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

The most appealing thing about this private south Mauritius tour is its range. In one day, you move from a dormant volcano and colonial house to a tea factory, crocodiles, giant tortoises, sugar cane rum, and a high bridge with views toward the southern coast. It gives you a fast, varied introduction to the island’s interior and south.

I like the private SUV, since your group can travel in comfort without waiting for strangers or following a large coach. I also like that entry fees and lunch at Bois Cheri are included, which makes the $282.73 price easier to judge. The main drawback is the pace: nine stops in 6 to 9 hours leave little time for lingering, especially at La Vanille Nature Park and Curepipe.

Key points to know before booking

• Trou aux Cerfs starts the day with a volcanic crater and broad views over Curepipe.
• A private, air-conditioned SUV keeps the long cross-island route comfortable and personal.
• Bois Cheri combines tea production, a hilltop meal, tea service, and views over the plantation.
• La Vanille Nature Park brings you close to giant tortoises, crocodiles, birds, deer, and an insect collection.
• Domaine des Aubineaux and Saint Aubin add colonial architecture, antiques, sugar cane, and rum.
• The schedule is full, so this suits curious first-time visitors more than slow-paced sightseers.

A full day built around Mauritius’s south

Mauritius is easy to picture as a beach destination, but this route takes you inland and south, where volcanic ground, tea fields, sugar cane, old estates, and small towns tell a fuller story. You begin at about 8:30 a.m. and travel in a private SUV with air conditioning, bottled water, and a guide.

The day is not built around one blockbuster sight. Its appeal comes from the changing subjects. One hour you are looking into a volcanic crater, later you are watching model ships being made, and by afternoon you are examining crocodiles or tasting the products of a sugar estate.

That variety is useful if you have only one day to explore away from the coast. It also means you should set realistic expectations. Most stops last between 10 and 45 minutes, with one hour for lunch. You will see many places, but you will not have long, unhurried visits at all of them.

The private format matters here. A large group can make a stop like Curepipe feel mechanical, while a private guide can adjust the conversation to your interests. Avi Gopaul and Jaya are named among the hosts, and the personal nature of the tour is one of its strongest practical features.

Trou aux Cerfs: a volcanic beginning above Curepipe

Your first stop is Trou aux Cerfs, a dormant volcanic crater in Curepipe. The crater is about 300 metres wide and approximately 85 metres deep, though the visit is more about the setting and views than a demanding walk.

You have around 35 minutes for a stroll around the rim. From here, Curepipe spreads below, and the height gives you a useful sense of how volcanic activity shaped Mauritius millions of years ago. The crater is also a pleasant way to begin, since you can step out of the vehicle, stretch your legs, and get your bearings before the day’s indoor visits.

Do not expect a long geological tour or a strenuous hike. Admission is free, and the stop is short. Its value depends heavily on the weather and visibility. On a clear morning, the outlook is the point. In poor conditions, it becomes a brief look into a green volcanic hollow.

Model ships and Curepipe shopping

At Voiliers de l’Ocean, you spend about 25 minutes seeing handmade scale models of ships, galleons, and boats linked to Mauritius’s maritime past. The stop offers a different kind of local craft from the estates and museums later in the day.

The workmanship is the main attraction. These models can be difficult to pack, but the shop can arrange shipping for purchases. That makes this a practical souvenir stop if you want something more distinctive than a small gift-shop item, though you should remember that shipping costs are not stated as part of the tour price.

Curepipe follows with about 30 minutes of shopping. The town’s small boutiques sell items such as cashmere pashminas, clothing, jewellery, and souvenirs. The shopping atmosphere is described as calm, with no pushy sellers, which will appeal to you if you prefer browsing at your own pace.

Bring your passport if you plan to use duty-free shopping. Thirty minutes is enough for a quick look and perhaps a purchase, but not for a serious shopping session across town. If shopping is a priority, tell your guide early and ask how much flexibility the private format allows.

Domaine des Aubineaux and Mauritius’s colonial past

Domaine des Aubineaux gives the route a strong historical pause. The teak house was built in 1872, using local woods that included timber from demolished ships. Inside, you can see antiques, furniture, and paintings dating to the 18th century.

