Wild South: Full-Day tour incl Rhumerie St Aubin, Bois cheri Tea factory & Lunch

The best part of this southern Mauritius day is the variety. In seven to eight hours, you move from a dormant volcanic crater and a sacred lake to rainforest viewpoints, crashing surf, a tea factory, and a colonial rum distillery. It is a full day, but it gives you a useful look at the island beyond its hotel beaches.

I like the private vehicle and hotel pickup, since you can start anywhere in Mauritius without arranging separate transport. I also like the mix of tea and rum tastings, which connects the scenery to two important local products. The main concern is time: there are eight planned stops, and one account reports that several scheduled sights were missed because the day felt rushed. Confirm the route with your guide at the start.

• Trou aux Cerfs sits inside a dormant volcanic crater at about 605 meters above sea level.
• Grand Bassin combines mountain scenery with an important Hindu pilgrimage site and a 33-meter statue of Lord Shiva.
• Alexandra Falls and Black River Gorges offer the strongest nature views on the route.
• Bois Chéri includes a factory visit, museum, plantation views, and tea tasting.
• Rhumerie St Aubin provides a guided look at rum production and a tasting session.
• A three-course halal lunch and non-alcoholic drinks are included, along with bottled water and round-trip transport.

A Full Southern Circuit From Trou aux Cerfs to St Aubin

This is not a beach day with one quick sightseeing stop. It is a broad tour of southern Mauritius, with several short visits linked by private road transport. The day begins at about 8:30 a.m. with pickup at your hotel or accommodation anywhere in Mauritius.

Your driver is also a certified private guide, and only your group takes part. That matters here. With eight stops, a private setup gives you a better chance to ask for extra time at a viewpoint or move on from a stop that interests you less.

The tour costs $143.72 per person. That is not a low-cost sightseeing outing, but the price includes transport, a guide, admission to the tea factory and rum distillery, tastings, lunch, and hotel pickup and drop-off. If you are traveling as a small group and would otherwise need a private car, separate admissions, meals, and a local guide, the package can make good sense.

The tradeoff is a packed schedule. The listed visits range from 20 minutes to one hour, and driving between them uses much of the day. You should expect a scenic sampler rather than long walks, extended hikes, or an in-depth visit at every site.

Trou aux Cerfs, Mauritius’ Dormant Volcano

Your first stop is Trou aux Cerfs, a dormant volcanic crater about 350 meters wide and roughly 100 meters deep. The crater rises to around 605 meters above sea level, giving you a fine early view across the surrounding area.

The setting is greener than the word volcano might suggest. Indigenous plants and large green pine trees grow around the crater, and the forest gives the site a calm feel. You have about 40 minutes here, enough for photographs and a quick look around.

This stop works well as an introduction to Mauritius because it explains the island’s volcanic origins without requiring a difficult walk. Do not expect an active crater, smoke, or dramatic lava formations. The appeal is the broad bowl, vegetation, and high position.

Mare aux Vacoas and the Quiet Reservoir Stop

Mare aux Vacoas is the largest reservoir on Mauritius, with a capacity of almost 26 million cubic meters. The stop lasts about 20 minutes, so think of it as a short scenic pause rather than a major attraction.

Thick forest surrounds the water, and the setting offers a quieter change from the more visited sites later in the day. I would use this stop to take a breath, photograph the reservoir, and listen to your guide’s explanation of its role on the island.

The viewpoint may not hold your attention for long if you prefer monuments or structured attractions. Still, this brief stop helps show how much of inland Mauritius is tied to forests and highland water sources.

Grand Bassin and the 33-Meter Shiva Statue

Grand Bassin, also called Ganga Talao, is one of the most meaningful stops on the route. The crater lake sits at roughly 550 meters above sea level, with a temple and smaller shrines along the shore.

The huge statue of Lord Shiva is the feature you notice first. At 33 meters high, it is the tallest known statue in Mauritius. The statue is peaceful rather than theatrical, and the surrounding religious site gives the visit a different tone from the waterfalls and coastal cliffs.

Plan for about an hour here. Use the time respectfully. Grand Bassin is a sacred Hindu site, not just a photo stop. Your guide can help explain the shrines and local religious importance, but you should still follow any instructions about where to walk and how to behave.

