Catamaran cruises in Mauritius

One of the most relaxing and invigorating activities that can be enjoyed in Mauritius is a catamaran cruise. A catamaran (originating from the Tamil word kattu maram!) is a big boat used mostly nowadays for recreational purposes. Catamaran cruises in Mauritius are rewarding activities where people sail onto the clear turquoise waters for a day while either sunbathing on the deck with a slight wind on the face or enjoying beautiful views of the ocean and the coasts of Mauritius. They can be arranged as part of an excursion package for tourists or locals can contact agencies involved in this business to organize the cruise. Cruises are done on three coasts of Mauritius namely the north, east and west coasts whilst the south coast presents too strong currents for leisure sailing. From the northern part of the island, the journey is from a specific pickup point at Grand Bay or Pereybere (depending on the organizers) to sail onto the northern waters around Gabriel island, Flat island, Gunners’ Coin; lunch is usually served on one of the islets depending on the choice of the clients. On the east coast, the pickup point is at Trou d’eau douce, a journey which involves sailing onto the eastern waters up to Ile aux Cerfs for lunch. The pickup points on the western coast are at Tamarin, Riviere Noire or Le Morne; the cruise is about sailing onto the western waters with lunch on Ile aux Benitiers. All through the cruise, people can enjoy limitless drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic) whilst the skippers inform the public about interesting sites along the way. Prices may vary from agency to agency and from boat to boat but typically it is around Rs 1,500/person which includes a full day cruise, lunch (barbeques/salads/soft drinks/water/alcoholic drinks) on a nearby islet and loaning of snorkeling equipment. The cruise is ideal for all persons and of all ages such as families, friends, honeymooners etc; it starts early in the morning at around 9am up to 4-5pm in the afternoon. Packages can be tailor made based on the clients’ desires such as parties, weddings, sunset dinners, swim with dolphins (west coast) etc. Cruises allow people to enjoy a nice day out sailing over the paradise waters, visiting far away islets around Mauritius, swimming in the warm waters, snorkeling and discovering the rich marine life. While some agencies offer only full day cruises, others offer overnight charters too (check out different agencies if you want to do this). The sailing time can be roughly about 2hours depending on the weather and speed of the boat during which you can lie lazily on the deck or hammocks on certain boats and sunbathe or just enjoy the ocean views before heading off to lunch.