Enchanting South West - Full Day Tour With Casela Park And Lunch

We had a fantastic day exploring the south of Mauritius with our guide, Manav. Everything was well organized, the itinerary was varied, and Manav was friendly, knowledgeable and very flexible throughout the day. We especially enjoyed Casela Nature Parks, and on Manav’s recommendation we also added the Big Cats Drive-Thru with the lions and tigers, which was absolutely worth it and made the experience even more memorable. The whole day felt relaxed, we never felt rushed, and Manav made sure we were comfortable and enjoying every stop. Overall, it was a great combination of nature, viewpoints, local culture and wildlife. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Mauritius.

We had an absolutely amazing day with Manav! From the moment he picked us up at our hotel, everything was perfect. He was incredibly friendly, helpful and professional, and made sure we felt comfortable and well taken care of throughout the entire day. He took us on an amazing safari, showed us a beautiful temple, brought us to a local food market where we got to experience some authentic Mauritian food and culture, and took us to several incredible viewpoints around the island. It was the perfect combination of nature, culture, local experiences and beautiful scenery. What really stood out to us was how thoughtful and accommodating Manav was. He never rushed us and made sure we got to enjoy every place we visited. You can tell that he genuinely cares about giving his guests a great experience. We are extremely happy with the day and would absolutely recommend Manav to anyone visiting Mauritius. If you are looking for a great guide and driver who will go the extra mile to make your day special, Manav is definitely the person to choose! Thank you so much, Manav, for an unforgettable day! 🇲🇺❤️

We had an excellent experience! The tour was marked by complete flexibility, with a very interactive, attentive guide (Manav) who was genuinely concerned about our well-being throughout the day. Our visit to Casela Park ended up taking longer than expected because we decided to include some extra experiences. Our guide was extremely understanding and never imposed any strict schedule, instead assuring us that he would adapt the tour according to the time we had available. And that is exactly what he did. He managed to arrange a later-than-usual lunch and, afterwards, tried to include as many of the remaining highlights as possible, as we had spent considerably longer than planned at the first stop. He also shared his own experiences and knowledge with us, giving us a better insight into local life and helping us understand more about the people and culture of Mauritius. This made the experience feel much more authentic and enriching. His flexibility, kindness, knowledge and willingness to adapt the tour to our needs made a real difference. We highly recommend this experience! Thank you so much, Manav!

We had an amazing experience with Radhika! She was incredibly friendly, warm and attentive throughout the whole excursion. She told us so many interesting stories about Mauritius and its history, which made the experience even more special. She also constantly made sure that we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves. You can really tell that she cares about her guests. However, regarding the excursion itself, I was expecting much more from Casela Park. It is promoted as a safari experience, but in reality it feels much more like a themed zoo. I think the way it is advertised can create expectations that the actual experience does not quite meet.

Absolutely fantastic day from start to finish! Our guide was amazing — so friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely went the extra mile to make the day special. He took us to some beautiful hidden spots that felt like places only the locals know about, and gave us loads of interesting information along the way. The Casela safari was honestly insane, and the waterfalls were stunning. The lunch was also brilliant, with a lovely spread and plenty of time to enjoy everything without ever feeling rushed. The timing throughout the day was perfect. Couldn’t recommend this tour enough. One of the highlights of our trip to Mauritius! 🇲🇺🌴

We had a wonderful experience in Mauritius! Everything was well organized, and the tour was enjoyable from start to finish. A special thank you to Radhika, who was very friendly, helpful, and responsive throughout the process. She made everything easy and was always available to answer our questions. I highly recommend this company and would happily book with them again.

Visit to Casela is a must for animal lovers, the big cat safari we added was amazing. Only downfall is you really need a day there to experience it fully if you want to take advantage of the extra experiences. Most of the experiences need notice so if you want to feed animals or walk with lions, book yourself in advance! Officially we over stayed here, but our private driver still managed to make sure we had lunch at the restaurant, actually a 3 course meal which was really good. We still managed to see the waterfall, visit some great viewing points and the enormous statues at the temple. We had a great driver/ guide Kavi who made our day. Would recommend.

It could not have been better. An Amazing tour through beautiful Mauritius and plenty of time at Casela Nature Park. Walk with the Lions was fantastic. Our Driver/ tour guide was terrific and local cuisine on tour was some of if not the best we had with our 4 days on Mauritius. This was a top notch tour.

The tour was brilliant; our guide, Manav, was the best guide we could have asked for. He does his job thoroughly and showed us just how truly beautiful this island is. I highly recommend the tour, especially with this guide.

