The 14 Best Black River Tours

1.Snorkeling w/Dolphins Boat Tour & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,635 reviews · 7 hours · from $115Our pick

Set out early from your Mauritius accommodation with a guide such as Yan, Alex, Lulu, or Kevin, then ride a speedboat from the west coast to see dolphins, snorkel near Crystal Rock, and enjoy a three-course BBQ on Île aux Bénitiers. Expect a full day of sun, sea, swimming, and some fast boat riding.

“Just a lovely day out. Slightly disconcerting as to how many boats were out around the dolphins and swimmers. Something that perhaps needs to be looked at.”

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2.Dolphin Swim and Whale Watching by Speedboat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 595 reviews · 5 hours · from $129

Set out from Grande Riviere Noire with two skippers and up to 14 passengers. After a wildlife briefing, swim with spinner and bottlenose dolphins, watch whales from the boat, and snorkel over a coral reef. Guides including Globis, Conrad, Alan, Ronaldo, and Fabio have been praised for calm, careful handling.

“The activity was brilliant. We were unlucky with the weather on the original day that we booked but the lovely representative helped us secure spaces on the following day and woke up at 5am to update us on the weather. The guides on the day were amazing. I am 6 months pregnant and they went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable throughout the trip amd enjoying myself. We saw whales and my husband swam with dolphins. I could not recommend this trip more highly, it is a brilliant day out and a great company.”

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3.Port Louis Market, Botanical Garden -Northern Mauritius Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 164 reviews · 9 hours

Spend nine hours with a private English or French-speaking guide, visiting Port Louis, Caudan Waterfront, Fort Adelaide, Pamplemousses Garden, Aventure du Sucre, northern beaches, Grand Baie, and the Red Church at Cap Malheureux. Guides such as Sameer, Kevin, and Vikash are praised for flexible timing and useful local insight.

“Sameer was a great guide, and the trip was very good! Highly recommend it”

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4.La Preneuse: Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling Speedboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 92 reviews · 2 hours · from $58

Meet your skipper at La Preneuse’s Martello Tower for a two-hour speedboat trip in search of wild dolphins. You may swim near them, then snorkel among reef fish, lionfish, stonefish, scorpionfish, and perhaps an octopus. Guides including Feliciano, Andy, and Miguel are praised for calm instruction and strong dolphin knowledge.

“The crew was really nice and we saw lots of dolohins and some whales.”

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5.Grande Riviere Noire: Boat Tour and Swimming with Dolphins

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 62 reviews · 2 hours · from $70

Meet The Friendly Dodo at La Balise in Grande Riviere Noire for an early two-hour boat trip along Mauritius’s west coast. Izel and the skipper look for spinner and bottlenose dolphins, explain how to approach them, and provide masks, fins, fruit, and water. The group is limited to eight people.

“GENIAL ! Un grand merci à Izel et son skipper pour leur gentillesse et leur professionnalisme. Très respectueux des dauphins contrairement à d’autres bateaux que nous avons pu voir, ils ont tout fait pour que chaque personne puisse profiter et voir au mieux les dauphins. Je recommande vivement ! Encore un grand merci !”

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6.West: Swim wz dolphins, Crystal Rock, Lunch Benitiers island

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 41 reviews · from $72

You’ll meet the beach team early, head into west Mauritius waters to look for dolphins, snorkel near Crystal Rock, then eat a simple Creole BBQ on Ile aux Bénitiers. Equipment, boat drinks, lunch, and island transport are included. Dolphin sightings are expected, but not guaranteed.

“Une merveilleuse croisière, les guides ont bien pris le temps pour qu’on puisse profiter de chaque moment (nage avec les dauphins, nage à proximité du Cristal Rock et temps libre sur l’île).”

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7.Southwest of Mauritius: Catamaran Cruise w/ Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 34 reviews · from $85

Meet at Le Morne Anglers Club in Black River for a six-and-a-half-hour catamaran cruise along Mauritius’ west coast. Look for spinner dolphins near Tamarin Bay, snorkel at L’Harmonie or La Preneuse, eat a grilled lunch with drinks, and spend time on Île aux Bénitiers.

