Swimming with Wild Dolphins & Whale Watching With Transportation
Mauritius
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Instead of booking separate excursions, experience Mauritius’ marine life three times in one day on this combination ocean adventure. Travel by speedboat to Tamarin Bay for the chance to encounter wild dolphins in their natural habitat, then stop at a popular snorkeling site known as “The Aquarium” to explore colorful fish and reef life. In the afternoon, head offshore to look for humpback and sperm whales in the open sea.
- Small-group tour: Fewer guests onboard means easier wildlife viewing
- Round-trip pickup and drop-off removes the need to arrange transport
- Enjoy multiple activities with just one booking—easier than securing seperate reservations
- Maximize your chances of spotting marine life by taking to the open water
What's Included
- Swimming with wild dolphins excursion
- Whale watching excursion
- Private transportation to and from the departure location
- Snorkeling equipment
- Bottled Water / Soft Drinks
- Professional Skippers
- Breakfast & Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We pick up at all hotels, B&Bs, apartments on the island. Please let us know which hotel, B&B or apartment you're staying at. Note that this excursion starts at 6:45am on the west coast of the island. Your exact pickup time will depend on where you are staying, but will typically be between 5:00am and 6:15am.
Operating hours.6:45 am
What To Expect
1
Tamarin Bay
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- In almost all cases (at least 90%), you will see dolphins, but if this is not the case, a second outing will be offered on the boat free of charge for the dolphin viewing only (2.5 hours). It’s important to note that there will be no refund once you have completed the activity
- There is a 60% chance that you will see whales, but if that is not the case, the local tour operator is unable to provide a refund due to the high fuel costs, so please consider this before making a booking
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
David_C
Swam with dolphins and saw whales, what more could you ask? Having been on many disappointing sea fishing trips in the past I went with a healthy dose of cynicism. However the 2 man crew were friendly and well informed from other boats and found both quickly. 2 things ticked off my bucket list. Watch outs, it gets quite cold and expect lots of spray so a change of clothes recommended. Overall had an amazing experience.
Reviews
4.4
based on 61 reviews
sebla_o, Mar 2026
Everyone who comes to Mauritius should experience this. We saw humpback whales, swam with dolphins and snorkeled on a beautiful reef. The company that organized it was excellent
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi, thanks os much for your wonderful review! We're happy you enjoyed the day on the water, and we hope to see you again soon!
ANDREW_S, Sep 2025
It's a great way to see dolphins in the wild. You need to be quick when they say go, go. Look down and they [dolphins] go past quickly. Then back on boat and move to do it again. Need to be confident swimmer if you are jumping in but you can stay on boat and see from above. We were lucky to see whales too, mother and two babies. There are a lot of other boats but the experience was great 👍.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi, thanks so much for your review! We're happy you had an amazing experience and we hope to see you again soon!
Bernardo_L, Aug 2025
We saw one whale and some dolphins, but when we went to do the snorkeling we finish to early. It supoust to finish at 12:30 mor or less, and were at the port at 10:30. In my opinion we should went to another snorkel place. Thanks.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi, thanks for your review and feedback. We're happy you had a successful trip and we'll follow up with the skipper regarding the schedule for that day.
David_C, Jun 2025
Swam with dolphins and saw whales, what more could you ask? Having been on many disappointing sea fishing trips in the past I went with a healthy dose of cynicism. However the 2 man crew were friendly and well informed from other boats and found both quickly. 2 things ticked off my bucket list. Watch outs, it gets quite cold and expect lots of spray so a change of clothes recommended. Overall had an amazing experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hi David, thanks so much for your review! We're glad you had a great trip and we hope to see you again soon!
Peter_A, May 2025
Picked up at 5:00AM because whale viewing has to be done before midday (Mauritius law), but getting up that early was worth it.
There's no guarantee of seeing anything at all, but the company are organised with spotter boats that go out early and then report back so us tourists get the very best chance.
They're also flexible - we were meant to see the dolphins first but that changed when a report came over the radio that whales had been spotted, and we ended up seeing 6 or 7 sperm whales which was amazing.
