Catamaran Cruise To Ile Aux Bénitiers: Dolphin Watch, Crystal Rock & Transfer

The music was too loud and it wasn't accommodating.

This was one of the worst tours that I have done in Mauritius. The pictures of what you get on the tour are misleading. The staff on the boat were extremely unprofessional. There was not enough snorkel gear for even 10 people on the boat - no flippers as well. We went on a boat called Coral Queen and was not in a good condition as compared to other boats. The transfer was very unprofessional as well. Just left us at the jetty and did not tell us what to do or who we where going with. Literally wasted an hour waiting for the boat to depart and there was no safety briefing like they claim to do. I defintely would not recommend using this tour operator if you want to have good time on the tour. When I compare this to other tours that I used on the island previously, this will rate a 1 out of 10. The cutlery, crockery and the glasses were not clean and neat. The tender boat was terrible and the engine cut-off midway during transfer. There was defintely more than 30 people on the tour. So to sum up in a nutshell this is a rip-off tour and my recommendation is not to book it if you want to have a good time.

At 2134 the night before the planned trip it was cancelled apparently due to bad weather. Many other tours continued and a tour operator in the area that others proceeded with no issue. We believe the tour operator simply cancelled on us for some other reason which was very disappointing. We then had to find another tour operator to take us on this trip the following day which threw out all our planned activities.

If you want a ride on an older catamaran with smelly bathrooms and smokers this is for you. The service is fine and the lunch was good but they ran out of beer and ice by 1:00. If you’re staying on the north side of the island it took us two hours to get to the dock.

Manav, our driver was also our guide during our transfers to and from our hotel and always on time. We enjoy a lot with the tríp to Bentiers island organized by Freshverde. We could see some dolphin but we think people must be more respectable with dolphin. We enjoy visiting Benitiers island, we tasted coconut cocktail and the food prepared by Fresverde was really good. Manav was a good driver and a good person and thats why we choosed him as our private guide for other trips. We recomend Manav and the company Freshverde also.

The crew were fantastic and entertaining, even when things did not go as planned. BBQ lunch was spot on. Snorkeling gear was provided. Crystal Rock can get very busy. Choose your moment wisely for pics, don’t hesitate.

Disappointing catamaran trip only saved by sightings of dolphins, this was the highlight of a substandard day. We have been on better catamaran trips. The main issue was the lack of crew interaction with the guests, very little information about what we were seeing and a lack of drink service & fun vibe. We were delayed getting to the cat due to low tide so had to take a boat out to the mooring. Once on board we set off out of the reef for a meander round ile au benititier bay. A single drink was offered at this point, all others had to be asked for. The dolphin sightings were great, saw a small pod of around 6 several times. Then we returned towards the ile for snorkelling. Equipment was provided. I asked about the strength of the current as I had experienced very strong rips on Mauritius. The crew did not understand & took the captain to answer my question! Turns out very strong so my sister who is not a strong swimmer did not last very long & had to climb back on board. She struggled but no crew help was offered. BBQ lunch onboard was ok usual boat fare: fish, chicken, salads, potato, a single piece of pineapple for desert. We then sailed to Crystal rock, no info was forthcoming & we were not invited to snorkel there which other boats were doing. Finally we transferred onto a small boat to the ile for an hour. 2 people fell into the sea as we disembarked & again no crew assistance was offered. Other boats were playing music, laughing & singing our boat was distinctly less jolly. I do not recommend this trip.

Too loud music and really old and shoddy Crystal Cruises cataraman for the ile aux cerfs catamaran tour. The views were great with turquoise water and the waterfall was nothing special, but nice. However, in the boat, music was played really loud . Also, the catamaran was quite crowded with people and there was only the back of the boat exposed to the sun availablefor the last passengers. The lunch was ok (rice, pasta, salad with grilled fish, chicken and sausages, drinks (water, soft drinks, beer, rum) were included. However, they ran out of Coca-Cola!! Snorkeling wise, there was very little to see at the spot they stopped. Have been on a few of these cruises before and this Crystal Cruise Company is by far the worse. Other cruises' boats were in far better condition, the snorkeling sites were far better and their music was not so blaring. So, choose your Cruise Company carefully to have the best experience.

my daughter book this trip for our wedding anniversary and it was an amazing gift! best catamaran cruise to relax. we board to a big catamaran with approx 25 people. the staff was very cool.. always serving us cocktails and beers :D. we saw many dolphins and the great view of le morne. very nice island to explore. great catamaran tour!

Very friendly staff and the trip was overall fun, the only issue I had is that the boat was way over booked, we were around 30-35 people and it was too crowed and uncomfortable. If we were around 10-15 it would have been way better.

