Private North Day Tour: Botanical Garden, Sugar Museum, Rum Tasting, Port Louis
Description
Enjoy a private full-day cultural journey through northern Mauritius, combining the island’s botanical heritage, sugar and rum traditions, and the vibrant atmosphere of its capital city. Discover world-renowned Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, home to one of the richest collections of tropical plants in the Indian Ocean. Stroll through its peaceful grounds and discover rare and endemic species that reflect Mauritius’ unique natural heritage. Visit a sugar estate and museum, where you’ll explore the island’s deep connection to sugar production and enjoy guided tastings of locally crafted sugars and Mauritian rum. Explore Port Louis, where you’ll immerse yourself in the energy of the capital—wandering through its bustling markets, historic streets, and cultural landmarks. Walk the Caudan Waterfront, a lively harbourfront area perfect for relaxing, shopping, and taking in the coastal atmosphere.
Tour Options
Itinerary
In the historical village of Pamplemousses, you will visit the famous Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, where you will get to see the giant waterlilies and 85 varieties of palm trees from around the world. You will also discover the various spices and medicinal plants and learn about the various endemic and imported plants in the garden.
In Pamplemousses you will also visit L’Aventure du Sucre, the informative museum set in an old sugar factory. There, you will not only discover the history of sugar but also that of Mauritius, the slave trade and rum. You will leave with a new appreciation of the island and its people and get to sample the different varieties of sugar and delicious local rums.
Discover the Château de Labourdonnais, a beautifully restored colonial mansion built in 1859 and visit their enchanting tropical garden. The tour includes a visit of the château, a walk through the orchard and the bird garden, a viewing of the giant tortoises, as well as a guided tour of their rum distillery on the estate, and free rum tasting at bar. Note: Bring mosquito sprays. Due to the age and value of certain objects found inside the house, flash-photography is not allowed inside the chateau as this could lead to damage.
A tour of the North isn’t complete without a visit to Port-Louis, the capital of Mauritius. The city is a blend of the old and the new. On one side you have the hustle and bustle of the city’s historical market (bazaar), built in 1828, where you can bargain for different spices and souvenirs and sample Mauritian street food. And on the other side you have the modern Caudan Waterfront, where there visitors can shop at brand name stores and eat at various restaurants. You can visit the areas of Port-Louis that interest you such as the Aapravasi Ghat (UNESCO heritage site), and the smaller streets. For great views, your driver will take you for a stop at the Citadel and you will also get to see the Champs de Mars racecourse on the way.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up at all hotels, B&Bs, apartments on the island. Please let us know which hotel, B&B or apartment you're staying at. Note that the driver will pick you up at 9am.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(79)
Nice North Island tour , San our driver was lovely and friendly, rum tasting was a bit overrated, overall fine experience
Hi, thanks for your review! We're happy you enjoyed the trip overall, and had a good day out with San. We hope to see you again soon!
Super cozy excursion! Suitable for everyone! The guide/driver was super talented and nice!
Hi Josefin, thanks so much for your wonderful review! We're happy you enjoyed the North Tour and we hope you are having a great stay in Mauritius!
Our tour guide was very kind and gave us all sorts of information. He waited for us in the car while visiting, which gave us privacy. The Botanical Garden is absolutely stunning!
Hi, thanks so much for your review! We're glad you enjoyed the trip, and hope you had a great stay in Mauritius. Happy New Year!
Our driver took us to Port Louis before the shops opened and we had 40 mins there. We then went to Botanical Gardens for 40 mins and then he took us to a place to have lunch. Only set menus no choice very expensive we were ripped off costing us nearly £100 for two lunches having paid for the driver who hardly spoke to us. He then gave us a choice between the Sugar museum and the colonial house we thought both were included. So very disappointing. Not enough time to explore things properly.
Hi, thanks for your review and feedback. Please note that since the tour started at 9am, the shops in Port Louis should have been open. It's possible some were closed as it was a Saturday. We'll follow up with your driver regarding your feedback, and the Sugar Museum and Colonial House.
The guide driver did not know what was planned to visit duran5 the tour and moreover gave us no explanation
Bonjour, merci pour votre commentaire. Nous allons en informer votre chauffeur. Nous espérons que vous avez passé un excellent séjour à l'île Maurice.
San was absolutely amazing ! Taught and showed me so much even stopping to point things out! 100% would recommend!
Hi Gregory, thanks for your review! We're happy you enjoyed the excursion, and we hope you had a great stay in Mauritius!
Amazing time exploring and extra effort made! Had alot of fun! Driver was attentive and friendly. Will definitely recommend this trip
Hi, thanks for your great review. We're glad you had a great excursion and we hope to see you again soon!
Great day with Pravesh, our driver guide, who was good advice for tours and super friendly .......
Bonjour, merci pour votre avis. Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez passé une excellente excursion et espérons vous revoir bientôt.
This is a great way to do this tour. The transport was a 14 Seater which had a great air conditioning system and was really clean and neat. The driver was superb and left us on our own at the various venues, which was great as we could explore at leisure. The driver was polite and professional, and when we got to the market, he made sure to walk us to the right places so we did not get lost. All in all, this is definitely worth the money you pay, and it was great to see all these special places in one tour.
Hi, thanks so much for your review! We're happy you had a great trip and we hope to see you again soon!
My wife and I had a lovely trip with our driver San. He was very informative, accommodating to our requests and funny. His car was very comfortable (both my wife and I are over 6 foot and had good space). He is also an excellent driver, able to cope well with some adverse weather conditions. We would recommend San for anyone wanting to explore the North of Mauritius.
Hi, thanks so much for your review! We're glad you had a great day with San and we hope to see you again soon!
