There is far more choice for day charters and day cruises in Mauritius than for proper overnight boat and yacht charters; renting of bare boats is simply not possible.

The typical day-charter catamarans take between 10 and 30 persons aboard, depending on size. The trips usually start at around 9.00 am and are over at around 4.00 pm. Lunches and drinks are included in the rates;
towels like snorkelling equipment is usually supplied. In many cases, these trips are not exactly the tranquil days at sea as the cocktails prepared using the local rum seem to be quite potent under the sun if we judge by the amount of people dancing on the decks on the way back... Operators of day-cruise boats based in the Grand Bay (North) typically propose trips to the northern islets. Those in Black River (West coast) propose dolphin-watch and soft catamaran cruises in the lagoon between Black River and le Morne, while the ones along the east start either from Pointe D'Esny (South-East) or from Trou D'Eau Douce (East,) with a lunch stop at Ile aux Cerfs; (East).

For a peaceful day at sea, we recommend the day-chartering of yachts on an exclusive basis. The rentals include the services of crew (one to two members) and the organisation of food and drinks to be served on board. Exclusive day-chartering is of course an expensive solution but allows the real enjoyment of the peacefulness of the sea and especially of the moorings. Offering the flexibility in terms of itineraries and time, they make possible the avoiding of the crowds by mooring when and where there are fewer or no other boats. The mooring at "Ilot Gabriel" for instance is really worth the visit when all the other boats have left.

As regards to on-board accommodations and real cruising holidays, there are 2 operators proposing overnight or longer stays aboard. The main one is Yacht Management Ltd proposing cabin rentals with confirmed trips around the northern islands and the West coast. Also Sheercat Ltd offers exclusive overnight trips mainly off the lagoons, on board its luxury motor catamaran.

(Motor) Boating: There are very few speedboats for day rentals but owing to the configuration of the lagoons and the regulations regarding the use of pleasure crafts speedboats in Mauritius are always rented with the skipper. Possible in Grand Bay (North) and Trou d'Eau Douce / Ile aux Cerfs (East) where there are several operators taking people to Ile aux Cerfs, the mouth of the "Grande Riviere Sud-est" (GRSE) and to other nice spots in the huge east-coast lagoon.

(Dinghy) Sailing: Dinghies are available in most, if not all beach resorts and often for free. Unfortunately, the quality of equipment is often appalling and not suitable to sailing fanatics. No independent boathouses propose dinghies on the island.

More Catamaran cruises in Mauritius

Update January 2013