The house was one of the first in Mauritius to have electricity. It was occupied by the Guimbeau family, a French family established on the island for eight generations. Those details help you read the building as more than an attractive old residence. It reflects the island’s plantation economy, imported traditions, local materials, and long family connections.

You have about 25 minutes here. That is enough for an introduction, but not a slow study of every room or object. I would pay close attention to the construction and furnishings rather than treating this as another quick photo stop.

The visit also breaks up the shopping and driving. If you enjoy architecture and social history, this may be one of the day’s more rewarding stops. If historic houses leave you cold, it may feel brief and formal compared with the tea plantation and nature park.

Bois Cheri: tea production followed by lunch

Bois Cheri is the central food and agriculture stop. As you descend south from the central plateau, the views change, and you reach the tea plantation and factory. The visit explains the path from leaf to teapot, including the way tea leaves are picked and processed.

The factory visit lasts about 45 minutes. This is a good place to ask your guide or the tea specialist about the production stages, since the value of the stop lies in understanding how a familiar drink is made on the island.

Lunch takes place at Le Bois Cheri Restaurant, with about one hour set aside. The restaurant sits on a hill above the tea fields, and the setting is a major part of the experience. A tea sommelier prepares a cup while you look across the plantation.

Lunch is included, along with the tea factory entry. That improves the value of the tour, especially because you do not have to arrange a separate meal during a busy sightseeing day. The exact menu is not provided, so you should not book this expecting a named dish or a particular dietary offering.

The timing here is also worth noting. The tea factory and restaurant are listed as separate stops, but together they form one extended visit of roughly an hour and 45 minutes. This is probably the best chance during the tour to sit down, enjoy the setting, and slow the pace.

La Vanille Nature Park and its unusual residents

After lunch, you visit La Vanille Nature Park for about 30 minutes. The park is home to giant tortoises, Nile crocodiles, birds, deer, and iguana lizards. It also has an insectarium with 25,000 species and a museum devoted to the extinct dodo, Mauritius’s famous flightless bird.

This stop gives the tour a clear wildlife focus. The giant tortoises and crocodiles are likely to be the main draw, while the insect collection and dodo museum add context about the island’s native species and natural past.

Thirty minutes is a short visit for a place with several sections. You will need to keep moving if you want to see more than one animal area. The stop works best as an introduction rather than a full nature-park visit. If you have children or a strong interest in wildlife, you may wish the schedule allowed more time here.

The description presents the park as a place where older island traditions and tropical surroundings have been preserved. Still, keep your expectations practical: this is a scheduled sightseeing stop, not an extended wildlife program. The private vehicle gets you there efficiently, but the overall day does not leave much room for an unscheduled stay.

The Savanne bridge and a quick photo stop

Senneville Agricultural Ltd provides one of the shortest stops, just 10 minutes. The bridge was used for transporting sugar cane by train from plantations in the Savanne region.

The bridge is now mainly a viewpoint. From this high position, you can look toward a lake, rainforest, the southern coast, and the ocean beyond. It is a useful scenic pause after the more structured visits, and you may get a strong photo if the weather is clear.

Ten minutes is exactly what it sounds like: step out, take in the view, take photographs, and return to the SUV. Do not count on a walk or a long explanation at the site. Its purpose is a quick visual reminder of how sugar cane, rail transport, water, and the coast fit together in southern Mauritius.

Saint Aubin: sugar cane, colonial buildings, and rum

The final major stop is Rhumerie de Saint Aubin, a factory and distillery producing rum since 1819. The visit connects the drink to fresh sugar cane and to the long agricultural history of the estate.

You have around 35 minutes to visit the distillery, enjoy the garden, and see the colonial house built at the beginning of the estate’s operations. The white cane rum received a silver medal at the London Spirit Competition in 2018, a detail that gives you a useful point of reference when sampling the product.

There is an important price detail here. The Saint Aubin entry ticket is included, but alcoholic beverages are listed as excluded. Do not assume that every rum tasting, cocktail, or alcoholic drink is covered by the tour price. Ask your guide or the staff what carries an extra charge before ordering.