Later on we also got to see some dolphins - the method here is to park the boat ahead of their course and then for us to jump in quickly and watch as the dolphins swim under us. Then we got back in the boat which caught them back up and repeated.
Obviously we were there for dolphins and whales, but the landscape as we went out to sea with the sun coming up was also spectacular.
Response from Host, May 2025
Hi Peter, thanks so much for your review! We're happy you enjoyed the trip and we hope to see you again soon!
Elizabeth_K, Sep 2024
We saw several sperm whales, pilot whales and swam with a pod of 8 dolphins!!!! 10/10 all round, skippers were lovely, charming guys, couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Hi Elizabeth, thanks so much for your review! We're happy you had a very successful trip and we hope to see you during your next visit to Mauritius!
Gracie_R, Aug 2024
Guides were great and committed to finding the whales. Unfortunately because other boats allow people to swim with the whales, they don’t surface for long. This makes it difficult to find them, and if you do find them, you can only see them for a few minutes before they dive. The dolphins were sleeping so we only saw them sporadically as well. Snorkeling was nice with some good coral and fish.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Hi Gracie, thanks for your review! We hope you had a great stay in Mauritius and we hope to see you again soon!
Helen_D, Aug 2024
The crew were friendly and very knowledgeable. A great morning, we saw 3 adult and 1 baby sperm whales. Swimming with dolphins in the wild was incredible. Snorkling excellent. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Hi Helen,
Thanks so much for your wonderful review! We're happy you had a successful trip and we hope you ha da great stay in Mauritius!
ramkarpa, Jul 2024
Crew was good but in a dingy boat that looks like it can break apart any time. 10 people squeezed in. The crew didn’t try hard like other boats we saw in getting us to the right places. The snorkeling was so bad, we saw better fish at our resort beach based snorkeling. The whole trip was disorganized and not worth it at all. No towels, no wet suits Just water and cola given to you in plastic cups that was reused a million times. Avoid this tour company and this trip
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Hi, thanks for your review. We're sorry you didn't enjoy the trip. Please note that the boats are inspected regularly, licenced, and are in safe working order. Unlike some other operators, our operators respect the dolphins and do not attempt to 'chase' them. As mentioned on the booking page and the message sent to you, we recommended brining your own towel. The water temperature at the end of July is around 25 degrees, which is why wetsuits are not provided.
Michael_A, Jul 2024
Great experience ands fulfilled a long dream to swim with Dolphins and see whales. The guys on our boat were fantastic - from the briefing, telling us about safety, conservation and care for the dolphins and whales and the overall care for the people on the boat, guiding us when we sawm the dolphins was just great.
My daughter was really sea sick but they really looked after her so well .
The crew kept their distance from the whales as not to scare them and respect their space in the see. this did not in anyway stop us from seeing some magical sights.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Hi Michael, thanks for your review! We're happy you enjoyed the trip (apart from your daughter's sea sickness) and we hope to see you again soon!
MatthewPaul_T, Jun 2024
The most memorable part of the trip was seeing sperm whales & swimming alongside wild dolphins - both were incredible. They knew exactly where to position themselves so we got the best in water experience with the dolphins - I saw other boats just letting people jump in, but we had direction, which helped massively. Obviously the guides can’t control nature, but they knew where to go.
On our trip, the boat developed a problem and the team handled it perfectly, got us back to shore safely and we switched boats to finish the trip. I’ve added this as a compliment to the team, as it’s rare to see how a guide handles such issues, so it should be reassuring to others to know they dealt with it well & it didn’t impact the experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hi Matthew, thanks for your wonderful review! We're happy you had a great day and we hope you had a great stay in Mauritius!
Andrew_W, Jun 2024
Feel so lucky we saw and swam with dolphins. Also seeing sperm whales, mother and baby and two beaked whales. Fantastic experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hi Andrew, thanks so much for your wonderful review! We're glad you had such a successful day and we hope to see you again soon!
