Itinerary
Tea Route
Domain des Aubineaux forest side – Curepipe
Bois Cheri (Tea Factory) & Domain of Saint Aubin (lunch, Rum & Vanille)
Depart: 8h30 from all places in Mauritius
Return: Around 17h00
Tea Route
Domain des Aubineaux forest side – Curepipe
Bois Cheri (Tea Factory) & Domain of Saint Aubin (lunch, Rum & Vanille)
Depart: 8h30 from all places in Mauritius
Return: Around 17h00
Full Day Tour (visit 3 sites, enjoy a delicious lunch, discover the world of tea, sugar, rum & vanilla)
The Mauritius Tea Route is a tour into three key stages: Le Domaine des Aubineaux, Le Domaine de Bois Chéri and Le Domaine de Saint Aubin, allowing you to travel the central plateau and south of Mauritius and to immerse yourself in local traditions and gastronomy.
The first stage of Mauritius Tea Route starts at Forest Side, near Curepipe, in the central plateau of the island, where the Guimbeau family had settled since 1872. The Domaine des Aubineaux is an exceptional colonial mansion, home to several generation of the Guimbeau family, which has been transformed into a museum at the demise of Mrs. Guimbeau in 1999. This estate covering 746 square meters has a structure which shows how people lived then.
The furniture made of teak, cannel wood or ebony is testimony to the variety of trees available at that time. The teak flooring has practically remained intact. Along the long corridor, usual for that period, family photographs are hanging on the wall depicting the customs and life at the time.
Prominently, you will find numerous camphor trees in the park planted to purity the place and to fight against the Malaria epidemic that was raging during that period.
A stop, in the former billiard room converted into a salon de the, allows you to appreciate the serenity of the place and admire the variety of endemic plants and trees in the park.
This visit gives a foretaste of what can be admired in the primary forest whilst going to the tea factory of Bois Chéri. On the way to the factor, you will take a road to the Chinese guava trees, and you will pass by Grand Bassin, the sacred worship place of the Hindus.
The second stage: the tea factory of Bois Chéri. In the outskirt of the factory, tea plants are outlined and aligned to the millimeter to facilitate the picking of the leaves. The women with wicker baskets on their backs pick around 60kg of tea leaves per day.
The first plantations of Bois Chéri date back to 1892 and today, it is the biggest producer of tea on the island. The tea leaves, once picked, are brought to the factory in sacks; then begin the long voyage that will prepare them for consumption.
An explanatory visit of the factory allows you to be familiar with all the production stages of tea. The packing is done by machines except for the finest tea that is hand- packed. The visit ends with a tour of the museum where the whole history of the tea is depicted through texts, paintings, ancient tea sets and packaging machines.
Today, Bois Chéri produces a whole new range of tea with different flavor: coconut, bergamot, exotic fruits, mint and vanilla that can be tested at the chalet. Here as well, hold on your breath: from the chalet, you will embrace the whole southern region of the island offered as a panorama: a rare sight, you can take home some of this light and delicious tea from the boutique.
The third stage: Lunch at Domaine de Saint Aubin.
The last stage of this journey goes across small remote villages; the trip enables you to admire the landscape and the colors of the Indian Ocean with enchanted eyes. This itinerary leads you to the table d’hôtel of Saint Aubin.
After lunch, you can have a walk to digest your food across the botanical alleyway where pineapple is grown, a trip to the greenhouses to admire the different spices of anthurium, a visit at the Vanilla House, where you can buy best quality of Vanilla Beans and a visit to the Saint Aubin Rum Distillery where you can appreciate the taste of good, old, traditional rum.
Tipp’s: By this tour you have seen a quarter of the Island in a day, taste the freshness inland, learn a lot about plants, spices, tea cultivation, whilst moving from green to blue encompassing the whole southern coast of the island. This trip will enrich you.
The Mauritius Tea Route Tour Includes
The trip lasts 7 to 8 hours.
The Tea Route is a unique and charming excursion combining history, culture and gastronomy. Makes one discover the world of tea, sugar, rum, vanilla and essential oils.
The menu includes:
Included in package this package:
Please book in advance!
Additional Service to extra fee: Chauffeur full day to drive you to all the 3 sites. Vehicle Type: standard sedan, 6-seater, Minivan, SUV, BMW, Mercedes V-Class.
Opening hours Tea Route:
You can select from the following choice of visits:
Menu lunch (included)
Transport (Optional):
Our chauffeurs are fluent in English and French (on special request, we can arrange a guide speaking another language). All our drivers are well knowledge about Mauritius Island and passionate in their job. Providing you with insider information during your trip.
Please contact us for more information!