Full-Day South Tour of Mauritius, ALL INCLUSIVE Day Trip, Private SUV Car, Guide

Southern Mauritius packs a lot into one day: a dormant volcano, colonial houses, tea fields, giant tortoises, ship models, sugar-country views, and a rum distillery. This private SUV tour links them without making you solve the island’s transport puzzle yourself.

I like the mix of nature and local industry, especially the tea factory and Saint Aubin distillery. I also like that lunch, entrance fees, bottled water, and private transport are included. The catch is pace: with nine stops and several long drives, some visits are brief, and the day can feel full.

Key things to know

• Trou aux Cerfs gives you a quick volcanic viewpoint over Curepipe and central Mauritius.
• Bois Cheri combines a tea-factory visit with lunch at a hilltop restaurant overlooking the plantation.
• La Vanille Nature Park includes giant tortoises, crocodiles, birds, deer, iguanas, an insectarium, and a dodo museum.
• Your private SUV keeps the day flexible and avoids sharing a vehicle with strangers.
• Saint Aubin adds a rum-factory visit and tasting, though alcoholic drinks are not included in the tour price.
• The $282.73 price is easiest to justify for couples or small groups who value private transport and bundled admission.

A busy day through southern Mauritius

This is a sightseeing day rather than a slow country outing. You start at 8:30 a.m. and spend roughly 6 to 9 hours moving between central and southern Mauritius.

The listed stops add up to nearly five hours before driving time. That matters. You will see a lot, but you will not have long, unhurried visits everywhere. The private format helps because you are not waiting for a large group, yet the route itself remains ambitious.

The tour begins around Trou d’Eau Douce, with pickup offered. Your vehicle is a clean, air-conditioned SUV, and bottled water is supplied. Since only your group participates, you can ask questions and discuss the day’s pace with your guide more easily than on a standard coach outing.

The tour team names Avi Gopaul and Jaya in its correspondence. Your booking confirmation should clarify who will lead your particular day.

Trou aux Cerfs and the view over Curepipe

The first stop is Trou aux Cerfs, a dormant volcanic crater in Curepipe. The crater is about 85 metres deep and 300 metres wide, though you mainly experience it as a green, open viewpoint with a walking path around the rim.

Allow about 35 minutes here. That is enough for a leisurely stroll, photographs, and a look across Curepipe. The site helps explain how volcanic activity shaped Mauritius millions of years ago, but this is not a long geology lesson. Its value is visual: you get a quick sense of the island’s volcanic origins and the height of the central plateau.

Bring a light layer if you are sensitive to cooler or breezier conditions. The stop is free, and the walking is modest, but comfortable shoes still make sense for the crater path.

Ship models, shopping, and a colonial home

Voiliers de l’Ocean is a short but unusual stop. Local artisans make detailed scale models of historical ships, galleons, and boats once used to carry goods to and from Mauritius.

You have about 25 minutes here. The models can be awkward souvenirs to carry, so the shop can arrange shipping if you buy one. That is a useful detail, especially if you are tempted by a large sailing ship and have only a small suitcase.

Next comes Curepipe, with around 30 minutes for shopping. The town offers boutiques selling items such as cashmere pashminas, garments, jewelry, and souvenirs. Duty-free shopping is available, so bring your passport if you plan to buy.

This is not a long market visit. You will have time to browse, but not to compare every shop in town. The appeal is a calmer shopping stop with local businesses and traditional products, not a major cultural tour.

Domaine des Aubineaux adds a different note. This colonial house was built in 1872 from teak and other local wood, including timber taken from demolished ships. Inside, you see antiques, furniture, and paintings dating to the 18th century.

The home was among the first on Mauritius to receive electricity. It was occupied by the Guimbeau family, who had French roots and had lived on the island for eight generations. The visit lasts about 25 minutes and gives you a compact look at plantation-era domestic life.

Tea country at Bois Cheri

The route then heads south from the central plateau toward Bois Cheri Tea Factory and Tea Museum. The drive is part of the appeal, with views across the tea-growing area and the changing countryside.

At the factory, you learn how tea leaves are picked and processed from plant to finished drink. The scheduled visit is 45 minutes, followed by a full hour at Le Bois Cheri Restaurant.

This is one of the strongest parts of the day because the stop connects farming, manufacturing, scenery, and food. You are not simply looking at tea fields. You see how the product moves from the plantation to the teapot, then taste tea while looking back across the growing area.

Lunch is included at the restaurant, along with a cup prepared by a tea sommelier. The meal is described as traditional, though the exact menu is not specified, so do not book this expecting a particular dish.

The restaurant’s hilltop setting makes lunch more than a practical fuel stop. You get time to sit down, enjoy the view, and slow the pace before the afternoon’s wildlife and rum stops. If you care most about scenery and local food production, this is likely to be your favorite section.

La Vanille Nature Park and its unusual residents

After lunch, the tour continues to La Vanille Nature Park. The park is set in a tropical rainforest and focuses on animals and island traditions.

The collection includes birds, deer, giant tortoises, Nile crocodiles, and iguana lizards. There is also an insectarium with 25,000 species and a museum devoted to the extinct flightless dodo.

The planned visit is only 30 minutes. That is the main limitation. La Vanille offers enough animal life and displays to fill much longer, so you will need to keep moving if the schedule is followed closely. If giant tortoises, reptiles, or insects are a major reason for booking, check with the guide about how much time is realistic on your date.