This is one of the places where a private guide adds real value. A quick solo visit might leave you with a few photographs and little context. With an informed guide, you can better understand why a crater lake in the mountains has become such an important place of worship.

Alexandra Falls and Black River Gorges Views

Alexandra Falls sits at around 700 meters above sea level and is one of the best-known nature stops in southern Mauritius. The visit lasts about 35 minutes, with a wooden platform providing a wider view.

You may see the waterfall from above, along with a sweeping view toward the southeast coast and its turquoise water. The stop is designed for scenery and photographs rather than a long walk. Wear shoes with good grip, as the tour specifically advises non-slippery footwear.

After Alexandra Falls, the route continues to a viewpoint in Black River Gorges National Park. The park covers almost 17,000 acres of hills, valleys, waterfalls, and native plant and animal life. You get around 30 minutes at the gorge viewpoint.

This is the part of the tour where you should keep your eyes open for local flora and fauna. The visit does not include a long forest hike, so you will not explore the park in depth. Still, the high viewpoint gives you a strong sense of the scale of the interior, with green slopes and a waterfall visible from the lookout.

Souvenir stalls line the path to the viewpoint. That may be useful if you want a small local purchase, though it can make the stop feel more commercial than the forest setting suggests.

Bois Chéri Tea Factory and the Mauritius Tea Route

Bois Chéri is one of the most substantial stops of the day, with about an hour devoted to the tea factory and museum. It is the first stop on the Mauritian Tea Route and offers a practical look at how tea is produced.

A guide takes you through the factory and plantation, explaining the role of tea production in Mauritius. You then visit the tea museum, which covers the history of tea on the island. The factory produces flavored teas, green teas, and herbal teas, and tasting is included.

The tea stop is more than a retail visit. You get a chance to connect the plantation views with the finished drink in your cup. The panoramic setting at the Bois Chéri restaurant is also used for tea tasting, giving you a scenic pause before the coastal portion of the tour.

Lunch is part of the experience. The package includes a three-course meal with vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices, halal food, and non-alcoholic drinks. Tell the provider about food allergies, illness, or dietary needs when booking. A vegetarian option is available, but it is still wise to confirm your preference before the day begins.

The limitation is that one hour is not much time for a factory, plantation, museum, tasting, and meal. Ask your guide how the time will be divided. If tea production interests you, this may be one of the stops where you wish the schedule were less crowded.

Gris Gris Beach and the Southern Cliffs

At Gris Gris Beach near Souillac, Mauritius changes character. This coast is not protected by coral reefs, so large Indian Ocean waves can run directly into the cliffs. The result is a dramatic viewpoint with wind, open water, and surf breaking against the rock below.

The stop lasts about an hour. You will view the coast from the cliffs rather than treat it as a calm swimming beach. The appeal is the raw edge of the shoreline, especially when the waves are active.

Take care near the cliff edge and listen to your guide. The tour is weather-dependent, and coastal conditions can affect how enjoyable this stop is. Gris Gris is a good counterpoint to Mauritius’ postcard image of quiet lagoons and calm beaches. It shows you the island’s more forceful southern shore.

Rhumerie St Aubin and the Rum Tasting

The final major attraction is Rhumerie St Aubin, housed in a colonial building with tropical and traditional touches. A guided visit explains how rum is made on Mauritius, taking you behind the scenes at the distillery.

The rum tasting lets you compare different flavors produced at St Aubin. This is an adult-focused part of the day, and you should remember that lunch includes only non-alcoholic drinks while the rum tasting is a separate included feature.

The distillery is given about an hour, which makes it one of the less rushed-feeling stops on paper. One account found the time at the rum house particularly worthwhile and felt the day would have offered poor value without it. That is useful advice if you enjoy food and drink tourism: make sure the rum visit remains part of your confirmed route.

If you do not drink alcohol, the building and production explanation can still be interesting, but the tasting is naturally less important to you. The tea factory offers the stronger alternative for a non-drinker.

