Dolphin Encounters, Ile aux Benitier & Crystal rock: hele dag (lunch en transfer)

Superbe sortie dans un cadre magique. Mais la découverte des dauphins vire à un pugilat destouristes qui sautent tous sur les dauphins. Sans respect de la animal

This has always been a bucket list for us to swim with dolphins in the wild and this excursion could not have been further from what we imagined it would be. It is expensive, no beating about the bush. We were picked up in a taxi and driven to the meeting point about an hour away. An early start to the day to stand around for 30-40 minutes on the beach waiting for more and more people to arrive. Nothing is communicated so you are not sure what you are waiting for or how long. Not offered anything to drink and there are no bathroom facilities on the beach. Everyone is then piled onto boats packed to capacity and taken out past the reef to join even more boats when dolphins are sighted. I am not sure whether there were life jackets on board, we were not told that there were and didn't see any and were not offered any. Masks handed out are old and grubby, no fins, you are then told to jump left or right and look down or whatever, together with many many people from the other boats with boats circling, reversing, etc. This is quite dangerous. Everyone piles back onto the boats and off they go pursuing the dolphins again, and again you're told to jump in. After that we were taken to a snorkelling spot, again with many many boats and people around. From there onto the beach for the barbecue, which the crew start when you arrive on the beach, meaning you sit/stand/walk around for about an hour before the meal is served. This consisted of chicken, chicken sausage, fish, garlic bread and a salad. Drinks were water, cold drinks, wine or beer served in grubby plastic cups. The chicken and fish was cooked to death and almost inedible. Dessert was barbecued over-ripe bananas sprinkled with coconut. Then it's killing a bit more time, lying around on the beach until time to head back to where you are dropped on the same beach and picked up by your transport, not before crew hinted at a gratuity. All in all this was a very disappointing excursion, overcrowded, expensive and totally underwhelming. I would not recommend.

Great Trip, very friendly tour guides! We didn‘t really like the parts with the dolphins where everybody jumps into the water to swim with them, but the Organisation over all was awesome. And a very great guy, Aniket, who was our private driver!