Swimming with dolphins + Ile aux Bénitiers is a popular boat trip on the west coast of Mauritius.
You really do have to do at least one boat trip during your visit to this stunning island. Why not let it be a west coast adventure?!
So, does a speedboat adventure combining swimming with dolphins, snokelling at a coral reef and swimming around Crystal Rock, with lunch and leisure time on Ile aux Bénitiers sound like your vibe? If yes, this is the trip for you!
If you fancy a more relaxing version, however, you can switch the speedboat for a catamaran. You won’t be able to swim with dolphins, but will still get the opportunity to see them up close from the comfort of a catamaran boat! Snorkelling, seeing Crystal Rock up close and stepping on the sandy shores of Ile aux Bénitiers will still be part of the deal!
For accommodation in Mauritius, I recommend checking out Booking.com and Agoda for the best range of options and deals!
I recommend hiring a car while in Mauritius. This will give you the freedom to fully explore the island, which is well worth doing! Rental cars can be picked up from the airport or from various towns on the island. You can check out rental cars here.
I actually did two boat trips while in Mauritius. Both were totally different experiences! The first, a relaxing catamaran boat trip on the east coast to Ile aux Cerfs. The second being the one we will look at in this post – a west coast speedboat adventure swimming with dolphins and visiting Ile aux Bénitiers. So, I’ll give you an insight into this trip and you can decide if it’s one for your itinerary!
Don’t forget travel insurance for your visit to Mauritius!! SafetyWing is an excellent choice, allowing you to travel worry free! You can check out SafetyWing’s travel insurance options here.
(If you opt for the catamaran trip to Ile aux Bénitiers over the speedboat, you can still get a general idea of what to expect from this post. Same coastline, same destinations just with a few differences in the trip!).
It might be of interest to note that, being the more sheltered coast on the island, generally the weather on the west coast is best. That’s to say, the east coast boat trip I did was super fun but unfortunately was the worst weather day of my entire trip. Maybe I was just super unlucky, but it was sunny that day on arrival back in the west!! So if you’re visiting in summer, for example, this being rainy season, maybe a west coast boat trip (such as this one!) is the ‘safest’ option. That is, if you want to pre-book a boat trip and can’t foresee the weather.
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Booking a Swimming with Dolphins + Ile aux Bénitiers Boat Trip
There are various tour companies with which you can do a swimming with dolphins + Ile aux Bénitiers west coast boat trip. Each offers a very similar experience, so it’s up to personal preference which you book! The main differences are the starting points of the trips, and whether transport to/from the start point is included.
Trips can be booked either online or directly with a tour operator while in Mauritius!
Booking online
If you like to be organised and pre-plan, booking online is for you! I recommend heading over to GetYourGuide. Here, you can find various Ile aux Bénitiers and swimming with dolphins trip options!
Booking online in advance will help ensure your desired boat trip isn’t fully booked on the day you wish to do it!
The best tour options for you will vary depending on where you wish to leave from, in addition to whether you require transport to/from your accommodation.
If you do require transport to the west coast, this Île aux Bénitiers tour is rated as a top pick. It includes transfer to/from your hotel anywhere on the island. For this reason, it is more expensive than some of the other options, but it just might be worth it to save the extra hassle of getting there.
Should you already be staying in Flic en Flac (there is a high chance you might be – it’s a popular spot!), or in neighboring Tamarin, you can avoid the transport hassle by booking a trip which leaves directly from either of these towns.
Or, if you wish to drive yourself – perhaps you are intending to hire a car in Mauritius (I do recommend to do so in order to see the island most conveniently!) – then there are various options available to you should you be willing to drive to the meet-up point early morning. This will likely work out cheaper overall, too, especially if there are 2 or more of you.
Boat Trip from Flic en Flac:
The Black River: Swim with Dolphin Speed Boat Tour with lunch leaves from Flic en Flac public beach. The meeting spot being near the football playground – central and easy to get to.
Boat Trip from Tamarin:
The Tamarin: DolphinSwim, CrystalRock, lunch on Benitiers Isle boat tour begins from the meet-up spot on Tamarin Public Beach.
These are a couple of the top rated and most popular options, however there are others, all very similar. Check out all of the boat trip options here.
If you do wish to do the more ‘comfortable’ and relaxing trip version of this trip, check out this catamaran cruise to Ile aux Bénitiers. (There is no swimming with dolphins on this trip, just watching them from the catamaran!)
Booking in person
If you prefer to book in person and don’t wish to pre-plan too much, go to a booking agent on the island. Alternatively, I’m sure even your hotel/resort will be happy to book you onto a tour. At the least they will guide you to the best tour option for you, coming from that particular accommodation spot.
