10 Dolphin & Whale Watching in Mauritius That Repay the Early Start

1.Île aux Bénitiers: Snorkeling w/Dolphins Boat Tour & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,635 reviews · 7 hours · from $115Our pick

You’ll leave from the west coast by speedboat for a morning dolphin encounter, then snorkel near Crystal Rock with Le Morne behind you. Guides such as Yan, Alex, Kevin, and Lulu lead the boat portion, followed by a three-course beach BBQ, local drinks, and free time on Île aux Bénitiers. Hotel pickup and drop-off across Mauritius are included.

“Just a lovely day out. Slightly disconcerting as to how many boats were out around the dolphins and swimmers. Something that perhaps needs to be looked at.”

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2.Black River: Dolphin Swim and Whale Watching by Speedboat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 595 reviews · 5 hours · from $129

From Grande Riviere Noire, you ride a speedboat with up to 14 passengers and two skippers. Swim with spinner and bottlenose dolphins, watch whales from the boat, then snorkel a coral reef. Guides such as Globis, Conrad, Alan, Ronaldo, and Fabio have been praised for calm, careful wildlife handling.

“Die Guide did a very good job. We saw everything we wanted to see! Most imported - he took v3r4 good care of the animals. He was very careful and kept a secure distance to the animals! Thank you for that nice experience!”

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3.Tamarin: Dolphin Snorkel, CrystalRock, ile o Benitiers Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 511 reviews · from $77

Meet your licensed crew at Tamarin Public Beach for a speedboat trip to find dolphins in their natural habitat. You can swim and snorkel nearby, stop at Crystal Rock, and eat a beach barbecue on Ile aux Benitiers. Guides including Gregory, Peanut, Atish, and Jordan have been praised for friendly service and good local food.

“Gregory & Peanut were absolutely amazing crew on the boat. They made sure we saw everything that was promised in the description and even more! Absolutely recommended.”

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4.Lydia Boat Mauritius :Private boat tour:Whales&Dolphins encounter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 409 reviews · from $225Top rated

Meet Lydia Boat at Emba Filao beach for a private 7.5-hour speedboat trip from Le Morne. Guides such as Miguel, Navy, Owen, Rino, and Theo lead dolphin watching, supervised swims, snorkeling near Crystal Rock, and seafood tastings. The island barbecue is currently served on the boat because Île aux Bénitiers has been closed since March 20, 2025.

“Our trip to Bénetier Island was a breathtaking experience. We were able to swim with dolphins and snorkel in the lagoon with turtles and many beautiful fishes. The barbecue at Bénetier was excellent and couldn't have been better. Many, many thanks to our great guides Navy and Ivan, who did everything to give us a perfect day :)”

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5.Black River: Swim with Dolphin Speed Boat Tour with lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 279 reviews · 6h 30m · from $74

Meet your English or French speaking skipper at Flic en Flac beach for a small-group speedboat trip. You will look for dolphins, swim only when conditions allow, snorkel near Crystal Rock, and enjoy a three-course BBQ with drinks on Île aux Bénitiers. Guides such as Brian and Steven are praised for friendly, careful service.

“We loved the tour! The guides were very friendly and it was so nice to swim with the dolphins. The barbecue on the island was nice and we had time to enjoy the nice beach. We would 100% recommend this tour! 🤗”

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6.Tamarin: Guided Kayak Tour with Dolphins

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 190 reviews · 2h 30m · from $64

Start before sunrise with a guide from Nature Discoveries, wearing a green Yanature shirt. Paddle into Tamarin Bay to look for spinner and bottlenose dolphins, then follow the Tamarin River if none appear. Guides including Théo, Yan, Mathieu, and Gilles share local wildlife facts in English or French.

“Fantastic experience to observe dolphins by kayak, way way better than going through boats that are ruining environment and experience afterwards. Jeremy was a amazing local guide. Strongly recommend”

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7.Speedboat to Ile aux Benitier: Dolphin Encounter & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 144 reviews · 6 hours · from $70

You’ll spend six hours on Mauritius’s west coast, starting with a speedboat trip from Flic en Flac to the open waters of Tamarin Bay for a dolphin encounter. Then visit Crystal Rock and Ile aux Benitiers for snorkeling, a barbecue lunch, drinks, beach time, and views of Le Morne. Hotel pickup is optional.

“There were too many boats near dolphins, so it was hard to catch them. The lunch on the island was good, so nice trip overall if you ignore too many people near dolphins. But we had a pick up and they failed to pick us on time (hour delay), so the driver had to rush us to the meeting spot. The driver was pretty scary thanks to this.”

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8.Mauritius: Ocean Swim with Dolphins

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 125 reviews · 6 hours · from $93

Start with breakfast at 7:30 AM, then take a speedboat from Martello Tower Museum to watch and swim near dolphins in Black River. Snorkel at the Aquarium, photograph Crystal Rock with Le Morne behind you, and finish with a BBQ, drinks, and free time on Île aux Bénitiers. English and French guides lead the six-hour outing.

“This is an unethical tour that causes lots of stress to the dolphins. We booked this tour assuming that the guides knew "a spot" where to go see and swim with the dolphins. However, all similar tour providers (incl. this one) - chase the poor dolphins around, sometimes baiting them with food, and ask tourists to jump in the water to see them / swim with them. Not only that you don't really get to swim with the dolphins, but you also cause major stress to them. Tje rest of the tour was OKish, although a bit boring. And the organization at the beginning of the tour was quite bad…”

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9.Mauritius Le Morne: Eco-Friendly Dolphin Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 123 reviews · 2 hours

Join Ben and his skipper for a private two-hour trip from Le Morne. Start early to find spinner dolphins before the water gets crowded, then snorkel in the lagoon and watch for turtles. The crew supplies masks and fins, shares practical dolphin facts, and may add free fishing if time allows.

“Extremely friendly staff and we were lucky enough to find the dolphin. It was probably one of the best moments of the whole vacation”

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10.La Preneuse: Dolphin Watching and Snorkeling Speedboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 92 reviews · 2 hours · from $58Best value

Meet your skipper by La Tour Martello at La Preneuse Beach for a two-hour speedboat trip with dolphin watching and lagoon snorkeling. Guides such as Feliciano, Andy, and Miguel are praised for their care and help in the water. Dolphins are wild, so you may need to swim quickly to keep up.

“The crew was really nice and we saw lots of dolohins and some whales.”

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