What an amazing day out. We can highly recommend this Catamaran Cruise. We saw a lot of dolphins, experienced beautiful views of Crystal rock, had a great snorkelling experience and had a fun trip to Ille Aux Benitiers (the markets and coconut cocktails were a great suprize). Definitely value for money.

This cruise met all that it was advertised to be. We only had 8 people on the cruise and it was advertised to not have more than 20 individuals which is why I was happy to pay more. The crew was attentive and we had a great swim at the Chrystal rock and the food was good. I would only mention that we had prepared a tip for the team but they never really provided us the opportunity to give it to them!

We booked this trip prior to arriving on the island as we only had a few days there. We booked it solely off the nice pictures and long list of what's included. When we arrived we spent almost an hour waiting around an alleyway next to the Marina. There were many nice catamarans so we were excited. Finally when it was time to get going, we had to run along the rocks to get the Marina only to see that we were getting onto a smaller boat to bring us out to our catamaran (if you could call it that). This was much smaller boat than the others and in tatters. The plastic tarp was falling a part, dirty and covered in rust so we couldn't see out. The plastic cushion covers were all wet and cut open so the sponge was showing, there was some cockroaches below deck and the toilets were simply awful, located next to heaving diesel engine fumes. The boat had rust on the canvas from the chain and they never took the sail out.....doubtful it even worked. The only saving grace was they kept our glasses filled and the staff were nice. The BBQ to be fair was also nice. The boat was simply not designed for tourism in my opinion. This advert does not reflect reality and does not show an accurate image of what you'll be getting. We will be seeking some sort of refund.

The tour started quite late, about an hour after our due departure time. We were unsure of the reason, we just milled around waiting but we finally did get on board. The staff were very friendly and helpful for sure, but at first it was like a teenage party boat, the music was so loud it was distorted and many of the passengers were running around screaming and yelling. It was not a peaceful experience to start, however, after a while people settled down, the music was a great level that you could hear and talk to your companions at the same time. We then had a very enjoyable remainder of the trip. The weather was unpredictable but we still made the most of it. Note to travellers, if you are not a strong swimmer, the snorkelling can be quite tricky as the current off the boat was strong the day we went, and the seabed was 3 metres down, so there was not much to see. Our driver to and from our hotel to the trip (Mangesh) was fabulous. The lunch and drinks served were great.

It was a very wonderful experience. Every people are friendly and full of fun. Foods were very delecious also, I definitely can say that the most fascinating tour in Moritius! Of course with Viator team.

Lovely staff and team on board, although we did depart 1 hour late and was expecting more from the food, not quite a 3 course meal as lead to believe. Overall experience was nice as we saw the dolohins in the sea.

Great service nice food and drinks the weather was ok but no dolphins or whales spotted, which was a shame but that is nature

We went on the cruise with our 12 and 14 year old and we all had an amazing time. All of the boat's crew were fantastic, always checking up on everyone to make sure they were happy, safe and just generally walking around and making an effort with all of the passengers. The on-board BBQ was fantastic, well planned out and tasty - especially the fish! They came prepared with numerous soft drinks and beers/wines so everyone was catered for, there was a really nice atmosphere on the boat and everyone in the group seemed to leave very happy at the end - even when we had torrential rain for the last 10 mins - everyone just enjoyed the music and had a dance! We were unlucky and didn't see any dolphins but that's nature for you and they made it clear from the start that this wasn't something they could guarantee - the snorkelling more than made up for it as we saw lots of fish and it was in a beautiful location.

Our best catamaran cruise so far!! our children had a great time in the catamran. we see the dolphin which was amazinng. the local food was absolutely fantastics.. a relaxing experience in the catamaran. we enjoy the snorkeling.. we had some cocktails.. very nice

The description on viator is misleading. They promise snorkelling and a guide, but there is very limited equipment on board. And guide does not even offer to help beginners with snorkelling or swim at the sea. The benitiers island experience was also bad. The food was served on board instead of the island and the island was basically a very dirty place to do any activity. The catamaran itself was overcrowded and preference was given to larger group. For couples like us we did not have space to sit inside and it was scorching hot outside. Food was below average as well. We selected an English guide, but ended up in a Creole / french guide group and had to depend on other travellers mostly for translation.

Our driver Keshav recommend us this trip and we book it instantly. I must say we had a brilliant day to benitier island.. great landscape to see the le morne mountain . we saw many dolphin. We enjoy snorkeling as it was our second time. The food was absolutely delicious. Great ambiance in the catamaran!