Still, even a short visit adds something the rest of the route does not. The morning centers on volcanic terrain, shopping, architecture, and tea. La Vanille brings living animals and natural specimens into the picture, making the day more varied.

A high bridge over the Savanne region

Senneville Agricultural Ltd is a brief photo stop lasting about 10 minutes. The bridge once served rail transport connected with sugar cane harvested in the Savanne region.

You get views toward a lake, rainforest, the southern coast, and the ocean beyond. The stop is free and mostly about the setting rather than a formal attraction.

Ten minutes is enough for photographs, but not for a long walk or detailed explanation. Keep your camera ready and listen for the guide’s directions, since this is a quick pause between larger visits.

Saint Aubin rum and the final taste of sugar culture

The last major stop is Rhumerie de Saint Aubin, a factory and distillery producing rum since 1819. The visit lasts about 35 minutes and includes admission.

The distillery’s white cane rum is made from fresh sugar cane. It received a silver medal at the London Spirit Competition in 2018, and the visit includes a chance to sample the products.

Alcohol is not included in the tour package, so budget separately if you want rum beyond what is offered as part of the visit. The supplied details specifically list alcoholic beverages as excluded, so ask your guide or the distillery what tasting arrangements apply on the day.

You can also stroll through the garden of the colonial house built at the start of the operation in 1819. This stop works well because it links agriculture, local manufacturing, colonial architecture, and a familiar Mauritian product. It is more grounded than simply stopping at a shop to buy a bottle.

What the private SUV changes

A private vehicle is the main comfort feature here. You have an air-conditioned SUV, bottled water, and a guide dedicated to your group. You also avoid the common frustration of collecting and dropping off people from several hotels.

The private format does not turn this into a slow, custom-designed day. There are still nine scheduled stops, and the route covers a large part of southern Mauritius. But it gives you more control than a shared excursion. You can ask for explanations, confirm how long remains at each stop, and make the most of short visits.

Pickup is offered, and the stated start time is 8:30 a.m. The exact pickup point should be confirmed when you book. The experience is suitable for most people, and service animals are allowed. It is also near public transportation, although the included SUV is the practical way to complete this route.

Is $282.73 per person good value?

At $282.73 per person, this is not a budget day trip. The price becomes easier to defend when you add up what is included: private SUV transport, guide service, bottled water, entry to Domaine des Aubineaux, Bois Cheri Tea Factory, La Vanille Nature Park, and Saint Aubin rum factory, plus lunch at Bois Cheri Restaurant.

You are paying for coverage and convenience as much as for admission tickets. Renting a vehicle, arranging a driver, finding each site, paying separate entry fees, and organizing lunch would take time and planning. The private group format also matters if you are traveling as a couple, family, or small party that does not want a shared bus.

The value is weaker if you prefer to spend half a day at one attraction or avoid commercial stops. Voiliers de l’Ocean, Curepipe shopping, and the rum distillery all have a buying element. They are relevant to Mauritian craft and production, but they may not suit you if shopping and tastings are not your priority.

For a group of several people, compare the total price with a private driver hired independently. For one or two people, the package can still make sense if you want the entrance fees and lunch handled in advance.

Who should book this day?

I would choose this tour if you have limited time in Mauritius and want a strong first look at the south. It suits you especially well if you like variety: landscapes, food, animals, architecture, crafts, and local drinks all appear in one route.

Families may appreciate the private vehicle and La Vanille’s animals. Shoppers will like Curepipe and the ship-model workshop. Anyone interested in tea production gets a proper factory visit and lunch at Bois Cheri rather than only a roadside photo stop.

I would hesitate if your ideal holiday day means lingering over lunch, taking long walks, or spending hours at one museum. The schedule is packed, and several stops last only 10 to 35 minutes.

The overall rating is 4.8 from six reviews, and the strongest praise centers on how much the day covers, including the tea plantation, rum factory and tasting, lunch, and broad views. That matches the tour’s main strength: it gives you a lot of Mauritius in a single private outing.

Practical booking advice

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Changes made within 24 hours are not accepted, and late cancellations are not refunded.

The tour requires good weather. If poor conditions force a cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund.

Wear shoes suitable for short walks and bring your passport if you want to use duty-free shopping in Curepipe. Keep in mind that alcohol is not included, even though the route visits a rum distillery.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want maximum variety with minimal planning. The combination of private transport, included admission, lunch, tea, wildlife, colonial buildings, and rum makes the price reasonable for the right kind of day.

Skip it if you want a slow, deeply focused visit to one region. This is a broad sampler, not a relaxed single-site tour. For most first-time visitors with only one day for southern Mauritius, the range of experiences makes the packed schedule worthwhile.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts at 8:30 a.m. in the Trou d’Eau Douce area, and pickup is offered. Confirm the exact pickup point when booking.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately 6 to 9 hours, depending on the day’s timing and travel between stops.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates, and transportation is provided in a private SUV.

What is included in the price?

The package includes private air-conditioned SUV transportation, bottled water, admission to Domaine des Aubineaux, Bois Cheri Tea Factory, La Vanille Nature Park, and Saint Aubin Rum Factory, plus lunch at Bois Cheri Restaurant.

Are alcoholic drinks included?

No. Alcoholic beverages are not included in the tour price.

Is lunch included?

Yes. Lunch at Le Bois Cheri Restaurant is included, along with tea prepared by a tea sommelier.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

If poor weather causes cancellation, you can choose another date or receive a full refund. For other cancellations, cancel at least 24 hours before the start time to receive a full refund.