“A perfect day! Very cozy, the crew was great, compared to the other boat tours that were around, this was the biggest boat with more than enough space for everyone. We'd book it again right away”

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8.Dolphins & Whales, Private Tour Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 21 reviews · 4 hours

Take a private four-hour speedboat trip off Mauritius with a skipper-guide, watching dolphins and whales, visiting Crystal Rock, and snorkeling in the natural aquarium. Ali and assistant Bebe have been praised for careful wildlife viewing, though sightings and drinks can vary.

“We saw both Dolphins and Whales, guide captain (Ali) was great.”

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9.Guided Kayak tour to Benitiers Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · 2h 30m · from $56Best value

You’ll kayak about 2.5 hours along Mauritius’s southwest coast with a guide such as Yudish, Yan, Gérémie, or Jérémie, stopping at Benitiers Island and Crystal Rock. Morning trips can offer sunrise and quiet water, while afternoon departures suit a later schedule. Basic kayaking fitness is essential.

“Superbe tour en kayak ! Yan était au top. Nous avons pu profiter du calme de l’île.”

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10.Dolphins & whale watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 17 reviews · 3 hours · from $129

Join The Friendly Dodo at La Balise Yacht Center for a dawn motorboat ride with up to eight people. You may swim with dolphins, watch sperm whales year-round or humpbacks from June to September, and snorkel if time allows. Roman is one named guide associated with this outing.

“Grundsätzlich war es eine echt super Erfahrung, trotz des Deutschen an Board 😅 (kleiner Scherz). Einzig, die Verpflegung könnte dem Preis mehr angemessen sein. Würde es aber jederzeit wieder machen ✌🏻👍🏻”

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11.Private Swim with Dolphins

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 2h 30m

Set out from Grande Rivière Noire on a private speedboat with an English- or French-speaking guide. Watch wild dolphins, swim only under safety guidance, then snorkel above a coral reef. The early 7 a.m. departure is the best bet for a calmer, more organized outing.

“Our family had an amazing experience swimming with the dolphins. The captain on the boat was excellent, he took us to multiple locations to give us the best possible chance to get amongst the dolphins. His final spot was excellent, pod of dolphins numbering about 25 /30, he put the boat in the desired position and told us when to go for it. We got really close to the dolphins with everyone experiencing being surrounded by the dolphins. The captains local knowledge was superb and I thought the price was excellent for a party of 8 people. To actually get right in amongst the dolphins was an amazing experience for…”

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12.Swim with Dolphins Full-Day with Lunch/Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 14 reviews · 8 hours · from $96

Meet at La Preneuse at 7:45 for breakfast, then follow Mauritius’ west coast by speedboat. Watch and swim with wild dolphins, snorkel at The Aquarium, enjoy a BBQ on Île aux Bénitiers, and stop at Crystal Rock. John and the other skippers provide safety gear and guidance in English or French.

“super activité, la nage avec les dauphines c'était super beau. l'île de bénitier c'est vraiment à faire on a passé un très bon moment. je recommande”

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13.Private Dolphin Encounter and Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 7 reviews · 5 hours

Set out from Grande Riviere Noire on a five-hour private speedboat trip for up to six people. Swim near dolphins, snorkel over a coral reef, then watch for humpback or sperm whales. English and French guides provide safety briefings, gear, water, and soft drinks.

“Two guides on the boat were very nice, but rules of company horrible (wearing life vest during swimming with dolphins) made us impossible to swim under water and take the pictures. We saw many people on other boats (other conpanies) and not wearing vests.”

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14.Private Catamaran Cruise & Gourmet Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 5 reviews · 6 hours

Spend six hours aboard an Oceane Cruises Mauritius catamaran from L'Estuaire Marina. You will watch for dolphins in Tamarin Bay, snorkel near La Preneuse, swim by Crystal Rock, enjoy a BBQ with unlimited drinks, then visit Île aux Bénitiers.

“Super journée bateau, l’équipage est super et la vue sublime !”

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