Our driver Darren was brilliant, if I could give him 10 stars I would, His knowledge and professionalism was amazing and we had some great conversations, thank you. Our time at Casela, the wildlife park was very short and mostly spent waiting for transport within the park. The reason I marked this down was due to the administrative processes that thankfully Darren swiftly sorted, but we're very time consuming and not what you need. The trio is very worthwhile, not only do you get to see some real gems on the island you also get to see a bit more of life inland too

Well it said 830 start. Then I got comformation email saying 745 then I get text from driver saying 715 that's too early couldn't have breakfast we decided on 745 he wanted early because of traffic. We got to casela at 930. So only two hours there. not long enough to see everything. Then drove long way for lunch which was very nice big portion very fresh. No complaints. By that time it's 130 we wanted to see the grand basin so told driver forget other stops just go there. Had enough time just on half hour then home all up 8 hours not drivers fault he did good. But if you up north then you can't do everything they said in tour we didn't reliaze how long to drive. The operater should say this tour starts south. Be say pickup anywhere on island. We were a bit disappointed

Trip was average. The safari park was nice although felt staff were not informative enough on the jeep safari. Moved on to various view points around the island although because you are up high in the rain forests very misty so we skipped stopping (at our request) as there was no point ! Lunch was good in a local Mauritian restaurant . We didn’t get the promised cool water in car . David our driver was very nice although I felt we were asking the questions . it would have been nice to be told more about the island without having to ask . In general spent a lot of time in the car And the description on the site makes it sound a lot more exciting than it was .

Our group of 15 unanimously agreed that this was the worst tour we have ever experienced. Communication was nearly non-existent from the start. We were never told where to meet and ended up wandering outside the cruise gates searching for the tour operator, despite attempting to reach them through text, WhatsApp, Viator and TripAdvisor. Interestingly, they had no issue driving us directly back to the ship at the end. The guides spoke very little English and offered no explanation of where we were going or what we were passing along the way. They were not certified guides, which became obvious quickly. The itinerary was not followed: we were taken to a miniature shipbuilding shop that was not on the list, and several scheduled stops had to be skipped just so we could make it to the nature park on time. Water was supposed to be provided but never was. We also had to argue to have the included lunch covered. In the absence of any organization from the tour operators, one of the guests had to coordinate the group in the morning, and another traveler had to step in to ensure we actually visited the places we were promised. The lunch itself was good, and while Casela Park felt more like a children’s park, we managed to enjoy the safari and roller coaster. However, these small positives do not make up for the overall chaos, lack of communication, and failure to deliver what was promised. I genuinely want to save others from this experience. Given how far this tour fell below expectations and advertised inclusions, I believe a refund is warranted—at minimum, for everything except the lunch and Casela Park entry.

We couldn’t locate our driver or contact them , he wasn’t at ship side . there was no one waiting with our name or tour company name ? We walked out of the terminal to the gate and found a group of people also lost . there was 2 drivers and total of 15 people looking for drivers . We asked the drivers on 2 occasions if he was looking for our group ( gave him our names and tour company name) and twice said NO. We looked and waited some more ( it was steaming hot and no shade and we where standing on road in traffic coming out of port ) Finally we took the paperwork ( 4 sheets of names) off the 2 drivers and we did a roll call of names and we were all here , so we asked them if we could go now ? they finally showed us to 2 vehicles and we hoped in and they continued the talk between themselves. We yelled many times for them to start tour or to put on aircon in vans ! After a while a 3rd driver from some where appeared her seems to talk to our drivers and then spoke to me , I explained that we found all our names on the 4 sheets and where ready to go . I nominated myself as spokesperson for our group and off we finally went . I gave our driver a sheet that had the itinerary for a tour to him and he just turned it over and drove for a long while and then stopped at a mini ship building place ( not on our itinerary) I had a meeting with the group and showed them our itinerary and I communicated as best as could with our driver … long story short we change things and cut out thing and had them “ drive “ us around with other van following us for hours with up jumping out for 10 mins at different “sites” with No info on things at the sites on on the way . One drive did not even “speak “ to passengers at all . Driver asked us if we had “booked” lunch ? It said on itinerary we had 3 course lunch ? Anyways we sorted it out and he brought us to a place for lunch . After lunch we were all very thirsty and the drivers had NO water . it said it was included? I got the driver to ph his boss and spoke , saying he must stop and purchase water somewhere for us ! Only 1 driver did this ! We finally got to our main destination of the Casela nature park and didn’t have enough time to see it , only did a game drive a one ride … did not get to look around . All of us stayed together in the park so we could meet at the time needed to return to ship ( so did not to get to relax and enjoy our time at leisure) If not for myself and the other passengers this tour was horrible.., the other passengers wanted to give me a tip ! We are all wanting a part refund as we could have spent our time differently in our 1 day in Mauritius! which many of us will never be visiting in our life time again ! A lot of $ spent and Very disappointed :(