What the Private Format Really Adds

Private transport is the strongest practical feature of this experience. You receive pickup and drop-off at your Mauritius accommodation in a fully air-conditioned vehicle, with bottled water on arrival. You are not tied to a large group’s pace or a fixed public bus route.

The guide and driver arrangement also helps with a route this busy. You can ask questions about the volcano, religious sites, tea, rum, and local nature as the day unfolds. Paco is specifically praised for being friendly, helpful, and willing to answer questions, although the available praise connected him with a different north-island day that included botanical gardens and a sugar museum. If Paco is assigned to you, treat that as a promising sign, but confirm the southern route and stops at pickup.

The main risk is poor time management. One account describes missing about half the expected stops and rushing through the day. That does not prove every departure will run this way, but it is a clear reason to ask for a rough schedule before leaving. With eight stops, even a small delay can shorten a later visit.

Who Should Book This Southern Mauritius Day?

I would recommend this tour to you if you want a broad first look at southern Mauritius and prefer a private car to organizing several separate visits. It suits couples, families, and small groups who value a guide, hotel transport, lunch, and a mix of nature and culture.

It is especially useful if you want to see:

• A dormant volcanic crater
• A sacred Hindu lake and temple site
• Waterfalls and a national park viewpoint
• Tea production and tasting
• A dramatic cliff coast
• Rum production and tasting

I would be more cautious if you dislike full schedules or prefer to spend half a day at one attraction. You may find the day tiring, especially if your hotel is far from the southern sites. The tour also does not offer a long hike, beach swim, or relaxed afternoon.

Wear comfortable, non-slip shoes and bring sun protection. The route moves between highland viewpoints, forest, factory buildings, and exposed coast, so light layers can be useful. Since the experience requires good weather, a poor forecast may lead to a different date or a full refund.

My Verdict on Value and Timing

At $143.72 per person, this is best judged as a private transport and guided sightseeing package, not as a simple attraction ticket. Lunch, bottled water, admissions, tea tasting, rum tasting, and hotel transfers are all included, which improves the value when you would otherwise pay for each item separately.

The tour’s strength is breadth. You see how volcanic geology, religion, forests, tea, rum, and the ocean all fit into one day in Mauritius. Its weakness is the same thing: there is a lot to fit in.

Before the vehicle leaves, confirm that the route includes Trou aux Cerfs, Mare aux Vacoas, Grand Bassin, Alexandra Falls, Black River Gorges, Bois Chéri, Gris Gris, and Rhumerie St Aubin. If the guide explains that weather or timing requires a change, decide which stops matter most to you.

Should You Book It?

Book this Wild South tour if you want convenience, private transport, and a wide sample of southern Mauritius in one day. The combination of Grand Bassin, Alexandra Falls, Gris Gris, tea, and rum gives you more depth than a simple scenic drive.

Skip it if you want a slow day, serious hiking, or guaranteed long visits at each stop. The route is ambitious, and the reported rushed schedule is the one concern you should take seriously. For most first-time visitors with limited time, it offers good value, provided you confirm the day’s plan and keep your expectations focused on variety rather than lingering.

FAQ

Where does the tour take place?

The tour covers southern and southwestern Mauritius, with pickup and drop-off available at any hotel or accommodation in Mauritius.

What time does the tour start?

The scheduled start time is 8:30 a.m.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately seven to eight hours.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Pickup and drop-off at any hotel or accommodation in Mauritius are included.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates, and transport is provided in a private, fully air-conditioned vehicle.

What meal is included?

A three-course lunch is included, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices. The food is halal, and non-alcoholic drinks are included during lunch.

Are tea and rum tastings included?

Yes. Tea tasting at the Bois Chéri restaurant and rum tasting at Rhumerie St Aubin are included.

What should I wear?

Wear non-slippery shoes. The route includes viewpoints, waterfalls, forest areas, and coastal cliffs.

Can I request vegetarian food?

Yes. A vegetarian option is available. You should advise the provider of vegetarian needs, food allergies, or illness when booking.

What happens if the weather is poor?

The tour requires good weather. If it is canceled because of poor weather, you will be offered another date or a full refund. You can also cancel for a full refund if you do so at least 24 hours before the start time.