Transfers
SIC or private
Almost every operational complaint in Mauritius traces back to a guest who did not understand what they bought when they bought SIC.
You buy seats, not the vehicle
- Guests are pooled region by region — everyone on the east coast travels together
- Fixed pickup times, issued one day before travel, which must be respected
- Multiple pickups and drop-offs; your guest may be first on and last off
- Typically a 12 to 16 seater. A 29-seater is used only rarely
- A guide is not guaranteed — drivers act as driver-guides and explain en route
- The cheapest way to move around the island
You buy the vehicle
- Guests choose their own pickup time
- Allowance: 100 km and 8 hours — stay inside that and routing is flexible
- Stops can be skipped or added; minor detours accommodated
- Own pace at each site — no waiting for ten other people
- Fixed SIC departure days do not apply except the North Tour
- Door to door, available on demand
Private buys flexible pickup time. It does not buy flexible attraction time. Sites still close when they close. A guest who leaves at 11 a.m. because they can will still find the North Tour sites shut.
What happens at each stop
- The driver-guide explains the day and each site in the vehicle before arrival.
- At some sites the driver-guide walks down with the group — Fort Adelaide, for example.
- At others the site has its own guides and signage — Aapravasi Ghat, and the Valley of Colours, where guests are handed over at reception and taken through a theatre room first.
- Guests are given a window at each stop, typically 30 to 40 minutes. Drivers wait a little beyond it, but the time comes out of a later stop.
On SIC, no — the vehicle still goes, because other guests booked it. Your guest can walk around outside or stay in the van, but the stop cannot be removed and nothing is refunded. On private, yes. This is one of the cleanest, most honest reasons to upsell private.
The fleet
| Category | Vehicles | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Sedan | Toyota Corolla and similar | 1–3 pax |
| SUV | RAV4, Creta | 1–4 pax |
| MPV | Toyota Wish, Ertiga, Toyota Noah, H1 | 6 pax |
| Van | Toyota Hiace GL / Hiace | 14–16 pax |
| Coaster | — | 22 pax |
| Coach | — | 35 / 39 / 40 / 45 / 49 pax |
| Luxury | Mercedes E-Class, V-Class, Vito; BMW 5 Series | on request |
Self-drive — how to handle it honestly
Guests ask for self-drive because they assume it is cheaper and more flexible. In Mauritius it is usually neither. Use the real reasons — and drop the one that is false.
Use these — they are true
- The deposit. A cash security deposit of roughly MUR 20,000–40,000, contractually non-refundable against any damage. A single small scratch takes the whole deposit.
- Price parity. Renting works out at roughly the same cost as a chauffeur-driven car — and cheap rental rates require a minimum of about ten days.
- Mandatory separate insurance on top of the rental.
- Fuel is expensive — broadly equivalent to ₹135–140 per litre.
- Narrow roads. There is nothing like the wide highways guests are used to.
Stop using this — it is wrong
“Parking is expensive in Mauritius.” It isn’t. Parking is only paid in Port Louis, which a leisure guest visits once. Every attraction — Valley of Colours, Casela, the beaches — has its own free parking.
A guest who has researched will catch this, and once they catch one false objection they stop trusting the rest of your advice. Lead with the deposit instead.
“For roughly what the rental costs you, you get a driver who knows the island, who parks, who waits, who explains what you’re looking at, and who is our responsibility if anything goes wrong.” That is a better product, not just a defensive answer.