Mauritius South Tour

Mauritius South Tour - Inclusions

• Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park
• Bois Cheri – Tea Plantation and Factory
• Saint Aubin House
• Grand Bassin (the sacred lake and Hindu temple)
• Mangal Mahadev – Shiva Statue
• The village of Gris - Gris and the Viewpoint
• Private transportation to all the attractions
• Entrance fees to all the sights (Crocodile Park, Bois Cheri and Saint Aubin)

• Start from your Hotel/Place of Accommodation at 08.30 A.M.
• Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park
• Bois Cheri – Tea Plantation and Factory
• Saint Aubin House
• Grand Bassin (the sacred lake and Hindu temple)
• Mangal Mahadev – Shiva Statue
• The village of Gris - Gris and the Viewpoint
• Drop off to your hotel/place of accommodation at 17:30

Route subject to change

About the Mauritius South Tour

Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park

Home to the second largest crocodilian and one of the largest tortoises in the world, Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park And Nature Reserve (La Vanille Nature Park) invites you to discover its unique park through its animal enclosures, lush and exotic vegetation, insectarium and museum. As part of your visit to the Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park, the park’s guides will lead you through some unforgettable walks - be amazed by the beautiful sceneries and the animal encounters.

Thousands of Nile crocodiles and giant tortoises are found in the park and you can watch them in maximum safety. Crocodiles are undoubtedly one of the scariest reptiles to exist and seeing them in front of you will be a moment you will never forget. Watch these predators that weigh about 750 kg laze under the sun or swim peacefully in the lake. The park features up to 5 enclosures for crocodiles, alligators and caimans. You will also have the opportunity to see the Giant Tortoises, and if you wish to feed them, a small fee is payable at the park. These Aldabra tortoises are the last surviving giant tortoise species that once inhabited the islands of the Indian ocean. They can grow to about 1.2m and weigh on average 250kg! Nearly 1,000 specimens populate the park and are part of the conservation program.

The Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park also offers a mini zoo and petting farm where you can find most of the Mauritian mammals and reptiles including skinks, phelsumas (geckos), bats, deer, monkeys, wild boars, as well as domestic livestock such as goats, fat-tailed sheep and donkeys.

A must see is the park’s rare collection of butterflies and other brightly-colored insects (with about 23 000 species), which is one of the most fascinating in the world.

Gris – Gris

The village of Gris-Gris is found at the Southern tip of Mauritius. The appeal of Gris Gris lies in its scenery, the high cliffs here drop abruptly to the sea and the bracing winds of the Indian Ocean blow all year round. Gris-Gris is well known for its sea cliff and this is definitely a sight worth seeing. This part of the island is not surrounded by coral reefs and this is why thick waves crash directly on the cliffs. At the southern end of Gris-Gris you will have a great viewpoint on the cliffs and will see the squashing of waves against the flanks of the cliffs.

Bois Chéri

Visit of Bois Chéri, the biggest tea producer in Mauritius. It is also the first tea plantation in Mauritius dates back to 1892. As part of the visit to Bois Cheri, you will enjoy a guided tour with a local guide leading you through the factory and the tea plantation, offering you to discover the history, stories and tales of Bois Chéri and the importance of tea productions in Mauritius.

After the guided tour of the tea factory, you will visit the tea production museum learning more about the history of tea in Mauritius. The Bois Chéri offers a great panoramic view of the south of the island. Nowadays Bois Chéri produces a new range of flavored teas, green teas and herbal teas. You may taste them during your visit.

Saint Aubin House

The Saint Aubin house was built in 1819. It has been home to several managers of the sugar estate, before being renovated in the 90's in order to preserve a part of the Mauritian heritage. Today one may still see the beams and ship poles used in its original construction.

You will also discover the vanilla plantation of the estate and the interesting transformation process of the vanilla orchid from the flower to the aromatic pod.

Grand Bassin (also known as Ganga Talao)

Grand Bassin is a lake situated 6km South East of Mare aux Vacoas in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about 1800 feet (550m) above sea level. Grand Bassin with its Hindu temple is a holy lake for Mauritians of Hindu faith. The lake rests in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is said that the water inside the lake communicates with the waters of the holy Ganges of India. The Hindus of Mauritius declared the Grand Bassin as a Holy lake. The Hindu community performs a pilgrimage every year on the Maha Shivarati (Shiva’s Great Night), on this day they honor the Lord Shiva. Beside the lake there is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and other Gods including Hanuman, Lakshmi, and others.

Mangal Mahadev – Shiva Statue

Beside Grand Bassin you will also get to see the statue of Lord Shiva. The statue is of 108 feet (33 meters) and is the highest known statue in Mauritius (and one of the 50 highest statues in the world). The sight of the Mangal Mahadev statue is quite impressive as it is beautiful and gigantic in size.

The restaurant Hungry Crocodile is located at La Vanille Nature Park in the south of the island. Surrounded by lush greenery, beautiful palm trees, the Hungry Crocodile restaurant offers an exotic range of Mauritian dishes, and is also the only place on the island where you will be able to taste crocodile meals. Many say that crocodile meat tastes like chicken, here’s the perfect place and moment to find out if it’s true or not.

Please note that the starting site for the day's itinerary depends on your place of accommodation, and the driver will brief you accordingly on the day of the trip.

• The tea factory at Le Domaine de Bois Chéri is operational from Monday to Saturday, from 09h00 to 10h30 during summer (mainly October to April) and on Wednesdays from 09h00 to 10h30 during the winter season.
• The Bois Chéri Tea Factory and La Maison du Rhum du Domaine de Saint Aubin are not fully operational on Sundays and Public Holidays. However, the visit of Le Musée du Domaine de Bois Chéri and La Maison du Rhum are possible.
• It is not advisable for toddlers to visit factories, and the management cannot be held responsible for any accidents.
• All guides and clients have access to the first floor of the factory only
• The visit can last for approximately 1 - 2 hours
• There is no guarantee of availability of seating at the restaurants.
• Entrance is free for babies and toddlers below 5 years old.

Transportation

The Transportation prices are Per Vehicle (and not per person). You can choose the vehicle type according to the number of passengers in your group.

The above transportation prices are per vehicle and not per person

Entry Tickets Packages (includes entry tickets to all the sights as part of this tour):

The prices of the entry tickets packages are special discounted prices.

Total Tour Price Per Person including Private Transportation and Entry Tickets to all the sights: