Worth remembering
- East Coast Mauritius Private Scenic Seaplane Tour, a private group flight along the east coast with a pilot who speaks English and French.[1]
- The flight is listed at 15 - 30 minutes, with starting times shown when you check availability.[1]
- Listed from US$254, and the booking offers reserve now and pay later.[1]
- Seaplane passengers must be at least 15 years old and weigh no more than 100 kilograms.[2]
- Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
- Top choice East Coast Seaplane from US$254 Duration15 - 30 minutes[1]Rated4.22 from 128 reviews[1]LanguagesDriver: English, French[1]CancellationFree cancellation, 24 hours ahead[1] Check availability
- South East Speedboat from US$144 Duration7 hours[3]Rated4.77 from 452 reviews[3]LanguagesLive tour guide: English, French[3]CancellationFree cancellation, 24 hours ahead[3] See this tour
- Northern Isles Catamaran from US$81 Duration8 hours[4]Rated4.70 from 2,082 reviews[4]LanguagesDriver: English, French[4]CancellationFree cancellation, 24 hours ahead[4] See this tour
Ile aux Cerfs is a picturesque island spread over 87 hectares of untouched land off the east coast of Mauritius. It is famous for its white sandy beaches, its turquoise lagoons and for the wide range of restaurants , water sports and land activities on offer.
Verdict: a short flight with a very big view
Things to check
On the day
- Allow extra time to reach the east coast before your slot
- Wear flat shoes and be ready to step from the shore onto the floats
- Take sunglasses and sun cream; the glare off the lagoon is strong
- Secure hats, phones and cameras before the aircraft moves off
Why the east coast looks so good from the air
Mauritius is easy to love from a sun lounger and something else entirely from a few hundred feet up. The east coast unrolls in bands of colour: pale sand at the waterline, a shallow turquoise lagoon, a thin white line of reef, then deep blue ocean. From a seaplane you take in that whole sequence in a single sweep, with the shadow of the floats sliding over the shallows beneath you. The island looks oddly orderly from up there, like a map someone tinted by hand.
The East Coast Mauritius Private Scenic Seaplane Tour is listed as a private group flight, with a pilot who speaks English and French.[1] It runs 15 - 30 minutes, and starting times are shown when you check availability.[1] Belle Mare appears as a stop on the listing, the beach where the One&Only Le Saint Géran resort is set.[1][5]
That short window is the whole point. You are not signing up for a long day with a fixed schedule; you go up, look at the coast, and come back down while the morning is still young. The rest of the day stays yours, which matters on an island where the lagoon is the main event and the light shifts hour by hour.
What you can pick out below you
The east coast's signature island is Ile aux Cerfs, a picturesque 87-hectare island off the coast, known for white sandy beaches, turquoise lagoons, restaurants, water sports and land activities.[6] From the air the lagoon around it reads like a nautical chart: pale sandbanks, darker channels and the reef line holding the swell back. It is a quick lesson in how a tropical coast is put together.
Inland, the Grande-Rivière-Sud-Est waterfall lies at the source of the river and is accessible either by sea or by traversing the lush sugarcane fields.[7] Lion Mountain, whose striking silhouette resembles a lion lying down, is the only witness left of the Battle of Grand Port.[8] From above, both read as landmarks rather than names on a map, with cane fields and gorges running back from the sea.
One famous sight is not on this route. The underwater waterfall illusion in Mauritius is found to the southwest of the island, offshore of Le Morne Peninsula.[9] If that is the view you are chasing, plan a separate trip across the island. The east coast has its own rewards: shallow water in every shade of blue and a reef that keeps the swimming calm.
Shallow lagoon, reef line and deep blue: the east coast from the air.
How the private seaplane tour works
Your booking carries the usual protections. Reserve now and pay later is offered, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1] The flight is listed at 15 - 30 minutes, and you check availability to see starting times.[1]
Seaplane flying in Mauritius has a coastal base. LagoonFLIGHT's daily seaplane tours depart from La Prairie beach.[10] If you are weighing a Mauritius seaplane charter against a day on a boat, the trade is straightforward: a short private hop in the air against hours on the water with snorkel stops and lunch. Neither is better; they scratch different itches.
