing attentive and knowledgeable guide

A great way to See Mauritius

I’d say this is definitely the best way to see all the sites in one day of this particular area of Mauritius. We had a fantastic day. Right from booking this trip info was easy to follow and kept up to date about pickup times and drivers details. We were picked up promptly by our driver Satya who throughout are trip was accommodating and couldn’t be more helpful, with lots of interesting facts on various places we passed while on our journey. Though your driver does not accompany you on your tour of the various sites I think there was enough info ( mostly) at each stop for you to read about. If like us you wanted to fit a whistle stop tour of the best sites in the area this is for you. However if you’d rather spend a few hours at each point you of interest then this might not be for you.

Just a great day

Just a great day. Basically You get a private driver that drives You to 5 of the most interesting spots of the souther part of Mauritius. The swimming with the dolphins is wonderful. We swam with at least 15 animals. You need to be a rather good swimmer, tough. They try to spot a group of dolphins from the boat, drive near by and them You need to quickly jump into the water and swim towards them before they leave. We loved it. Snorkeling gear was provided but I would rather bring my own next time. Also the other stops at Black River Gorge, Chamarel waterfall and coloured sand were exceptional.

Worthwhile day out

Satya picked us up very prompt at 5:45 and took us to the beach where we met our boat to go swim with dolphins. He showed us where to change and his car was very clean and spacious. The dolphins were great. Plenty of them and can get into the sea with them. Snorkel and mask provided. Unfortunately the water was not very clear due to all the torrential rain the previous day so we could not do the snorkelling but could still see the dolphins. The boat also had music on which was great fun. Satya was waiting for us when we got off the boat and changed and proceeded with the trip. We went to Chamarel red rocks which was great and showed us where to go. He was also very helpful in where to get water. He stopped off on route for other points of interest, the volcano, which we sadly couldnt see due to early morning mist and view points of the land which is a great photo op. We then went to the black river gorges where there was another great waterfall and toilet opportunity. He then drove us to the temple. Satya was very friendly and polite and nothing was too much trouble for him. It was a great day out and was brought home promptly.

Great combination - land and sea.

Great day - loved swimming with dolphins. Better place to wash/change after swimming would be welcome. Recommend doing hike to the piton in the Ebony forest reserve (2 hours and need trainers). Driver very tolerant waiting at different sites.

Good day but not at fullest

First time in Mauritius and the first tour I have booked for 4 persons. Weather was against our full-Day tour so most of the places weren't enjoyable at fullest. Rain started during the Snorkeling near the coral reef. However, the part of swimming with dolphins was the best adventure from the whole package, for which I am giving the 4****. Leon and the boat keeper make the trip to be full of adrenaline for the whole group and we enjoy it. A lady from the group was feeling not well, so we had to return to the shore but after that we continued our journey in the open sea. Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark was seen part of it, because the the 8hrs program of our driver was finished and he told us he can not stay longer, so we had to make just a short visit and end up the tour. The visit to the handcrafts manufactures make only to lose time and shorting the other places for visit time. I would suggest to be included only at client request, otherwise is not worth it.

Fantastic Tour

I had an brilliant day out on the island. Our driver/guide was Kesaven, he gave us a fantastic tour, stopping at all the locations and giving us in-depth information on each one. He was very friendly, arrived on time and made for a brilliant day. This tour is well worth doing, the island is beautiful and seeing it's natural wonders first hand are memories that are well worth making.

Great experience for whole family

I was on the trip with two kids (8, 10) dolphins were amazing and the crew helped my daughter when she wanted to return to the boat earlier. They made an effort that we have a great time. Only the communication struggled, zero instruction or information about what are we going to do, how etc. The rest of the trip was awesome as well, our driver was very patient, we could take as much time as we wanted, we were even considering other activities and he didn’t have any problems with it, but in the end we didn’t do anything additional. He proposed other stuff, lunch, souvenirs but the decision was on us. When we wanted to buy drinks he took us to place. He was very kind and helpful. I can only recommend. We all liked it a lot!

enjoyable day traveling around the island

we enjoyed this tour; it was just me and my partner in a taxi being drove around. there were a lot of lovely places that we visited and got to see more of the island. the swimming with dolphins was more of a swim in the sea where the dolphins have just swum away from and there were lots of boats chasing them so was a little chaotic. there was lovely scenery though and lots of fish at the place for snorkelling. the driver was very good and was able to answer questions we had and told us information about the different areas. really enjoyed this trip it was at a nice, relaxed pace and being only the 2 of us was nice as we normally do group tours.

