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Mauritius’ oldest and largest tea estate, on the plateau above the south coast — a guided walk through the working factory and tea museum, ending with a tasting at a hilltop chalet above the plantation.
Bois Chéri was established in 1892 and was the first tea plantation on the island. It remains the largest, with roughly 250 hectares of bushes spread across a plateau around 450 metres above sea level, where the cool air and heavy rainfall suit tea far better than cane. The estate is part of the Domaine de Bois Chéri, run by the Saint Aubin group, and sits on the Route du Thé — the tea route that links it to the group’s other southern properties.
The visit has three parts. A guide walks you through the factory itself, following the leaf from picking through withering, fermentation, drying, sieving and packaging, with the old machinery still in place alongside the working line. The tea museum next door fills in the history of the industry in Mauritius through photographs, documents and early equipment. The tasting then moves 800 metres up a rough track to Le Chalet, a wooden pavilion on high ground looking down over the plantation, the estate lake and, on clear days, the south coast beyond; you work through a range that runs from plain black tea to vanilla, caramel and exotic fruit blends. Deer roam the estate and are often visible from the track. The adjoining restaurant serves Mauritian dishes built around tea — chicken with green tea, prawns with tea-infused sauces — at lunch only, and needs to be booked separately.
Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Closed Sundays and public holidays
A light layer — the plateau is cooler and wetter than the coast — and closed shoes for the factory floor. Book the restaurant separately if you want lunch.
The factory route involves stairs and narrow walkways between machines. The tasting chalet is reached by an unsurfaced track, so allow extra time. Live production is not guaranteed every day and varies with the harvest — confirm before travelling if seeing the line running matters to you.
A short drive up the same plateau road: Ganga Talao, the crater lake at the centre of Hindu worship in Mauritius, ringed by temples and monumental statues.
The other half of the Route du Thé — a colonial sugar estate with vanilla and anthurium houses, an artisanal distillery and lunch in the old plantation house.
Down on the coastal plain near Souillac, where the river drops over square columns of basalt into a wide pool.
Domaine de Bois Chéri,
Route du Thé, Bois Chéri,
Savanne District, Mauritius
Around 1 hour from Port Louis
Approximately 40 minutes from the airport
Around 20–25 minutes from Grand Bassin
Signposted on the Route du Thé between Rivière des Anguilles and Grand Bassin, with parking at reception. The tasting chalet is a further 800 metres along an unsurfaced estate track.
A guided tour of the working tea factory, the tea museum next to reception, and a tasting at Le Chalet, the hilltop pavilion overlooking the plantation and estate lake. Allow an hour and a half to two hours in total.
Bois Chéri was established in 1892 and was the first tea plantation in Mauritius. It is still the largest producer on the island, with around 250 hectares under tea.
Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, closed on Sundays and public holidays. Saturday is a short morning only, so arrive early if that is your day.
Not always. Processing happens in the mornings and depends on the harvest, so on quieter days the line is idle and the guide walks you through the machinery instead. Call ahead if seeing production matters to you.
Yes. The restaurant beside the tasting chalet serves Mauritian dishes built around tea, such as chicken with green tea and tea-infused prawns. It opens for lunch only and must be booked separately from the tour.