For my trip, I booked with LMC Tours in Flic en Flac. I booked it the day before I went on the trip, heading to their office. I was just lucky there was still space left for the next day!! Don’t leave it this late if you don’t want to be risking it! But anyway, I’m a last minute kinda gal (and as I was on a three week trip I had long enough to not need to be super organised and on a strict itinerary!).
If booking in person, make sure you get a receipt and take note of where and when to meet!
Swimming with Dolphins and Visiting Ile aux Bénitiers Boat Trip – What to Expect
Meet up
This boat trip adventure is an early start! You can expect your meeting time to be around 7:30am/8am, depending on which specific tour you opt for.
The boat trip I did, beginning in Flic en Flac, required us to meet at 7:30am, at the tour operator’s office. This was our meeting point as we were already staying in Flic en Flac. Those coming from elsewhere were told to meet directly at the beach. So, shortly, we were guided down to the beach to join the rest of the group. Take good note of the beginning time of YOUR trip and the meet-up point!!
When the group is all together, you will be led to your speedboat for the day!
You can expect there to be around 15 people in a group, in addition to the tour guide and skipper on the boat.
Setting off
Wherever your trip leaves from, I’m sure will be pretty scenic!! Leaving from Flic en Flac sure is anyway!
Getting to experience Flic en Flac from out on the water, ‘speeding’ along the coastline of the long sandy shore, was a stunning alternative perspective of this pretty town.
The tour guide soon gave us a little introduction and explained the plan for the day. The first mission was to search for dolphins and, if you wish, jump in and swim with them!
The tour guide will be happy to speak in both French and English, explaining everything in both languages if required by the guests.
So, we headed south, in the direction of Tamarin and Le Morne, the prominent mountains of both visible in the distance.
Searching for dolphins
Wild dolphins are known to frequent near Tamarin early morning, so that is where the boat heads and why the trip does begin so early – so you don’t miss them!
Nearing the first destination, you realise you are not the only boat out there searching for dolphins. When I said the tour options are all very similar, this is where it becomes evident. That’s to say, you can expect to see many other boat tours in this specific area now, going to the same spot to find the same dolphins. This can seem a little overwhelming, that’s why I want to warn you of that! Just so you are aware!
As you are nearing this area, it’s a good idea to start getting ready to go in the water, if you wish to.
Swimming with dolphins
We soon saw some dolphins gliding through the water, and when the guide told us it was okay to do so, it was time for swimming with dolphins! When the guide does say you can jump in, make sure to do so as promptly as possible! This will of course maximize your time and chance of seeing the dolphins up close. You want to be READY to jump off at any minute. Don’t faff around, get the snorkel on and go go go!!!!
Snorkels and masks are provided on board the boats. But you could bring your own if you wish! Note that fins are not provided.
So, essentially you will jump in and swim around the area, hoping to see the dolphins up-close while sharing their natural habitat. The other tour groups will be doing the same – there will be quite a lot of people in the water!! (I’ve provided a little more information on this of what to be aware of at the end of this post).
Remember these are wild dolphins and move quickly! You aren’t guaranteed to get in the water and have them right there!!
You are jumping into the ‘middle’ (not quite middle but you get me) of the ocean. Being at least a somewhat ‘confident’ swimmer is important! If you don’t feel comfortable partaking in the dolphin swim or simply just don’t want to get in the water, no worries! There will be others on your boat too that don’t wish to go in!! You can still spot the dolphins from the boat and have a great experience for this part of the trip.
I’ll admit, I failed to capture any good photos or videos, kudos to those who do!! About the best I got to post here was this dolphin below! But I promise I saw many more than just this one!!
After a certain amount of time in a particular area, once the dolphins begin to move away again, you will get back on the boat. They will take you to a different nearby spot, where again you can hop off the boat and swim! This will happen a few times, so be ready to go on and off the boat, quickly!
I was keen and hopping off the boat at each opportunity!! You get a bit more into the swing of things after the initial dolphin swim spot and get used to jumping on and off the boat.
There were a lot of dolphins around!! But I can confirm that sometimes you see dolphins, try to swim towards them but they move too fast even for the strong swimmers to follow for long!! Other times, they may just appear near you – there were about 6 or so that swam below me at one point. It was super cool!!
Bear in mind the number of dolphins you will encounter will vary by day. They are wild dolphins and can’t be ‘guaranteed’ as such!
Snorkelling at a coral reef
After a good amount of time searching for and swimming with dolphins, its time to move away from the dolphin spot! This time, the boat heads to a coral reef.
Here, again you have the opportunity to jump in the water if you wish. Searching for dolphins is over, it’s time to simply enjoy snorkeling and spotting some other sea-life.
At the spot we went to, it was much quieter, tour boat wise. So perhaps the tour boats have a slightly different spot each, or maybe some had already been and gone, or hadn’t come to this spot yet. I’m not sure! Anyway, it was nice not having quite so many people swimming around. I also didn’t have to keep an eye on my specific boat quite so much (more about that at the end of this post!)!!
