East Mauritius tour: Tea factory, rum distillery & Mahebourg

Tea tasting overlooking the south coast, then rum tasting in a colonial house

A private full-day tour of East Mauritius with hotel pickup, combining visits to Bois Chéri Tea Factory and Rhumerie St-Aubin distillery with tastings, a three-course Mauritian lunch, and stops at Mahebourg's Naval Museum, local market, waterfront and Frederik Hendrik Museum. The guide speaks English, French, Hindi or Urdu. Children from age one are welcome, and vegetarian meals are available on request.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Mauritius East: Tea, Rum, History

• Hotel pick-up and meet guide
• Visit Bois Chéri Tea Factory and plantation
• Tour tea production museum and taste teas
• Explore Rhumerie St Aubin distillery and rum tasting
• Enjoy 3-course lunch at local restaurant
• Visit Mahebourg Naval Museum
• Walk Mahebourg Waterfront and learn history
• Browse Mahebourg Local Market and taste street food
• Visit Frederik Hendrik Museum and ruins
• See panoramic views at Pointe Canon
• Return to hotel

The experience

The day starts with pickup from your hotel anywhere in Mauritius and a drive to Bois Chéri Tea Factory, the first tea plantation on the island. A guide leads you through the factory and plantation, explaining the history of tea production in Mauritius and how the operation works today. You'll visit the tea production museum, then taste a range of flavored, green and herbal teas at the restaurant, which sits on a panoramic terrace overlooking the south of the island.

From there you head to Rhumerie St-Aubin, a colonial estate where you tour the sugar factory, vanilla house, anthurium greenhouse and tropical botanical garden before a guided rum tasting session. The distillery explains the traditional rum-making process while you sample the different flavors they produce. Afterward, a local restaurant serves a three-course lunch with fresh salads, rice, soups, chicken, fish and vegetables. Non-alcoholic beverages are included, and vegetarian options are available.

The afternoon moves to Mahebourg, starting with the Naval Museum, which holds artifacts from the 18th-century French colonial period and the naval battle between the French and British, along with bones of extinct giant tortoises and the dodo. You then walk the Mahebourg Waterfront, a promenade tied to the historic Battle of Grand Port, before browsing the lively local market for handicrafts and street food. The tour ends at Pointe Canon for a panoramic view of the southeast coast, Lion Mountain and the surrounding lagoon, then returns you to your hotel.

What’s included

• Tea tasting at Bois Chéri with panoramic views.
• entrance to the tea factory and production museum.
• guided tour of Rhumerie St-Aubin distillery with rum tasting.
• three-course Mauritian lunch with non-alcoholic beverages.
• entrance to Mahebourg Naval Museum.
• visits to Mahebourg Waterfront, local market and Frederik Hendrik Museum.
• private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• hotel pickup and drop-off anywhere in Mauritius.
• services of a certified private guide who speaks English, French, Hindi or Urdu.
• bottled water on arrival.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (18 to 65 years) · Senior (66 and older) · Youth (10 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 9 years) · Infant (1 to 3 years): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French, Hindi and Urdu

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Freshverde Holidays

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a full day of East Mauritius' colonial sites and food culture at your own pace with a dedicated guide, rather than moving through them on a fixed group schedule.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, French, Hindi and Urdu.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 17 years); Child (4 to 9 years); Infant (1 to 3 years): free.

What happens at the Bois Chéri Tea Factory?

Bois Chéri Tea Factory, the first tea plantation in Mauritius, offers a guided tour through the factory and plantation where you learn the history and process of tea production on the island. You visit the tea production museum and taste a range of flavored, green and herbal teas at the on-site restaurant, which has a panoramic view of the south coast.

Is there a rum tasting at Rhumerie St-Aubin?

Yes, Rhumerie St-Aubin includes a guided tour of the distillery where you learn the traditional rum-making process and taste the different flavors of rum the estate produces. The visit also covers the sugar factory, vanilla house, anthurium greenhouse and tropical botanical garden on the colonial estate.

What does the lunch include?

Lunch is a three-course Mauritian meal with fresh salads, rice, soups, chicken, fish and vegetables, served at a local restaurant. Non-alcoholic beverages are included, and vegetarian meals are available if you request them when booking.

What is the Frederik Hendrik Museum?

The Frederik Hendrik Museum, located at Old Grand Port in the southeast, preserves the remains of the first Dutch settlement in Mauritius. The site includes a visitors' centre with artifacts from archaeological excavations since 1997, ruins, building materials, military objects like musket balls and cannon balls, and a tropical garden.

How long is the tour and what's included in the price?

The tour runs seven to eight hours with hotel pickup and drop-off included. The price covers entrance to both Bois Chéri Tea Factory and Rhumerie St-Aubin, tea and rum tastings, a three-course lunch with non-alcoholic beverages, bottled water on arrival, and a fully qualified private guide and driver in a climate-controlled vehicle.