Things to do in Mauritius: Visit and lunch at the tea plantations of Bois Chéri

After the Domaine des Aubineaux, the tea plantations are the second stop of the tea route in Mauritius.

Discover the Tea Plantations in Mauritius – Things to do in Mauritius – Visits in Mauritius

Bois Chéri is located in the southern part of Mauritius, just a few kilometers from Ganga Talao, the large hindu temple. It is a cooler area of the island, as it is on a plateau at 450 meters above sea level.

The Savannah district is probably one of the most scenic and unspoilt areas of the island.

Tea Plantations at Bois Cheri in Mauritius

Related article: Ganga Talao

Visit of the Museum and Factory of Bois Chéri

The first part of the visit is a small museum where you can find information on the history of tea in Mauritius, the production of tea itself as well as an exposition of the older machinery used for the production.

Among the machinery that is shown, you can see an old train locomotive. Before the independence of Mauritius, the British were using rails to transport goods around the island (sugar cane, for exemple) but also passengers. When Mauritius became independent in 1968, the new governement decided to get rid of those – the locomotive F4268 was bought by the owners of the tea plantations of Bois Chéri. Before its second life as boiler at the tea plantation, the locomotive was used to transport passengers between Curepipe and Port Louis. It is funny to think (or a bit ironic maybe) that the tracks they once took up are being put down again at more or less the same spot today for the new metro system.

Locomotive in the Tea Museum at the Bois Chéri

The story of tea in Mauritius is told by small illustrations on the wall that the kids really enjoyed. Lots of information on 14 small posters that tell the story from 1768 when tea arrived from China, with explanations on how tea is planted and harvested to the actual production of the tea. At other places you can read about how sugar and milk were introduced to tea or benefits of drinking tea. There is also a small movie to watch.

Story of Tea in Mauritius – Bois Chéri Tea Plantation, Mauritius

I know it looks like it, but I promise you the kids are not grounded!! Kiddos 1 was reading for her brother.

After this you can join a visit of the factory. If you are lucky the tea production will be in full swing and you can see the machines at work. Unfortunately, we are a bit out of season at the moment and the harvests are smaller at this time of the year. The production starts in the morning and runs till they are finished with the daily work load. The factory is not that big, but it is interesting to see how things are done.

We did see however tea leaves just harvested coming to the factory and being led to dry (wilting) and all the different machines used. Our guide explained to us the whole process the tea leaves go through from the harvest to the packing.

Machinery at the factory at Bois Chéri Tea Plantations Mauritius – Visits in Mauritius – Things to do in Mauritius

Packing of the tea bags at Bois Chéri Tea Plantations Mauritius

Leaves put out to dry at Bois Chéri Tea Plantations Mauritius – Visits in Mauritius – Things to do in Mauritius

Tea leaves arriving from the fields – Bois Chéri Tea Plantations Mauritius

They produce both black and green tea – I don’t know why I imagined otherwise, but it is the same leaves used for the black and green tea. They also add flavour, the most drank one in Mauritius is probably the vanilla tea, but they also have exotic fruits, cardamom, bergamote, coconut and many others. The only tea they sell not from Mauritius – and actually a herb not a tea – is Roiboos, the South African bush plant. They import it from SA and do their own packaging at the factory.

Different types of tea from Bois Chéri

Tea tasting

After the visit you are invited to a tea tasting, it is included in the price of the visit. You jump in the car (or you can walk if you prefer – 1.7km one way) and drive through the estate to a cafe. It is also where there panoramique restaurant is. The views are great.

Cafe and Panoramique Restaurant at Bois Cheri

You get to taste all the teas that you want and can purchase a few things to eat with, like pancakes or waffles. The kids, who are not big tea drinkers, thought it was funny to make their own tea, and with enough sugar and milk, kiddos 1 even managed to finish her cup! She actually really liked the exotic fruit one. I tasted coconut, that had a very subtile taste and I enjoyed it, I am usually not to flavoured teas. It is a lovely area to sit and enjoy life. You can also drive up without needing to visit the museum and pay directly at the cafe and/or restaurant. There is a small shop where you can buy teas and other products from the Saint Aubin estates – rum from Saint Aubin Rum estate and candles from the Domaine des Aubineaux.

Related article: The Domaine des Aubineaux in Curepipe

View from the cafe at the tea plantations of Bois Cheri

Lunch at the restaurant of Bois Chéri

I had booked a table for lunch in their restaurant. It is indoor seating only, with a picturesque view over the entire south coast. We were shown to a table by the window so we could really enjoy the panorama. I was alone with the kids, so we chose two dishes to share: a very traditional Mauritian style prawn and chicken curry – kiddos 1 says it is one of the best she has had… I have to agree, it was particularly good. I wanted to try something with tea – so ordered the chicken in vanilla tea sauce, the chicken was very tender, I found the sauce a bit heavy – but it is the way they prepare it in Mauritius, not their recipe as such and the taste was excellent. In Mauritius they add cream to the sauce, I prefer it in a Reunion island style, where it would be more of a creole sauce (with turmeric and onion/garlic/ginger base). Both dishes came with rice, dall and usual condiments. To drink we tasted their locally manufactured melon ice tea, that was actually very tasty. It is sold in supermarkets around the island, I had never tasted it – it comes in many different tastes: pear, peach, mint… So nice surprise.

Unfortunately my phone has died on a recent (and very wet) hike at la Vallée de Ferney – and I have lost among other shots, the pictures of the dishes and inside of the restaurant.

I think it is a very good option for lunch if you are touring the south coast and want to try some local dishes. You can have a look at their menu: Le Bois Cheri Restaurant Menu.

View from the Panoramic restaurant

Useful information about a visit to the tea plantations of Bois Chéri

Best time to visit the Tea Factory of Bois Chéri

It is open every day from 9am to 5pm, but the last visit of the factory is at around 2:45pm. To see the factory in production the earlier you get there the better. As mentioned the harvest season is from October to March and at that time the production times are longer. We visited in April and arrived just after 11, the prodution had just stopped.

The weather changes very fast in this part of the island: we had sunshine, rain, clouds all in the time of the 2-3 hours we were there. It is humid and colder than the coast.

Entry price

The price is Rs525 for adult and half price for children. The price is for a visit of the museum, factory tour and tea tasting. They also offer a price including a set lunch at Rs1400. They have different kind of package prices: without tasting, only for tasting – you should ask to see what suits you best. For residents and Mauritian citizens the price is Rs250 and half price for children.

The tours of the factory run every 30min both in French and in English – the staff are very knowledgeable and you can ask as many questions as you want.

Phone number for more information on the visits is + 230 617 9109

To book the restaurant: +230 471 1216 – it is advisable during holidays and week-ends.

If you wish to bring home tea from Mauritius – I recommend you make a little stop at the local supermarkets (such as Super U or Intermart) – the prices are a bit more attractive. That advise is true for all things you might wish to bring back (rum, sugar, tea…), though it is not everything you can get and some qualities are only sold at the estates (more fruit is the jams for exemple!).

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Discover the Tea Plantations in Mauritius – Things to do in Mauritius – Visits in Mauritius