The reef may not be the most impressive, but getting to experience it is a lovely addition to the trip. I saw some pretty, colourful fish and had a nice super chill swim around.
Oh, the reef in this spot also was a decent distance down. This is good as you don’t need to worry about accidentally touching it, however means you need to dive down a bit to get up close!
The stop here wasn’t too long. They said it would be around 30 minutes. If it was that long, it sure went by super quick!!
Hop back on the boat and next up is Crystal Rock…
Crystal Rock
Crystal Rock is a natural coral rock formation found in the ocean on the approach to Ile aux Bénitiers. It certainly stands out in its uniqueness, surrounded by a scenic backdrop.
The boat stops here long enough to jump off, go in for a swim and get up close to this natural wonder.
From Crystal Rock, it is just a short ride to Ile aux Bénitiers.
Ile aux Bénitiers
Ile aux Bénitiers is a very small island, just 2km long and 500m wide, off the southwest coast of Mauritius.
The island is found just north of Le Morne, most commonly known for its striking mountain. You get a unique viewpoint of such from out on the water heading towards Ile aux Bénitiers, and when on the island itself. You can’t miss it!
Ile aux Bénitiers is inhabited, and does lack amenities. Do note there are no toilet facilities on the island – the boat crew quite literally gives the options as being in the ocean, or going into the bushes….. (Don’t let that put you off – everyone is in the same situation and many people are visiting the island!)
Now that we covered that, lets take a look at the time you will spend on the island!
On arrival, the crew will inform you of how long you will have on the island, what time lunch will be ready, and when to be back at the boat for your departure. After leaving the boat, you will be led to a specific table which is for your particular boat group. This is your spot!!! Lunch will be here!
Group set-up on Ile aux Bénitiers
Once everyone gets settled at the table, the crew distributes some drinks – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic (these are part of the trip – no extra fees!). The crew will give out the first drinks, then you can help yourself after that. If there is anything in particular you know you will definitely want, however, that they may not have, you can always bring it with you. No one will stop you having your own drinks (or snacks!).
Free time on Ile aux Bénitiers
From here you are free to please yourself, whether that be to sit and chat with the others in your group, or go for a little walk along the island and/or a dip in the water. I definitely say go for a walk/swim – you will return to the table and the group for lunch so can mingle then! Just keep in mind what time lunch is to ensure you are back on time.
After having a rum and coke or two, I went for a little solo explore along the coastline. Essentially, exploring the island is done just along the front beach area which you arrive into. A 2km long stretch of sand!
I headed along the island in the direction of Le Morne, which was forever standing out in the distance!
The initial area where all the boats arriving into was very busy, unsurprisingly. Also near here there are some stalls with souvenirs. So if you do go for a walk, take some money with you. You just might want to buy something!
The further along you walk (not even going very far at all!), the quieter it becomes. I always like to explore a little beyond where most others do and head to the quiet spots! This gave the island a different feel, giving an extra paradisaical dimension to it.
I didn’t walk all the way to the end, but far enough along to get a better idea of this island!
Group lunch on Ile aux Bénitiers
As lunch time neared, I headed back to our assigned table.
For the lunch, the crew cook up some food while on the island. Once it’s ready (at the time they stated), they lay it out on the table. Everyone in the group can then help themselves. Typically you can expect sausages, chicken, fish, salad, garlic bread, followed by banana flambé for desert. If you have specific dietary requirements, do let them know BEFORE embarking on the trip!!
After lunch leisure time
Post lunch there is again be enough time to do as you please on the island. Remember to take note of the time of departure as stated by your tour guide!
So, after lunch I went for a little walk and swim in the opposite direction. Similar to before, the beach became somewhat deserted after not even walking that far. The island scenes were again stunning, with more mountains in the distance, too!
As departure time neared, I headed back and spent a little more time around the table, and went for another dip in the ocean.
Soon, it was time for the island adventure to be over. We had to hit the water and head back to Flic en Flac, where the day began.
Return trip
After saying goodbye to Ile aux Bénitiers, you can expect the return trip to be pretty direct.
There are no more swimming or snorkeling stops. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t stop to spot some more dolphins, if you’re lucky and they’re around! We saw some!!
Time-wise, we arrived back at Flic en Flac around 3pm, so it was a good length of boat trip!
Overall, the swimming with dolphins + Ile aux Bénitiers boat trip in Mauritius was a pretty full packed adventure day!
It was also completely different to the catamaran tour on the west which I did a few days before this one. If you choose to do two boat trips in Mauritius, try to mix it up like this – one catamaran and one speedboat trip, and on different coasts!
Looking for more ideas of what to do in Mauritius? Feel free to check out my other posts such as:
