Whale Watching in Mauritius: €75 for the Whales Alone, €110 With Dolphins – and Nobody Swims With the Whales

Whales off Mauritius are a boat trip from the west coast, and the choice comes down to one question: do you also want to get into the water with dolphins?

For most people: the Black River dolphin swim and whale watching by speedboat at €115 – 4.6 stars from 760 reviews, five hours, dolphins first and whales afterwards. Whales only: the Black River whale watching boat tour at €75, 2.5 hours, groups limited to 8. Small boat, same €120: Dolphins & whale watching, 4.9 stars from 37 reviews, three hours, six guests, a very early start.

The five, side by side

All prices are per person. The first three rows are the ones worth booking; the last two are covered below, with the reasons they are not.

The whales: when, and how likely

The operators’ pages agree on the outline and differ by a month. Sperm whales are described as resident, seen all year. Humpbacks pass in winter: June to October on the two Black River listings, June to September on the Friendly Dodo page, which adds “subject to variation”. So July to September is covered by every listing, and October is the month to ask about. For the weather side of those months, see the best time to visit Mauritius.

Both Black River pages quote the same figure: a 60 per cent chance of seeing whales. That is the operator’s number, not a measurement, and it cuts both ways. On their own figure, roughly four trips in ten come back without whales. The reviews of the whales-only boat, mostly from July to September, mention sperm whales again and again, a family of pilot whales for half an hour in one case, and humpbacks in another.

Nobody swims with the whales

Two of the listings say it outright: “NO SWIMMING” on the Black River trips, and swimming with whales “strictly prohibited in Mauritius” on the Friendly Dodo page. That matches the regulations, which we set out in the rules for swimming with dolphins: swimming with a whale is an offence, and a boat must stay outside a 100-metre ring around the closest whale. One guest on the whales-only boat praised the operator for refusing, noting that other operators offer it. Another trip’s review claims to have swum with whales; treat that as one guest’s account, not something to book for.

The dolphin swim is a separate matter with its own limits: according to those rules, only three swimmers, one of them the crew’s lifesaver, may be in the water at once. On a boat for 14 guests that means taking turns. On a boat for six, it means shorter waits.

The €110 speedboat is the one to book

The Black River speedboat trip runs five hours and puts three things in one: a swim with spinner or bottlenose dolphins, a snorkel on the reef, then the search for whales, which are watched from the boat only. The boat takes 14 people plus two skippers. Snorkelling gear, water, soft drinks and hotel pickup are included; you may bring a packed lunch. The operator is Dolswim, the same one that runs the whales-only boat.

It is the most-reviewed of the five by a wide margin: 760 reviews, against 98 for the next. That is why it is the default. The catch is that the whale part is the least certain item in the day. Treat the dolphins and the reef as what you are paying for, and the whales as the bonus.

Not suitable, according to the operator: people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users. Swimming is not recommended for pregnant women.

See availability and prices for the Black River dolphin swim and whale watching

The €65 boat is for people who only want whales

The Black River whale watching boat tour is 2.5 hours, limited to 8 participants, with water and soft drinks, a guide who explains what you are looking at, and hotel pickup. It is €45 cheaper than the speedboat and half the length. Same operator, same meeting point at La Jetée Road, same 60 per cent claim.

Do not read “shorter” as “gentler”. The operator lists children under 3, pregnant women, people with back problems and people prone to seasickness as not suitable. Guests describe a bumpy return leg that was not flagged beforehand, a cramped boat, a thin briefing and, in one case, a trip of almost two hours rather than 2.5, with no drinks seen on board. One guest found the lifejackets worn and in need of replacement. The overwhelming picture is positive: respectful approaches, knowledgeable guides, sperm whales seen several times. Just go in expecting a fast small boat, not a cruise (per the booking page).

See availability and prices for the Black River whale watching boat tour

The small-boat option has the strictest conditions

Dolphins & whale watching is €110 for three hours on a 26-foot boat for six guests, occasionally eight, run by The Friendly Dodo. Its 4.8 stars come from 37 reviews, so it is far less proven than the 713-review Black River boat.

The departure is between 4:45am and 6:15am, depending on the season, and exact details arrive by WhatsApp one or two days before. The company will not wait more than 15 minutes for a late guest. Participants must be confident with mask and fins, since no instruction is given, and the crew reserves the right to refuse water entry on grounds of confidence. The operator lists as not suitable: children under 5, pregnant women, people with back problems, cruise ship guests, people with recent surgery, people over 115 kg and people with a low level of fitness. If that list excludes you, it is a different trip from the speedboat, not a better one (per the booking page).

See availability and prices for Dolphins & whale watching

The dear ones, and why they are not recommended

The Ocean Symphony trip costs €169 and lasts 7 hours 30 minutes, but its own itinerary puts the boat cruise at 3.5 hours; the rest is the pickup, breakfast on a beach and the return. It is sold as a luxury marine escape for a private or small group. Its rating is the lowest of the five: 3.7 stars from 98 reviews, with a value-for-money score of 3.7 out of 5 on the booking page. Guests praise the pickup and the whale sightings, and several say the trip did not match the description: a snorkel stop that turned out to be a jetty with a few rocks, only two chances to jump in with the dolphins while other boats’ guests went in several times, and one guest who says they were moved onto a whale-and-dolphin-watching-only trip. One guest reports eight whales.

The €150 whale watching from Flic en Flac is whales only, three hours, with a 4.1 average over 21 reviews. The recent reviews are nearly all five stars and praise the skipper, and it is worth a look if you are staying in Flic en Flac and want the sperm whales at the cost of €85 more than the whales-only boat at Black River. Nothing on its page justifies that gap beyond the departure point and a listed hotel transfer. It excludes children under 6, pregnant women, people prone to seasickness and people with a low level of fitness.

Two more listings do not earn a link. The whale and dolphin watching speedboat tour from Flic en Flac costs €125 and has 11 reviews at 4 stars, mentions opportunities to swim and snorkel, transfer and lunch not included, and non-swimmers listed as not suitable. A “Whales Quest” at €190 has 26 reviews at 3.7 stars, a meeting point to be announced to guests, and a page that says very little about what you will actually see.

Who should not go

If you get seasick, none of these is a gentle option: the whales-only boat and the €150 trip list it as not suitable, and the €125 listing does too. They are all speedboats on the open sea. Ask your pharmacist or doctor before booking, not the skipper. If you need step-free access, the operator of the 5-hour speedboat excludes wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments. If you want a guaranteed whale, no one sells one.

The recommendation

Book the Black River speedboat for €115. It has by far the most reviews, it covers dolphins and the reef whatever the whales do, and you leave with something even on the 40 per cent of trips that find none. Choose the whales-only boat at €65 only if the swim does not interest you.