So first of all I want to say the driver we had to the catamaran was fantastic, his name was Rishi but unfortunately that was nearly the best thing about this trip. The boat was incredible worn down and tired and well the toilets were disgraceful. The crew gave us no idea what we were doing and explained absolutely nothing in english, so we had no idea what we were doing or seeing. As far as the "dolphin" watching it involved a lot of boats chasing a small pod which made us feel very uncomfortable and we saw them for maybe 5 seconds. The scenery was amazing and the sea near crystal rock was definitely worth seeing. The other thing which was incredibly disappointing was the food, it was basically inedible and as for the alcohol that was provided, it was served out of plastic beakers (even the wine) and it was barely drinkable it was that bad. I 100% would not recommend this boat but if you can find a better crew and boat then crystal rock is worth the visit for the views.

Our cruise was cancelled last minute due to engine failure, this should have started the alarm bells ringing. We manage to get on the cruise the next day. The catamaran bears no resemblance to any of those in the pictures, it was tired, shabby and run down. As for the toilet!! We were never given any of the local folklore that was promised and as for Mauritian music, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Bob Marley was fro Jamaica. The food was not great, all cold, and I came down with one of the worst cases of diarrhoea by the time we had got back to the hotel. The area is in itself beautiful, and the dolphins great, even though you don’t get to swim with them as suggested in the photos, I throughly recommend the trip, just book with a different operator

Great staff, very friendly and the drinks flowed the whole time. We saw the dolphins and crystal Rock and experienced the Marleta on Ile Aux Benitiers

Not as described. It certainly is not a 3 course lunch and the boat was very shabby with lots of areas needing repairs - the toilet was very interesting!!. the crew just didnt engage with us at all there was no explanation of where we were or what we were passing - Thought it was very poor and not value for money at all . The best thing about it was a taxi transfer where we had a fantastic driver or told us so much about the island.

Relaxing outing. Fellow travellers were Mauritians, very friendly and jolly group. Selim our transfer driver was very friendly and on time. Catamaran crew were professional and served a delicious lunch.

The crew were fantastic. Food was delicious. You need to amend that snorkelling gear is no longer provided.

Samad was a really good driver, waited for us when we were late but still got us there on time. Very friendly and have lots of information about the local area. Would definitely recommend and use again :)

Trip from hell!! Terribly organised. Waited an hour on the shore with no information. On the boat, zero tour guide info about where we were or what we were looking at. Joined loads of other boats chasing a few dolphins which we could see in the distance. Moored up … one snorkel for 20 guests so didn’t bother to go in the sea. Didn’t stop anywhere interesting anyway. Awful, cold BBQ with uncooked chicken. But the worst bit was 7 straight hours of banging music to night club level. Requests to turn the music down were ignored. By the end of the day I literally wanted to jump in the sea and swim home. It was an awful, terrible day. Everyone looked so miserable by the end. Couldn’t wait to get off the boat. Really … don’t book this tour.

We booked the trip with freshverde after talking to our driver Sam, who we used on a couple of occasions, Sam was brilliant and punctual. Had an early start but got to the location with plenty of time to spare and had a fantastic day, swimming with and seeing dolphins in the wild was magical, great day and well worth the money

Really enjoyed this experience and the lovely staff aboard the catamaran. Lunch was delicious and the day was all we wanted and more!

The crew was very friendly and helpful, the lunch was delicious. It’s very relaxing experience and everyone could enjoy.

Went on this trip with two friends and had an excellent time on board. However, the trip was not what we thought we booked as it did not reflect the description very well. First off, we were picked up at eight in the morning at our hotel and then dropped off at a very peculiar place in a harbor, where we waited with no instructions on what to expect for more than an hour. Luckily, the locals were very friendly and we ended up finding and boarding the boat. On board, there were at least 20 people although the description stated a maximum of 15. The small, more private experience was one of the main reasons why we booked the trip, so that was disappointing. The last thing not matching the description was the lunch which was a nice buffet but not the 3 course meal described. But! Even though everything did not match our expectations we ended up having an amazing time! The crew is extremely friendly and helpful and the other people on board were festive and very welcoming. We got to see lots of dolphins and enjoy the crystal clear waters of Mauritius and thanks to the crew we were never low on punch or cold beers. It was a lot of fun!

Courteous skippers on board, numerous Dolphins to see, beautiful snorkeling spot, sumptuous BBQ lunch on board, crystal creek, turquoise colored lagoon Island and good tasting rum and juice.

