Snorkeling with Giant Turtles, The Odyseo Aquarium & Port Louis
Description
* Note: It is forbidden to touch or interact with the turtles. * Note: This tour is private except for the turtles portion. * Note: Typically the turtles portion of the tour is done first, however this may change depending on the tides. This action-packed day will take you from the peaceful lagoons of the North of Mauritius to the busting capital of Port Louis. Begin with a once-in-a-lifetime experience: Snorkeling with giant turtles! You'll board a boat from the northwest coast of the island, and take a short ride to where the turtles are. Masks and tubes are provided (fins are not allowed). Spend the afternoon in the vibrant capital of Port Louis. You’ll have the chance to visit the Odyseo Aquarium, with over 200 species of aquatic marine life native to the Indian Ocean. Learn about conservation efforts designed to preserve marine life, including sea turtles! Continue your adventure in Port Louis by visiting the famous Caudan Waterfront, Central Market, and Fort Adelaide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start the day with one of the most unique experiences in Mauritius: snorkeling with wild, giant turtles! You will board a boat on the northwest coast of the island and have the opportunity to snorkel with turtles in their natural environment. These Giant Green Sea Turtles can reach up to 1.2m in length and weigh up to 200kg. Apart from the turtles, you can see a variety of marine life, including different varieties of tropical fish and coral. Snorkeling gear is included (masks and tubes - fins are not allowed)! Note: Typically the swimming with wild turtles portion of the tour is done first, however this may change depending on the tides. The total time spent on the boat and snorkeling is around 45 minutes.
The Odysseo Aquarium is the largest oceanarium in the Mascarene Archipelago, and the first of its kind in Mauritius! The oceanarium showcases 45 habitats of different sizes and shapes, and over 200 species of aquatic marine life that inhabit the Indian Ocean. Guests will be able to learn about conservation efforts designed to preserve marine life in the Indian Ocean, including the giant sea turtles from the morning’s snorkeling.
Learn about the tea-making process and the history of tea in Mauritius. You’ll also have the chance to sample some teas.
Explore one of the most well-known areas of Port Louis: the famous Caudan Waterfront. Full of shops, restaurants, an arts centre, a casino and more, Caudan is the ultimate place to take in the stunning views of Port Louis’ harbour, or enjoy a Phoenix beer on a patio.
The Port Louis Market (Central Market) is an authentic Mauritian market located in downtown Port Louis. With an array of fruits, vegetables, spices, clothing, souvenirs, and much more for sale, guests can shop, or just take in the sights and sounds of the bustling market. Don’t forget to bargain if you decide to shop!
Enjoy a panoramic view of Port Louis from atop Fort Adelaide. Built by the British in the 1830s, Fort Adelaide is the perfect place to enjoy a 360 degree view of Port Louis, so make sure you bring your camera!
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. We will let you know your exact pickup time upon booking, but it will generally be at between 8:00am and 9:00am.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The swimming with turtles portion of this outing is not recommended for pregnant women. All children under 12 years old should be accompanied.
- This tour lasts up to eight hours, and you will be able to choose how long you spend at each attraction (except for the turtles portion). Depending on your group’s speed you may not have time to see all the listed attractions. You will be able to stop for lunch but the price of the lunch is not included
- Bring swimwear and a towel for the swimming with turtles portion, and a change of clothes and comfortable walking shoes for the rest of the tour
Reviews(9)
The Aquarium was absolutely awesome. It is beautifully set out. The Aquarium is absolutely spotless and there was such a great variety of information to learn from
Visit of the places of visit too fast and on Wednesday we could not see the turtles because of the low tides but after contacting the provider he asked us to come back the next day and there the charm operated we could swim with a turtle. Too many people but it is not the fault of the provider who was very attentive and did what was necessary to satisfy us. Namely that you are in the turtles then show patience and charm will work
Bonjour, merci pour votre avis et vos commentaires. Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez enfin pu voir les tortues et espérons que vous avez passé un excellent séjour à l'île Maurice.
Aquarium good, swimming with Turtles!! Only one turtle and all it did was feed! Not worth the money Driver good, tour good, don’t do the turtles, you can swim from beach and see more !!!!
Hi, thanks for your review and feedback. While guests are typically able to see several turtles, the sea had been rough for a few days preceding your trip. As the turtles are wild, there's always the risk they won't make an appearance. We're sorry you were't able to see more!
Very disappointing tour. No turtles due to speed boats nearby. I was expecting a quiet excluded area to interact with numerous turtles whilst snorkelling. Also, no guided tour of historical sites in Port Louis area. Tour took just 4 hours which was much shorter than advertised.
Hi, thanks for your review and feedback. Sorry that you didn't see any turtles - while this is rare, it does happen on occasion, as the turtles are wild. We'll follow up with the driver regarding the time in Port Louis. Typically, our drivers provide background information at the attractions, but do accompany guests into the attractions. We hope you enjoyed your brief visit to Mauritius!
Was a great day. Was lucky to see turtles. Driver Manoj was excellent and very knowledgeable. We didn't do aquarium, our choice, but were shown other places of interest. Got an overall experience of Mauritius.
Hi, thanks so much for your review! We're glad you enjoyed the day with Manoj, and we hope you enjoyed your brief visit to the island!
San was a great taxi driver which took us to a lot of places. The aquarium is over rated for the price you pay to get in there. There are two sharks and a few fish not the best for the price of 24 euros each. The views were good but not worth the money.
Hi Matthew, thanks for your review. We're glad you had a good day with San and sorry you didn't like the aquarium. We hope you had a great stay in Mauritius!
Our guide was Satya Reddy. I recommend him, because he was driving us the whole day, and we have seen a lot of things. Great guy.
Hi Andras, thanks so much for your review! We're happy you enjoyed the tour with Satya and we hope to see you again during your next trip to Mauritius!
The tour was not so interesting. Port Louis doesn't have that many sights and history to take you there. They take you to see the city's market and open-air mall overlooking the harbor. Rather uninteresting. Entrance to the Aquarium 22e per person. An extremely bad offer that can only be interesting for children. The tour is not worth the money and I do not recommend it.
Hi Viktorija, we're sorry you didn't like Port Louis. It is certainly much different from many other areas of the island. We hope you enjoyed your vacation in Mauritius.
THANK YOU BOBBY FOR YOUR KINDNESS, YOUR ADVICE, YOUR EXPLANATIONS. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. I RECOMMEND +++! BOBBY DESERVES TO BE WORKED BECAUSE HE'S JUST AT THE TOP. CHRISTELLE (the team of Jimmy, Philippe, yann,...)
Bonjour, merci pour votre avis ! Nous sommes heureux que vous ayez apprécié cette excursion et espérons que vous apprécierez vos vacances à l'île Maurice !
