OMG!!! What a great day! The weather was sunny and warm and our sweet Baboo (driver) was informative and warm, too. We booked this as a private tour from our ship a couple days before we arrived. Received an instant reply from Sam Tours and booking/payment was fast and easy.
We started the day by driving south about an hour to start in the Black River Gorge. Baboo suggested this mainly because the ship’s bus tours would start closer to the port and we wanted to avoid the crowds. We worked our way through the sites always about a half hour before any busses. Brilliant! We stopped at the Hindu temple during preparations for one of the high holy days (Maha Shivratri). Being from an Hindu family, Baboo was able to explain the customs and background of the fete and how far pilgrims walk to attend the events. We stopped at a neighborhood (non-touristy) restaurant for lunch at the Ebony Table D’Hote for authentic local food served on a banana leaf. Outstanding! Our final stop was also outside the normal tourist area for ‘made in Mauritius’ handicrafts and souvenirs that were not sourced from China.
We had the day we envisioned - local sites with commentary; local, authentic food; and, uncrowded places to explore a part of this wonderful island country.
When we return to Mauritius (and we will!), we will contact this company again!