15 of us agreed this was the worst tour ever. Communication was almost non-existent; we were not told where to meet and had to go outside the cruise gates looking for them (but they drove us back right up to the ship at the end) even though we utilized text, what's App and trip advisor. They did not speak hardly any English, never told us where we were going or any information about what we were driving by. Took us to a miniature ship building shop that was not on the list, had to skip a few items on the list to get the time at the nature park. Did not provide water as stated, we had to fight to get them to cover the lunch that was promised. I had to take charge of the morning organization finding customers and another woman took charge of making sure we went where we were supposed to. The lunch was good. The Casela Park was more of a kid's park, but we made the most of the safari and roller coaster. The two drivers were not certified guides. I can add more but I would really rather save people the heartache and would rather get a refund of all I paid except maybe the lunch and Casela Park.

Agi was very knowledgeable and showed us many highlights of the island. We really enjoyed our tour with Agi. He got us round the tour in good time.

The trip was good, a long day and a lot to fit in. Our Guide Daren was very nice and gave us details of things in the area along the way.

We had the great fortune to enjoy this sightseeing and safari trip privately – just my wife, myself, and our best guide and driver Deva – it was simply perfect! From the moment we were picked up, we felt warmly welcomed and completely at ease. The tour was the ideal balance of fascinating stories, local insider tips, and plenty of laughter. We could take our time at each stop, ask as many questions as we wanted, and enjoy the sights without any rush – an absolute luxury! The safari was a highlight in itself: breathtaking landscapes, amazing wildlife, and a guide who knew exactly when to share interesting facts and when to let us simply soak in the moment. Her sense of humor made the whole experience even more special – we laughed a lot throughout the day. Conclusion: Personal, warm, fun, and truly unforgettable. We will always remember this day and our fantastic guide with a big smile. Absolutely recommended! 🦁🌍

The trip overall was very good. Hanson our host-driver was excellent, very friendly and knowledgeable of the areas and history. The places taken were very beautiful and stunning. The car was very comfortable

Not impressed at all. Driver texted and called me from 4am morning of about pick up time bringing half hour earlier then the time given after booking. We were obviously still sleeping so didn’t see the messages until 7am which meant we were very rushed in the morning and didn’t have time for breakfast. Driver said there would be traffic so was short on time but then proceeded to stop the car on a busy road to do a personal errand. We only given 1hr and 45mins at the park rather than the 2hrs 40 it says on the itinerary so we couldn’t even enjoy it. As we spent about an hr waiting for tickets and then shuttles to get around the park. Food for lunch was good (had grilled chicken with honey) but was made out that we would have a lovely view while eating as the restaurant is up a mountain but it was some small cafe with no views apart from lorries and the toilet. We only went to 3 other places (black river gorge, Alexandra waterfall and the temple). We only 10mins at each to take some quick photos. The first two were lovely but didn’t exactly have a lot of time to really enjoy them and the temple was all flooded and under construction so wasn’t great either. Didn’t go to all the places listed on the itinerary, nor did we get the allocated time it says either. Personally I was go the nature park on your own schedule and visit black river gorge and the waterfall for a day as there are trails you can do to go to the summit which would talk about 4hrs total. We were staying at a resort on the east coast so we spent majority of the day in the car and the car was comfortable and hot as no back seat A/C either. If you were staying on the South coast it might be a better experience but definitely not impossible and shall be requesting a partial refund minimum

Absolutely lovely place so glad I went as lots of different reviews ,looked like animals are well looked after and it was very clean

Do you know what, the weather wasn’t perfect, we had a bit of rain, but our driver Manav was brilliant. Information about Mauritius, thoughtful about customers and a good laugh. Had great banter, so much so, used him as a taxi service on his none working day. Casela is excellent, the Falls and Black River Gorge are beautiful.

The transfer was great with Manav. He showed us the island and was very spontaneously. The car was clean and air-conditioned. Manav has mich knowledge about the island and he is a good driver. Transfer from our hotel and return was no problem for him. Thank you for the experience.

Excellent trip, lots to see and do. David our guide was fantastic. Very knowledgeable and shared great stories about the history of the island. Would definitely recommend David. Thanks again.

