Southern Treasures: Bois Cherri Tea Factory & 23-Colored Earth

Southern Mauritius packs a lot into one day. This private outing links Bois Cheri tea country with volcanic craters, waterfalls, sacred Grand Bassin, rugged Gris Gris, and the unusual Twenty-Three Colored Earth attraction. I like the hotel pickup and air-conditioned car, and I like that lunch, drinks, water, and entry fees are included. The main drawback is the pace: nine stops in roughly eight hours leaves little room for lingering.

The strongest part is the freedom of a private guide and driver. Guides such as Manu and Deva have earned warm praise for kindness, punctuality, and island knowledge, though one guest felt the guide acted more like a taxi driver and offered too little explanation at the temple. If you want a broad first look at southern Mauritius, this is a useful day. If you prefer long walks or slow visits, it may feel hurried.

Five things to know before booking

• Trou aux Cerfs gives you a quick volcanic overview: The dormant crater offers wide views around Curepipe and the surrounding mountains.
• Bois Cheri combines scenery, tea, and lunch: You get a factory visit, plantation views, museum time, tea tasting, and a three-course meal.
• Grand Bassin is a sacred place, not just a photo stop: The 33-meter Lord Shiva statue and lakeside shrines deserve respectful attention.
• Gris Gris is for cliffs and surf, not swimming: Strong waves and currents make this a viewpoint and walking stop.
• The price covers much of the day: At $136.44 per person, private transport, a guide, lunch, drinks, water, and major admissions are bundled together.

Why this southern Mauritius route works

Mauritius is compact enough to visit several major sights in a day, but getting between them can be awkward if you do not have your own car. This tour solves that problem with pickup and drop-off at any hotel or accommodation on the island, a private air-conditioned vehicle, and a certified guide-driver.

The route is built around variety. You move from a crater high above Curepipe to a forest reservoir, then to waterfalls, a national park viewpoint, a Hindu pilgrimage site, a tea estate, a wild coast, and colored earth. I like that mix because no single stop has to carry the whole day.

The tradeoff is clear. The tour is a sightseeing sweep, not a relaxed country outing. Most stops last 25 to 40 minutes, although Gris Gris receives about two hours and Bois Cheri about one hour. You will see plenty, but you should expect short visits at several viewpoints.

The usual start is 8:30 a.m., and the full day lasts about seven to eight hours. That makes hotel pickup especially useful. You avoid arranging taxis across the island and can focus on the views instead of road directions.

Trou aux Cerfs begins the day above Curepipe

Your first stop is Trou aux Cerfs, a dormant volcanic crater about 605 meters above sea level. The crater measures roughly 350 meters across and about 100 meters deep. It is surrounded by forest, indigenous plants, and tall green pine trees, which gives the site a softer appearance than the bare volcanic crater you might expect.

The crater is believed to have erupted once and remained quiet for around 700,000 years. The geological story is interesting, but the practical appeal is the view. From here, you can look toward Curepipe, Rempart Mountain, Trois Mamelles, and the Port-Louis to Moka mountain range.

You get about 35 minutes. That is enough for photos and a look around, but not for a serious walk. I would treat this as a strong opening viewpoint and a quick introduction to Mauritius geology.

Mare aux Vacoas offers a quiet forest pause

The next stop is Mare aux Vacoas, the island’s largest reservoir, with a capacity of nearly 26 million cubic meters. It sits among thick forest and feels calmer than the busier sightseeing points.

This is not a grand monument or an attraction with a long list of activities. Its value is the pause. After the crater and before the waterfalls, you get about 30 minutes to look over the water, take photographs, and enjoy a quieter side of the island.

Do not expect a major facility stop. The appeal comes from the forest setting and open views. I like its place in the route because the day would otherwise become a chain of famous names with no breathing room.

Alexandra Falls brings water and wide southern views

Alexandra Falls sits at about 700 meters above sea level and is one of Mauritius’s best-known nature sights. You reach a viewpoint where the waterfall drops through forest, with a broad view toward the southeast coast and turquoise sea.