Chris_A, Apr 2024
The taxi service was great, he was knowledgeable about the areas and gave us tips on what to visit and avoid. The boat trip was incredible, best experience of my life! Vic and Sydney (skippers) were amazing and you felt safe at all times. They were very respectful of the animals (unlike some other boats we saw) and knowledgeable about the sea and animals. We were very lucky with the whales and saw many, keeping a respectable distance but the whales swam to us and even under the boat! They had good spots for dolphins as well, away from most other boats we saw, again we were lucky and saw a couple of large pods (around a 100 in total) couldn't recommend these tour guides enough.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Hi Chris, thank so much for your review! We're happy you liked the excursion and we hope to see you again soon!
Nicole_J, Mar 2024
Got to swim with bottlenose and spinner dolphins, and see loads of sperm whales. It was an incredible experience
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thanks Nicole! We're happy you had a successful trip and we hope to see you again soon!
Linda_S, Nov 2023
Great boat trip, two crew were very helpful and professional. There were 8 guests so a comfortable boat trip. The crew were careful about not stressing the wildlife and were upset at nearby boats allowing guests to try and snorkel with whales which is prohibited and stresses them. They then swim away too. We saw 3 sperm whales, one male, two females and lots of dolphins. The trip ended with snorkeling in beautiful clear sea and we saw lots of different fish. Only disappointing aspect of the trip was our taxi, was 25minutes late (it was a very early start) picking us up which he attributed to diwali celebration the night before. However he was apologetic and tried to make it up to us by showing us a beauty spot on way home.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Hi Linda, thanks for your review! We're glad you had a successful excursion and we hope to see you again during your next trip to the island!
bethanandrew, Nov 2023
Amazing trip we were lucky enough to see about 5-6 sperm whales & swam with the dolphins !
We included the optional extra of transportation and I would say this was the only down side to the trip. The driver was terrible , drove so fast and unsafe.
Also a word of warning that the speedboat is a very choppy ride , so not the most enjoyable but expected tot a trip like this.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Hi, thanks for your review! We're glad you enjoyed swimming with wild dolphins and whale watching. We will follow up with the driver regarding your feedback. We hope you enjoyed/are enjoying your stay in Mauritius!
Gina_F, Oct 2023
We had a fantastic time, first we saw a group of spermwhales with a baby, and then we got to see a humpbackwhale. After that we swum with 2 kind of doulphins, it was the best day ever. Really recomended it!
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hi Gina, thanks so much for your amazing review! We're happy you were able to see both Humpback and Sperm Whales, and also 2 types of Dolphins! We hope to see you again during your next visit to Mauritius!
Heidi_H, Oct 2023
Amazing experience one we will never forget we saw humpback whale with her baby, huge turtle bottle nose and spinner dolphins topped off with a swim in the coral reef…so worth the money. The guides were so informative we had a brilliant time
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hi Heidi, thanks so much for your amazing review! We're happy you had such a successful day, and were even able to see a humpback baby and giant turtle to top it off! We hope to see you again during your next trip to Mauritius!
Julie_M, Sep 2023
We had a great time, we saw Sperm Whales and then went swimming with the Spinner Dolphins. The crew on board were informative, friendly, helpful and respectful of the wildlife. Would definitely recommend this trip.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hi Julie, thanks so much or your review! We're glad you had a successful day, and we hope to see you again during your next trip to the island!
Geoffrey_R, Nov 2022
Absolutely stunning trip, we saw a pod of 7 or 8 sperm wales that were around for a long time, then went off for a encounter with a large group of spinner dolphins before finally a bit of snorkelling over some coral.
To be honest after the wales everything else was just gravy, what a brilliant trip.
The crew were really helpful, and very funny.
Thanks very much.
Response from Host, Nov 2022
Hi Geoffrey, thanks so much for your review! We're glad you enjoyed the excursion, and especially the whale watching portion. We'll let the crew know you liked their service as well. You're very welcome, and we hope to see you again soon!
Gemma_H, Jul 2022
Out of this world. Saw no dolphins but an insane amount of whales. It was breath taking and very much worth the early rise. You’d be a fool not to do this trip. It really is fantastic.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Hi Gemma, we're glad you were able to see so many whales! Thanks for your review, and we hope you're enjoying your stay in Mauritius!
Eric_D, Jun 2019
tl;dr skip the whale-watching and/or bring your own food
1) Breakfast is some fruit and sad pastries. Tea and coffee provided.