We took the trip with Vimal as our personal guide. He drove us safely from stop to stop and gave us many information about Mauritius and the life here. His English was easy to understand for us as Germans. We started with the Casela Nationalpark. Then we had really good food in a small restaurant in Chamarel and then we did the tour thru the south west of the island. We've spent 2hours in the nationalpark, so that we were able to get thru the whole advertised program. If you need a longer time, you probably won't make to do all of the mentioned stops. All in all a perfect trip with a fantastic guide!

We had an amazing day exploring the south of Mauritius with this tour. From start to finish, everything was smooth and well organized. Our guide, Sahil, was incredibly prompt and professional. He shared so many fascinating facts about the island’s culture, history, and nature that really brought the experience to life. The highlight for us was definitely Casela Nature Park. The safari ride and seeing animals like zebras and giraffes up close was unforgettable. We also really enjoyed the scenic stops like Grand Bassin, Trou aux Cerfs, and Alexandra Falls. Lunch was a surprise bonus. I had one of the best chicken curries I’ve ever eaten, full of flavor and clearly made with care. The restaurant was peaceful, with a great view, and they offered great veg and halal options too. Overall, this tour is perfect if you’re looking to mix wildlife, nature, and local insight all in one day. Highly recommend it, and big thanks to Sahil for making it extra memorable!

The trip was going to be to see sights and have a good experience. But sadly missed sights and was too rushed Was picked up really early..which was expected to travel. Rushed into the park for 9.15 approx. Told had 2 hrs to do all. So didn't see much of the park. Took one view picture and then went for our mauritius lunch (very limited) 2 choices only. Missed Alexandre falls. River gorge and all this due to rain (which can't be helped) but could have had longer at the park? If raining known to close. Our tour guide was very quiet. Taxis offered more communication and explanation of island. Grand bassin visited which was nice and then bk home. So felt like we missed half the tour and gained a rushed day for no reason as was bk for 3

Poor communication at the start. Messaged when we first booked the tour that we would have luggage coming off the cruise ship and wanted to ensure we could be accommodated to be dropped off at our lodgings after the tour. The night before, told we would be in a standard vehicle, a little vague if our luggage could be accommodated. Driver shows up surprised about our luggage and proceeds to complain throughout the tour about the third party operator who took our reservation. Safari is more like an open zoo than a true safari. Hyena was pacing which indicates maladaptive behavior in captivity which means Casela Park does a poor job with environmental enrichment. Roller coaster was broken when we were there, later up and running but we had no time left at the park and told no refunds. Lunch arrangement was satisfactory. Overall, tour hit most of the basic points, but somewhat underwhelming experience

This was a nice start to our trip. I would say it is more of an open zoo than a safari. You load onto an open air bus with others and drive into enclosures where the animals are penned in. Lions have their own enclosure that you will view through fences. Phots were a bit deceiving as you would need to book the Segway separately and we never saw that as an option. Our driver was flexible and made the most out of every situation. He took us to a popular beach and was able to share the life of the local people

Our guide, Anil, was amazing. He was prompt, very knowledgeable, personable and respectful. My friends and I really enjoyed our time with him. However, we were very disappointed with Casela Park. It was described as a safari, but it was disheartening to see the big cats in cages and have unexpected changes to the safari routes by park staff.

I highly enjoyed my driver Sahil! Sahil is such an amazing person! Every excursion was only enjoyable because Sahil was there to make everything run smoothly!

Geevs was our Driver for a great transfer day from our cruise to the airport in Mauritius. We had to shorten the regular itinerary for the day because we lingered at Casela Animal Park too long. But it was worth it because we could participate in the Lion Encounter. We walked, sat, petted, and watched the two big cats there. Fabulous! Then he took us to a local restaurant for an included lunch and delivered us safely and quickly to the Airport. He also told us many facts about the people, religions, industry, and history of this beautiful island. We highly recommend this great service.

It was great experience, jeer was very good in explain things in great detail . Very calm and professional. If we come back to Mauritius we will use jeer again

Kevin our guide was absolutely fabulous. Personalised the experience for us and made it a great day.