Auf der Tour haben wir eine Gruppe von Delfinen gesehen, mit vielen anderen Booten auch. Mit denen schwimmen ist nicht vorgesehen gewesen, was auch keinen Sinn macht, da diese zu schnell wegschwimmen und auch zu viele Boote da waren. Schnorcheln ist OK, wenn man keine großen Erwartungen hat. Man sieht einige Fische, in der Lagune es ist aber eben kein Riff. Die Insel ist sehr gut besucht und für eine einsame Stelle muss man etwas wandern. Vor Ort schwimmen oder schnorcheln ging aufgrund der geringen Wassertiefe nicht. Wer gerne einen gemütlichen Ausflug mit Getränken und Musik erleben möchte, für den ist die Tour genau das richtige, unsere Erwartungen lagen sicherlich etwas zu hoch.

We went through our hotel for this outing, this very beautiful day with a nice crew and very beautiful things to see but a bit expensive compared to other countries where we did almost the same thing... Small bonus of this day, we may not have seen dolphins but we were lucky enough to see sperm whales ☺️ Regarding Crystal Rock, really overrated, we were really disappointed when seeing it On the other hand, Bénitier Island is really very beautiful but do not expect to do much because apart from vendors or swimming there is nothing to do...

We had a wonderful day, everything was perfect, especially our driver Manav who was welcoming, available, and attentive. We recommend the experience 100%.

Unfortunately, the tour did not meet our expectations. Hygiene left much to be desired. The chicken was not quite cooked through. The island stay extremely short. (only about 30 minutes). The service could have been friendlier. The team was not very motivated. The boat made an unkempt, spent impression.

A wonderful cruise with good food, nice weather, pleasant boat, nice staff and not so many guests. Easy to book and a plus that transfer was included in the price. A boat trip to really recommend…but.. The taxi ride from southeastern Mauritius to the port in the south-west of the island was a journey that we should not forget. The driver showed us a film on the phone of him taking part in a race to show us that he really could drive. Unfortunately, our transfer trip was really like a racing race. Stereon at maximum volume and plate at the bottom. Not something you want to experience when looking for peace and quiet on holiday.

Hello a very she experience with this agency and the excursions made with our driver Hasheem are remarkable. Hasheem speaks French and English very well and has been able to guide us and comment enthusiastically on the different stages of the circuits. I highly recommend these excursions to Mauritius.

Beautiful excursion to Île aux Bénitiers with dolphin sighting: an exciting and well-organized experience. When we went there were not too many boats and they were all very respectful of distance and speed. The driver Manav was very kind and on the way back, despite an inconvenience on the road and a lot of traffic, he really did his best. Lunch on the island was pleasant and the atmosphere relaxed. Recommended!

Very pleasant day, the staff on the catamaran on top. Only small downside the welcome on arrival not very welcoming not to the image of the day very fortunately.

Nous avons eu une magnifique expérience. Tout était parfait, le Transfert, le barbecue, les dauphins, la plongée, l’équipage, et l’ambiance. À refaire! Nous recommandons

Very nice tour with beautiful views of the catamaran. We were able to spot dolphins and had plenty of time to snorkel in between. We didn't need the loud music and certainly didn't need to ask for an extra tip on top of the price (we prefer to decide this ourselves...) All compliments to our driver Belinda, who took us back and forth safely with a pleasant chat!

A wonderful and unforgettable experience on the Catamaran Lady Anne with an excellent crew. The dolphins are also fantastic experience in their natural habitat. The driver Manu also knows his trade and he takes you back and forth to the location. Aad and Roos

Vorab: WG. (angeblichen) techn.Defekt downgrade auf Speedboot. Kein Preisnachlass auf Anfrage. Zwischen -Stop Schnorcheln super enttäuschend. Kaum Korallen oder Fische. Die Begegnung mit den Delfinen: na ja, Tierschützer würden uns verklagen. Glauben nicht das das den Delfinen gefallen hat. Die waren eher auf der Flucht vor uns. Wer glaubt das das ein Event für Mensch und Tier war, der auch an den Weihnachtsmann. Der Aufenthalt auf Benitiere und Besichtigung des Diamond Rock ernüchternd. Essen und Getränke gut. Mannschaft des. Bootes bemüht, aber stark routiniert .Wir haben fast 200 € für einen Katamaran gebucht. Sind aber froh (wegen vieler negativer Rezensionen) das das nicht geklappt hat. Super enttâuschend die magere Fisch und Korallen Population. Da sind Seychellen und Malediven um 5 Klassen besser.

Gorgeous! A big thank you to Mangesh for the transport, and to the boat captains for their welcome!!

Excellent catamaran trip, view of dolphins, crystal rock, clams. Meals and organization at the top. Very touristy but you can't escape it. Departure from our house with a driver, thank you Manu for the punctuality and the journey. To do !!

Bonjour, Manger en face du cristal rock fut très appréciable. La beauté de l eau fut agréable. Bonne soirée.