The garden and house make this more than a quick drink stop. You can see how rum production fits into the wider sugar industry, which also explains why tea, cane, old estates, and colonial buildings appear together on this route.

What the $282.73 price really covers

At $282.73 per person, this is not a budget sightseeing bus. The price makes more sense if you value privacy, convenience, and several included admissions rather than simply counting the number of hours.

You receive private SUV transportation, an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, entry to Domaine des Aubineaux, Bois Cheri Tea Factory, La Vanille Nature Park, and Saint Aubin Rum Factory. Lunch at Bois Cheri is also included. Those costs can add up, and the private vehicle saves you from arranging separate transport between widely scattered stops.

The value is strongest for a small group that wants a planned day without handling navigation, tickets, and restaurant arrangements. Group discounts are offered, so the per-person cost may be more attractive for a larger private party. The published price is per person, but the exact discount is not given.

The price is less compelling if you mainly want a relaxed day at one estate or a long visit to La Vanille. You are paying for breadth and ease. This is a route for seeing many sides of southern Mauritius, not for spending half a day at one location.

Timing, comfort, and the private format

The tour lasts approximately 6 to 9 hours, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The wide time range likely reflects traffic, pickup arrangements, weather, and how long your group spends at the stops. Since the listed visits add up to several hours before driving time, expect a substantial part of the day to pass on the road.

That is where the air-conditioned SUV earns its place. Mauritius’s south includes separated attractions, and a clean private vehicle is more comfortable than trying to connect them independently. Bottled water is supplied, which is a small but useful touch on a full day.

Pickup is offered, but the supplied information does not specify every pickup location. Confirm the meeting point and pickup details when booking. Service animals are allowed, and the tour is described as suitable for most participants. It is also near public transportation, though your actual sightseeing is done by private vehicle.

Weather matters. If poor weather forces cancellation, you can receive a full refund or move to another date. For the best views at Trou aux Cerfs and the bridge, clear conditions will make a real difference.

Who should book this south Mauritius tour?

I would recommend this tour to first-time visitors who want a broad look at the island beyond the beaches. It suits couples, families, and private groups who like mixing culture, food, history, shopping, animals, and scenery in one day.

It is also a good choice if you dislike large groups. You can ask questions directly, move through the vehicle day with people you know, and potentially discuss small timing changes with the guide.

You may want another type of outing if your priority is a slow visit, serious shopping, extended wildlife viewing, or a specialist tea experience. The schedule is ambitious, and several stops are short. At La Vanille, in particular, you may leave wanting more time.

Plan to carry your passport for duty-free purchases, and budget separately for alcoholic drinks. Wear something comfortable for walking around the crater, estates, gardens, and park. Keep some space in your luggage, or ask about shipping if you buy a large ship model.

Should you book it?

Book this private south tour if you want maximum variety in a single day and value having transport, admissions, water, and lunch arranged for you. Its strongest moments are the contrast between Trou aux Cerfs, Bois Cheri, La Vanille, and Saint Aubin, along with the comfort of a private SUV.

Skip it if you prefer fewer stops and more time at each one. The tour moves quickly, but that is also its purpose. For a first look at southern Mauritius, the combination of volcanic views, old houses, tea, wildlife, sugar cane, and rum gives you a useful and enjoyable introduction at a fairer value when shared with a group.

FAQ

What time does the tour start?

The stated start time is 8:30 a.m. The full experience lasts approximately 6 to 9 hours.

Is transportation private?

Yes. The tour includes private SUV transportation in a clean, air-conditioned vehicle, and only your group participates.

Is lunch included?

Yes. Lunch at Bois Cheri Restaurant is included, along with a visit to the tea factory. Bottled water is also provided.

Which entry tickets are included?

Entry is included for Domaine des Aubineaux, Bois Cheri Tea Factory, La Vanille Nature Park, and Saint Aubin Rum Factory.

Are alcoholic drinks included?

No. Alcoholic beverages are specifically excluded, so rum or other alcoholic drinks may require separate payment.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not refunded. If poor weather cancels the tour, you can choose another date or receive a full refund.