A wooden platform helps with the wider view. The stop lasts about 30 minutes, so you should use your time for both the falls and the coastal panorama. The falls themselves may not fill half an hour for every visitor, but the combination of water, forest, and distant sea gives the stop its appeal.

This is a viewpoint visit rather than a strenuous hike. Wear shoes with good grip anyway. The tour specifically advises non-slip footwear, a sensible tip for a day that includes waterfalls and uneven outdoor areas.

Black River Gorges puts the island’s forests in context

At Black River Gorges National Park, you stop at a gorge viewpoint only a three to five-minute walk from the road. From the viewing area, the gorge drops away below, with forested hills, deep valleys, and a waterfall visible to one side.

The park covers nearly 17,000 acres in southwestern Mauritius and protects much of the island’s native plant and animal life. You will not explore that entire area during this tour. Instead, you get a compact roadside look at the scale of the park.

That limitation matters. If your main goal is hiking, this stop will not replace a dedicated national park outing. But for a first visit, the viewpoint gives you a useful sense of Mauritius beyond beaches and resort grounds.

Grand Bassin asks for a respectful visit

Grand Bassin, also called Ganga Talao, sits about 550 meters above sea level in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is a sacred lake for Mauritius’s Hindu community, with a temple and smaller shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and other deities.

The huge Lord Shiva statue is hard to miss. At 33 meters high, it gives the visit an immediate visual focus, but the lake and shrines are just as important. This is a place where you should slow down, observe, and avoid treating the temple area as a simple backdrop for quick photographs.

You have about 40 minutes here. One point deserves special attention: guide involvement can vary. One account praised the guide and driver but felt disappointed when the guide left the group to find information alone at the temple. I would ask your guide in advance for an explanation of the site and clarification about where you may walk.

That small conversation could make a real difference. Grand Bassin is one of the few stops where cultural context matters as much as the view.

Bois Cheri explains Mauritius through tea

Bois Cheri is the tour’s main paid cultural stop and receives about an hour. A guide takes you through the tea factory and plantation, followed by a visit to the tea production museum.

This is more than a tasting stop. You learn how tea production fits into Mauritius and how the Bois Cheri operation developed. The plantation also gives you broad views across the southern part of the island.

Tea is a useful way to connect scenery with daily life. Instead of only stopping at viewpoints, you see an active local industry and learn how a crop shapes the area. If you enjoy food and production visits, this will likely be one of your favorite parts of the day.

The meal is another reason the stop matters. A three-course lunch is included, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices, halal food, and non-alcoholic drinks. The meal has received especially strong praise, including chicken curry, fish salad as a starter, and vanilla ice cream. Vegetarian guests should give their preference when booking, and anyone with allergies or an illness should report it ahead of time.

Tea tasting and lunch can make Bois Cheri feel like the day’s most complete stop. The one-hour estimate may feel short if you want to examine every museum display at leisure.

Gris Gris shows Mauritius at its roughest

After passing through Souillac, the route reaches Gris Gris, where the coast changes character. This is not a calm swimming beach. Cliffs meet heavy surf, and strong currents make swimming unsafe.

A small garden provides benches and sea views. From there, a path leads down toward a small beach, allowing you to see the water and rock formations more closely. The sound and force of the waves are the main event here.

The tour allows about two hours, giving Gris Gris more time than any other stop. That is welcome. You can walk, sit, take photographs, and enjoy the coast without being pushed straight back into the vehicle.

Do not pack this stop as a beach break. Bring shoes suited to walking and follow the warning about the water. Gris Gris is best for people who like open coastal scenery, cliffs, and rough surf.

Twenty-Three Colored Earth is the visual finale

The final major attraction is the Twenty-Three Colored Earth site at Valle Adventure Park. The tour describes a natural area of colored sand dunes formed as basaltic lava changed into clay minerals.

The colors listed include red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple, and yellow. The supplied description also calls the attraction Twenty-Three Colored Earth, so you may see both names used in connection with the stop. The key point is the unusual banded earth, set among green vegetation and shaped into a small, surreal-looking geological display.

