Is Île aux Cerfs Worth It? What the Boat Trips Actually Give You
5 min read
Yes, Île aux Cerfs is worth it for most first-time visitors if the boat day is part of the attraction. Book the catamaran trip with lunch and transfer: seven hours, €58.10, 4.4 stars from 2,437 reviews. This trip requires at least two people per booking and excludes wheelchair users. Pickup depends on the option selected. For a catamaran day with onboard music, consider the catamaran lagoon experience at €48.44, rated 4.6/5 from 1,134 reviews. Choose the full-day speedboat only if visiting several south-east lagoon sights matters enough to pay €125.
Five ways to spend the day
| Trip | Duration | From | Rating /5 · reviews | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran with lunch and transfer | 7 hours | €58.10 | 4.4 · 2,437 | Most first visits |
| Catamaran cruise with BBQ lunch | 6–7 hours | €48.63 | 4.3 · 1,455 | Waterfall, snorkelling and BBQ lunch |
| Catamaran with BBQ and snorkelling | 7 hours | €62.10 | 4.8 · 869 | Eau Bleu snorkelling and island time |
| Catamaran lagoon experience + BBQ | 7 hours | €48.44 | 4.6 · 1,134 | Onboard music and BBQ lunch |
| Full-day speedboat to Île aux Cerfs | 7 hours | €125 | 4.8 · 457 | More south-east lagoon sights |
What guests are really buying
On the catamaran trips, the island is one part of a lagoon day. All four catamaran descriptions include snorkelling, the Grand River South East waterfall and lunch, with a three-course lunch on two of the trips. Transfer arrangements differ. The BBQ-and-snorkelling cruise offers pickup only from its named hotel list, including St Géran, Belle Mare Plage, Long Beach and Shangri-La Le Touessrok, when that option is selected. For the Atlantis cruise, choose the pickup option and check the collection area before paying. That mix is why the day works: even if the beach is not what you hoped for, the sail, a swim and lunch are still part of the day.
The €62.10 catamaran is rated 4.8/5 from 869 reviews. The €48.44 lagoon experience is rated 4.6/5 from 1,134 reviews. Both trips include BBQ lunch and drinks; the lagoon experience explicitly makes music part of the day and advises travellers seeking quiet to consider that before booking. Neither runs beyond seven hours. On the Atlantis cruise, wheelchair users must be able to stand briefly to board and leave the shuttle boat, with crew assistance.
See availability for the catamaran with BBQ and snorkelling
The speedboat is a different answer. Its description adds islands along the south-east lagoon, a lighthouse and wrecks on the coral reef. The speedboat meeting point is the beach of Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa; check the collection arrangements if you select a pickup option. Choose the speedboat at €125 for that broader route and faster boat, not merely to reach the same beach.
When Île aux Cerfs is not worth it
If an empty beach is your priority, check the island stop and group format before booking. The speedboat offers private as well as small-group options; a private boat does not reserve the island for you. Skip the full-day format if you dislike spending six or seven hours around boats, lunch and scheduled stops. Island water sports such as parasailing are optional extras on the lunch-and-transfer, lagoon-experience and Atlantis catamaran trips. Check the separate activity price and participation requirements before adding them.
The island makes more sense for travellers who enjoy a varied lagoon day: sailing from the east coast, a waterfall visit, snorkelling, barbecue and beach time, with the order depending on the trip. If only the beach matters, a simpler transfer may suit better than a packaged cruise. The island operator publishes daily opening hours of 9am–6pm; an excursion’s boat schedule may give you a much shorter visit.
Our recommendation
For most visitors, book the €58.10 catamaran with lunch and transfer, selecting the pickup option if you need it: the description offers hotel pickup and return anywhere in Mauritius. It is rated 4.4/5 from 2,437 reviews. The lagoon experience at €48.44 has 4.6/5 from 1,134 reviews and offers optional transfers from the north to the east only. Choose the speedboat only for its extra south-east stops.