Either way, the practical rhythm is the same. Book a slot early in your stay, keep the morning free, and let the weather decide which day it happens on. Seaplanes are small, light aircraft, and small aircraft in the tropics live at the mercy of the sky.
Age, weight and other limits to know
Seaplane passengers must be at least 15 years old and weigh no more than 100 kilograms.[2] That is worth checking before you build a family morning around the flight, particularly if you are travelling with teenagers or with adults who are tall and solidly built.
The cabin is small and open to the view. Dress for it with light layers, flat shoes and sunglasses, and keep bags soft and compact. Anything you carry should be zipped away before the floats leave the water; the air moves fast once you are up, and a loose hat is gone for good.
If you are booking for several people, run through the limits with everyone first. A passenger who cannot fly changes the plan for the whole party, and it is far easier to sort out at home than on the morning of the flight.
from US$254
A private group seaplane flight along the east coast, with a pilot who speaks English and French.[1]
When to fly and when to hold back
The official cyclone season in Mauritius runs from 15 November to 15 May.[11] Outside those months the air is often calmer, though any seaplane flight depends on the weather. Leave a spare morning in your itinerary so a postponement does not cost you a whole day of your holiday.
Starting times for the tour are shown when you check availability.[1] Morning flights tend to give the cleanest light over the lagoon and reef, and they leave the afternoon free for Belle Mare, for a swim, or for a boat trip along the east coast.
Cyclone season is not a reason to cancel a holiday. It is a reason to keep the flight flexible, to watch the forecast as your dates approach, and to treat air time as a bonus rather than the fixed centre of your trip.
Seaplane, helicopter or boat: choosing your view
Mauritius helicopter tours include a quick fifteen-minute ride that starts at roughly 8,500 MUR per person.[12] The scenic helicopter flight with hotel transfers is listed from US$860 and is limited to 6 participants.[13] The East Coast Mauritius Private Scenic Seaplane Tour is listed from US$254.[1] All are short scenic flights, and each sets off from its own place with its own group size.
On the water the days run longer. A full-day catamaran cruise to the northern isles is listed from US$81, rated 4.70 from 2,082 reviews, and runs 8 hours.[4] A full-day speedboat tour to Ile aux Cerfs with a barbecue is listed from US$144, rated 4.77 from 452 reviews, over 7 hours.[3] Choose the boat when you want to be in the water, and the seaplane when you want the island in one glance.
There is no wrong order for any of it. A common shape to a week is a boat day early on, the seaplane in the middle when you know how the weather behaves, and a lazy lagoon afternoon at the end. If you only have one free morning, take the flight.
Planning the day around your flight
Belle Mare is a stop on the seaplane listing, which makes the flight an easy fit for a stay on that stretch of coast.[1] Keep the slot near the start of your trip and the rest of the holiday can bend around the weather rather than the other way around.
Book with room to move. Reserve now and pay later is offered on the listing, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1] That combination lets you hold a slot while you watch the forecast, and lets you change plans without a penalty if the week turns grey.
Afterwards, the east coast continues easily: a lagoon swim, a long walk on white sand, or a boat out towards Ile aux Cerfs, the 87-hectare island off the east coast.[6] It is the sort of day that starts in the air and finishes in the water, which sums up a good Mauritius holiday rather neatly.
From prices for air and water days
From prices as listed on these GetYourGuide listings.[1][3][4][13]
What a flight or a boat day costs, from
US dollar from-prices of these GetYourGuide listings.[1][3][4][13]
When to book your flight
How to plan your flight
Put it early in the trip
Slots depend on weather and light. A flight near the start of your stay leaves room to move it.
Check the limits
Every passenger must be at least 15 years old and weigh no more than 100 kilograms.[2]
Allow buffer on the drive
East coast traffic can be slow. Confirm starting times when you check availability so you arrive calm.[1]
Dress for an open cabin
Light layers, flat shoes and sunglasses. Keep bags soft and small, and zip everything away before take off.
Keep the afternoon open
The flight is listed at 15 - 30 minutes, which leaves plenty of daylight for the lagoon afterwards.[1]
Ready to see the east coast from the air?
from US$254Reserve now & pay later