You receive about 40 minutes here, including entrance. This is a managed attraction rather than a wild hike, which makes it easy to visit near the end of a long day. The colored earth is compact, so the time should be enough for photographs and a close look.

Keep expectations sensible. The area is interesting because the colors occur naturally and remain distinct, not because it offers a large trail system. I would enjoy it as a short, memorable final stop rather than plan an entire afternoon around it.

Chamouny Waterfall adds one last nature stop

The route also includes Chamouny Waterfall, described as a single-drop waterfall surrounded by thick vegetation. The stop lasts about 25 minutes and includes admission to the waterfall area.

This gives you one more chance to see Mauritius’s interior before the ride back to your accommodation. It is a brief visit, so expect a viewpoint-style stop rather than a long forest walk.

The combination of colored earth and waterfall works well near the end of the day. One is geological and dry, the other is green and wet. Together they provide a final change of scene before the tour finishes.

What the $136.44 price really covers

At $136.44 per person, the cost is not simply paying for a driver and a few photo stops. It includes hotel pickup and drop-off, private air-conditioned transportation, a certified guide-driver, bottled water, a three-course lunch, non-alcoholic drinks, entry to Twenty-Three Colored Earth and the waterfall, and entry to Bois Cheri Tea Factory.

That bundle gives the price reasonable value, especially if you would otherwise need several taxis or a rental car. The private format also lets the day follow your group’s pace to some degree. One highly positive account described a punctual driver who gave enough time at each sight and adjusted to the group.

Still, value depends on what you want from the day. You pay for breadth. If you only want tea, waterfalls, or the colored earth, a focused half-day experience might suit you better. If you want to cover many southern highlights without handling transport, this price is easier to justify.

Gratuities are not included, though they are optional. Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the 8:30 a.m. start time. Poor weather can lead to a new date or a full refund, which matters because several stops depend on outdoor views.

Who will enjoy this private day most

I would recommend this tour to first-time visitors who want a strong overview of southern Mauritius. It also suits couples, families, and small groups that value a private vehicle and do not want to organize a complicated driving day.

The tour works especially well if you enjoy variety: a little geology, religion, food, industry, forest, coast, and waterfalls. The included lunch also removes one practical decision from a very full schedule.

I would be more cautious if you want long hikes, quiet museum visits, or detailed cultural guiding at every stop. The route covers a lot, and guide quality may shape how much context you receive. Speak up early if Grand Bassin matters to you, and ask your guide to explain the temple and shrines rather than simply dropping you at the entrance.

Should you book Southern Treasures?

Book it if you want to see the southern half of Mauritius efficiently and appreciate having transport, lunch, and admissions handled in one price. The most praised elements are the kind and punctual guides, the private format, the Bois Cheri meal, and the chance to see many contrasting sights in one day.

Skip it if you prefer a slow schedule or a single main activity. Nine stops can feel like a lot, and some viewpoints receive only 25 to 30 minutes.

For most first-time visitors with limited time, I see this as a practical introduction to southern Mauritius. Just wear non-slip shoes, request the right meal in advance, and make sure your guide gives Grand Bassin the attention it deserves.

FAQ

What is included in the tour price?

The price includes hotel or accommodation pickup and drop-off, private air-conditioned transportation, a certified guide-driver, bottled water, a three-course lunch, non-alcoholic drinks, and admission to Twenty-Three Colored Earth, the waterfall, and Bois Cheri Tea Factory.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately seven to eight hours. The listed start time is 8:30 a.m.

Is lunch available for vegetarians?

Yes. A vegetarian option is available. You should advise the provider when booking, along with any food allergies or illness.

Is the lunch halal?

Yes. The included lunch is described as halal and offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices.

Can I swim at Gris Gris Beach?

Swimming is not advised at Gris Gris because the waves and currents are extremely strong. The stop is intended for walking, sitting in the garden, and viewing the cliffs and sea.

What should I wear?

Wear non-slip shoes. This is useful for the waterfall areas, viewpoints, and other outdoor stops.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

If poor weather causes cancellation, you will be offered a different date or a full refund. You can also cancel for a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time.