Perfect First Trip on Mauritius!

Perfect first trip on Mauritius. We‘ve booked our trip via Tripadvisor. Vincent from „Bonjour Mauritius“ contacted us via Whatsapp. It was so easy - he told us the pick up time and answered all questions we had about the upcoming trip. In the morning San - our driver and guid for the day - picked us directly from the hotel entrance. He had so much knowledge about Mauritius and answered every question we had! It was such a nice day and we are so happy to get to know such warm hearted people. Thank you „Bonjour Mauritius“ and a special greetings to „San Bhoodhoo“ À bientôt.

What an incredible experience!

This excursion covers all of the best spots. Plus, if you want to immerse yourself in serene nature and an animal experience, this is the perfect tour for you.

Great tour

Very good tour, Manog our guide made it even better. Would highly recommend to get the key sights of Mauritius under your belt.

Unforgettable!

We had the chance to visit Mauritius few months ago and we took this tour. Overall, It was a great experience, the driver was wonderful and very professional. He took us around providing informations and showing the main attractions. We visit beautiful and unforgettable places. Unfortunately the morning of our tour we couldn’t spot the dolphins, this was the sad part breaking completely my heart. We were there mostly for watching these fascinating creatures. The surprise arrived the same day in the evening when the company messaged me asking about the unfortunate experience. They offered us to retry for free the day after. We really thank them forever while the day after we were so lucky and we had the chance to swim and spend time with a huge and indescribable group of dolphins. A professional and human provider that I will recommend as primary choice for your vacation. Thanks!

Very disappointing

Swimming with dolphins was unfortunately not like expected. 20 boats circle around 2 dolphins and many people frantically jumping in the water. People were smoking on the boat. The trip afterwards was basically a driver dropping us of at places, telling us to go out and take a few pictures and come back. A tour? No.. We came back to the hotel (much earlier than expected also) with a big feeling of disappointment. Then to think it cost me more than € 250….

Amazing time

Great trip, thanks to our guide. Would really recommend. The people and area were so nice. I’m definitely coming back!

Terrible and not worth the money

This trip was all in all terrible and I would not recommend it. The dolphin part was relatively okay - you drive around with a speed boat and try to jump out of the boat close to wild dolphins, but you only have several attempts while you drive around for hours waiting for other people from your group to jump out of the boat (only 5 people at a time), so while it is relatively nice, you waste hours of your time watching other people try to get close to dolphins. The rest of the tour, however, was hell. And this was due to our driver/guide Jay, who was not guiding at all, barely speaking any English, the drive in the car was torture due to a bad smell. We had to endure hours of horrible smell in the car without any opportunity to escape (the open windows did not help). Moreover, at every stop Jay just showed us with a finger where to go, without guiding us or telling us anything about these places. The natural wonders of Mauritius are beautiful, but in this way we were not able to enjoy them or learn anything about them. When we asked him about the sights, to explain some things, he just said that we can read about them on the internet, that he is just a driver. So, this tour is really nothing to be recommended and it ruined our day. The price was high and the tour operator obviously has a deal with the restaurant where he drove us for lunch (we had no choice about the location, although we paid the lunch) and the prices in the restaurant were higher than in other similar places in Mauritius - this made us just feel being ripped off and taken advantage of. Terrible.

Disappointing

This excursion didn’t meet the expectations. The best part, which was swimming with dolphins, was compromised because of the lack of snorkeling equipment for everyone in the boat and the poor quality of the equipment available. Some of us had to swim without fins or tube, the life vests for the children were broken and we had to reuse tubes from other tourists in the group (totally against Covid measures!!!!). Apart from that, we did not like the fact that we were taken to a couple of shops (not part of the itinerary mentioned) and instead did not go to the Aquarium. The visit to the volcano was very disappointing and all in all the tour felt short of the expectations

I was expecting a tour...