2) Our dolphin-swimming experience was amazing. Guides were great. Dolphins were great. We got lucky and didn't have to venture out super-far to find them.
3) After the dolphins, they take you back to shore and you have to wait for the rest of the people who are doing the whale-watching. It took 30 minutes, which felt like a total waste of time.
4) We got unlucky with whales, through no fault of the guides. They give you a 60% chance of seeing whales. So it goes.
5) The seas were pretty calm the day we went, but the choppiness of a small boat is still pretty rough on your back. Would definitely not recommend for older folks or people with back issues.
6) "lunch" was among the most unappetizing food I've ever ingested: a white bread sandwich with a single slice of lunchmeat (turkey?), some mayo, lettuce, and sad tomato. I was starving so I ate it all, and was immediately sad.
Response from Host, Jul 2019
Hi, thanks for your comments.
We're glad you enjoyed the swimming with wild dolphins portion of the excursion.
Regarding the food, we generally try to keep both breakfast and lunch fairly light (especially lunch), as the whale watching takes place on the open seas and can be a little choppy. However, we do appreciate your feedback.
Rocio L, Mar 2017
It was awesome to swim with wild dolphins with the help of two fellows coming with us. I would like to thank to the one called Flipper that really made sure we were having a good time and get the most of the swimming and it was awesome to see a group of 20 hunchback whales and about seven sperm whales. Also our appreciation to Miguel and Emmanuel, they put their full effort for us to see them perfectly!
Thank you viator to deal with the bests tours on site.
AlanC_T, Dec 2016
This was a really well organised trip. Managed to swim with wild dolphins which is one a unique experience and the guides were really experienced and timed the trip perfectly. To add to a really fantastic day a whale watching expedition whereby we got really close was also a highlight of this trip. Confidently recommend this trip to all that visit Mauritius.
Susan_L, Nov 2016
VGood dolphin experience - but other boats not as organised and rather haphazard in their approach. didn't seem they wanted to go out looking for whales and refund promised.
Cheryl W, Nov 2016
Fabian, our guide was fabulous! He and his co-guide made sure we saw whales. Fabian took 2 swimmers at a time into the water with dolphins, which assured we were with the Dolphins and that we were safe at all times. Highly recommend!!
Diana C, Oct 2015
Positive:
- a lot of dolphins in the bay
- friendly and skilled skippers
- beautiful snorkeling place, although the water was quite deep and you couldn't see much of the corals
- we were lucky to see sperm whales, and the skippers hung around for quite a while.
- despite the specifications of this trip, we did get free drinks on board, and a sandwich too
Negative:
- no training about wearing the snorkeling equipment to those who needed it. I had trouble breathing properly, so I missed seeing the dolphins.
- it was hard to get back up into this particular boat no thing to hold on to, to lift yourself up
Lutz_S, Mar 2026
On-time hotel pickup and stress-free return. Very good guids on the boat, as promised Wild dolphins and orca whales seen up close.
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Anke_H, Oct 2025
Great experience, Everything worked very well. punctual, pick up, friendliness , explanations,
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Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi, thanks for your great review. We're glad you had a great excursion and we hope to see
you again soon!
Pascal_F, Nov 2024
Ein spektakulärer Ausflug! Die Natur zeigte sich - zu unserem Glück - von Ihrer spontanen Seite und wir konnten nebst einem Wal-Baby und den Delfine zusätzlich einen weissen Hai sehen. Absolut beeindruckend! Unsere Tourführer Pascal und Thomas waren super nett und sorgten dafür, dass der Aufenthalt auf den Boot sehr angenehm war.
Als verbesserungsfähig erachten wir die Führung der Touristengruppen. Denn wie uns mitgeteilt wurde, wäre das schwimmen mit dem Wal-Baby nicht erlaubt gewesen. Dennoch sind viele Touristen ins Wassergesprungen und haben sich über die Weisung hinweggesetzt. Die Achtung der Tiere geht anders.
Alles in allem ein gelungener und Ereignisreicher Ausflug!
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Hi Pascal, thanks so much for your review! We're happy you had a very successful excursion and we hope you had a great stay in Mauritius!
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