Excellent driver on time polite and helpful.Places visited excellent however Lunch was poor ,service worse and today I have diarrhoea

Great day, which was made so much better by our tour guide. Lavi was friendly, courteous and extremely knowledgeable. Nothing was too much trouble. Lunch at Ebony Table D'Hote was delicious. We have never had a better curry and were fascinated by the the way it was served, with traditional sides. We did find we could have seen more of the safari park....unfortunately we lost valuable time there because we were sent to the wrong location (by safari staff) to catch the rollercoaster ride and had to walk for 15 minutes back across the park or we would have missed the ride we had booked. Just one of those things! Rollercoaster was fantastic!!! Would advise reading up on the park and studying its map before arrival because there is so much to see in the three hours allotted. Lavi, thank you. One of the best days of our holiday and we valued everything you showed and taught us. You are a credit to your company.

we had a wonderful day with all the sights mauritius has to offer in the south and west we were also able to see an additional unplanned sight all the places we visited were fantastic, whether it was the safari tour, the viewpoints or the hindu temple our tour guide also stopped at places that were not on the plan, such as wild monkeys he explained a lot to us and gave us some background information our guide was very friendly and courteous and we felt very comfortable and were able to fully enjoy the trip the guid also made a lot of beautiful pictures of us as a memory we would book the trip and guide again in a heartbeat it was really fantastic

The park was excellent but we could have done with more time there. Because our hotel was in the north we spent a lot of time travelling. Despite an early start . Our driver was friendly and informative.

Today we met Agi, who conducted our tour. He was very helpful and guided us throughout the day. He took us to this amazing place for lunch, food was spot on and very tasty. Agi is very friendly and I would recommend to use his services all the time. Thank you Agi for your time today and not just being a tour guide to us!

We werent all that happy with our driver....within the first 20 minutes he started talking about what other tours we had and if we were doubling up then there was no point him taking us to those places.We had nothing else booked at this stage and wanted to see everything. He took us to the Nature Park first, failed to arrive in time to pick us up (we had to ring him)....very quick look at the statues, lake and waterfall. The nature Park was really good but you could do this on your own just by getting a taxi and have alot more time there to really experience the whole lot we only had 2hrs. Lunch meal was delicious so no problem there. Everything we saw was worth seeing, we would just do it another way.

Nice to see this area of Mauritius however Casela park is dated and needs a lot of maintenance. The safari tour trucks are dangerously old. The lunch was great, however despite the tour listing that non alcoholic drinks are included, we were charged for them. The Grand Bassin, the temples were great, and the views of the Black River Gorges are fantastic. Our guide was good, it did seem we were in a rush to get back after the gorges, and there was little or no volunteering of information about the area or mauritius in general.

The trip was ok , especially the safari was very nice, but the driver is below our expectation, he is driving very fast, overtake the cars, speak in the phone all the time, he is uncomfortable driver…

Mevin picked us up on time and was a fantastic guide. We started our day at a small coffee shop on the way to Casela Park . As promised we were whisked pass the queues and spent three hours in the park. The African Safari was brilliant with the drivers feeding the animals to bring them close to us. Lunch was authentic and so tasty. Two of us had chicken and two fish. The staff were friendly and spent time explaining the dishes to us. We went on up to the Hindu Temple and sacred statues. Through the whole day Mevin was friendly, informative , and nothing was too much trouble. Really recommend this trip.

Got to Casela park at opening time 9am with our driver to find no ticket had been purchased or booked and the park would not let us in unless we paid. Driver tried to ring company but did not Answer. We waited 1 hr at the entrance to the park but finally decided to go back to our start point. Lunch was planned for a Resturant a long way from our start point but as it was still only 10am and we were now heading back to our pick up we could not use the lunch. Very disappointed as we had looked forward to our day. Viator refused to refund us.

A trip of a lifetime made even more special because of our tour guide who was the best tour guide we have ever experienced. We did walking with lions and it was truely amazing, plus we hadn’t booked ahead and the staff did there best to facilitate that for us. Honestly a day to remember, deeply in our hearts for a lifetime one experience out of this world made truely special by the kindness of our guide and the safari staff.

My kid enjoyed a lot. The Animals are so friendly. Beautiful birds. The lion And tiger safari drive thru is the show stopper.

Driver was polite knowledgable and punctual . Safari was disorganised but once on it the animals were amazing . Lunch was nice but very spicy beware of the carrot side dish ! Not sure would book another trip but was ok

Average. We got no less and no extra. Daron our driver kept it to basics and wasn't very chatty or informative but he was pleasant. Safari park was rushed and needed more time. Lunch was tasty and was hi light. The temple, waterfall and statues was interesting. Shame didn't include the coloured sands and trip felt very rushed.

We were met on time by Yash, the whole day was very well planned. We were not able to go to the 7 colour earth due to road erosion so Yash took us to the 23 colour earth instead. He was very pleasant and knowledgeable and was able to answer our questions with ease. He is a credit to the company as a tour guide and would not have any problems booking him again. We felt really looked after from start to finish.