I was expecting a tour with swimming in the sea and hike to the volcano as well as the black river gorge, all I got was a boat ride, with a horde of 40 odd boats chasing the dolphins, and a long car ride stopping at various places for 5-10 minutes

Disappointing

My wife and I have just returned from Mauritius for our honeymoon. Unfortunately, despite the previous mostly positive reviews I had read about this tour we were both disappointed with the overall result and would skip this if given the chance to do it all over. We were expecting something different and more tailored provided the price we had paid. I will note that the company was accommodating in changing the date of the tour when our schedule was shaping up different from what we had planned. Our driver was friendly and tried to cheer us up throughout the day but I think our disappointment on the first leg of the tour of swimming with the dolphins ruined the overall experience as a whole. Starting with the Dolphin Excursion upon arrival at where the boats leve, it seemed as though the "Captain" was allocating tourists at random on the various boats and had no idea which tourist belonged to which company. As another person mentioned in a different review The "swimming with the Dolphins" part was very underwhleming and in our case, we had 9-10 boats (about 70 people) chasing 5-6 dolphins. Further due to the weather my wife was extremely cold and was unable to swim at all and simply waited for my whilst I attempted to "swim" with the dolphins, which was essentially trying to jump whilst they passed by with the hope that the other boats/tourist dont scare them away. I'm not even going to comment whether this is ok for the dolphins or not. We spent about 1h wit the dolphins, as opposed to 2.5h as advertised but given the way this part unfolded we were glad it only lasted for 1h. After that we continued and briefly snorkeled at Tamarin and proceeded to the next part of the tour. Trou aux Cerfs should have been skipped altogether. There is literally nothing to see and not worth the drive. Similarly, we realised that we would then visit the Grand Bassin (we informed our driver that we did not want to go since we have seen much more impressive ones in other countries) Black River Gorges was also fine but nothing much to see either, likewise not worth the ride. Finally, we visited Chamarel as advertised which was quite interesting and we managed to see some wild turtles. The volcanic earth was something cool which could be seen. The waterfall was nothing special. Additionally, the Chamarel entrance fee should have been included in the overall price for the amount paid for this tour We couldnt wait for this tour to finish and thankfully we were back at our hotel by lunch time and managed to relax. This tour can be completed within 4-5 hours as the time allocated apart from Chamarel is unecessary excessive. Our driver seemed to be a nice guy overall I consider that his was a poor choice to spend one of our days in Mauritius and was definitely not worth the amount paid.

Not bad, Dolphin part was disappointing though.

I'll start with the Dolphin part of the trip. I feel as though there are too many boats around chasing the Dolphins. The water is not very clear so unless the Dolphins are at water level you can't really see much under water. You do see them dipping in and out of the water, but I wouldn't class it as 'swimming with Dolphins', more like jump in next to them and hope they stay long enough for you to get near. Unfortunately, because of the constant chasing from all the boats it kind of pushes the Dolphins away. Next stop was the Trou Aux Cerfs volcano. Was nice to see and there were some great views of South Mauritius to be seen, but you only need around 15 minutes to walk to the view point and take some photos of the crater below you in the dense forest. We visited Grand Bassin Hindu temple, which was a very nice experience. The statues were amazing and it was nice seeing all the monkeys around the lake stealing all the fruit. The Chamarel waterfall was really nice. There are some great view points for it. Make sure you walk up the steep stairs to get the top and best view of it. Chamarel seven coloured earth was OK. Good to see, but the colour of the rock is not as vibrant as you see in most of the photos. Luckily for us, the sun was shining very bright and it did colour the earth more than if the weather would've been dull. It's a good trip to experience some of the tourist spots of South Mauritius. Just be cautious of where you stop for lunch, as the restaurant we stopped at was very pricey! I feel they have 2 different menus. 1 for locals and 1 for tourists which is over priced.