Air sports Mauritius

We don't necessarily think about it because it's the big thrill we're looking for, but the adventure starts all the same with a fabulous flight over the whole north of the island up to 3 000 meters of altitude. For about twenty minutes, we discover the lagoon, the mountains, the contours, the exceptional density of the colors seen from above... so many panoramas which come to intensify an emotion already exacerbated by the setting in condition on the ground - briefing and putting on of the suit and the glasses. Then, how to say, and can we only enclose this type of sensations in words: a feeling of loss, of fall, of freedom, an intoxication that goes without alcohol, 30 seconds of pure madness, a vertiginous dive in the air element, followed by a few minutes of floating, softer although still fast (!), but which leaves the time to the landscapes to take shape and reliefs. No need to think, we are in tandem, the instructor takes care of everything: from the push in the air to the soft landing, under the watchful eye of the cameraman who films all the mimics and color changes of the face... Amazing!

Note that the instructors are excellent and have a very solid experience with several thousand jumps to their credit. On site: video room and small outdoor bar.

Nota bene : for the accompanying persons or those who chicken out at the last minute, possibility of flying over by plane-ULM thanks to Island Wings (same departure base).

At the back of Le Morne, in a wild and unhotelized section, a vast lawn extended by a shallow-water lagoon ends in the ocean - the place known as La Prairie. It's from this exclusive site, one of the most beautiful on Mauritius's southern coastline, that Lagoon Flight's pilots take off their small seaplane-ULMs. As well as climbing into this type of aircraft and taking off directly from the water, which is an experience in itself, you soon reach the most astonishing of Mauritius's "aquatic" sights: the famous underwater waterfall of Le Morne, an optical illusion that can be seen from the sky alone. The shortest flight, 15 minutes, offers a beautiful glimpse of this impressive natural illusion, and also of the mountain of Le Morne - a steep rocky mass hemmed in by a sublime lagoon. Longer (and therefore proportionately more expensive) flights of 25, 40 or 80 minutes can depart from La Prairie or, on request, directly from the lagoon in front of your hotel - classy! They allow you to take in a wider range of landscapes and sights: the South and East coasts, coastal villages, Blue Bay Marine Park, Souillac and Souffleur cliffs, etc. - A wonderful souvenir, in complete safety, thanks to the pilots' experience and the comfortable stability of the Sirius TL Ultralight.

For an additional €50, you can fly side-by-side (2 microlights). Flights are subject to the vagaries of the weather, so it's best to book in advance to benefit from a postponement in case of rain.

We can't recommend this activity highly enough, as it allows you to climb aboard a ULM aircraft and, since the craft has been fitted with floats, take off directly from the lagoon and then rest there: wow! This is followed by 15 to 120 minutes of technicolour overflying to discover the lagoon as if contemplating a painter's canvas: this gradation of blues punctuated by the dark green of the massive coral reefs and the lush green of the mangrove swamps of Île d'Ambre. And, for longer flights: islets and waterfalls, colorful temples, planters' houses, gorges and peaks...

A light and handy means of transport, with an open or closed cockpit (as you wish), the Ulm-plane is ideal for a flight close to the natural elements. It doesn't give you vertigo, you are comfortably seated (as in a small plane, not to be confused with a paraglider), it hardly jerks at take-off and landing, and it is much closer to the ground than a plane: 300 meters above sea level on average, which is more than enough for the lagoon to become a painter's palette, for the coastline to be offered in a panoramic version, for the soft green of the sugarcane fields to stand out, for the bluish tones of the coral reefs, and for the rainbow of the small boats moored in the coves...

Whatever the coast we fly over - North or East - it is always a delight for the eyes to see this world from above: a way to better locate the villages and hotels, to better understand the relief or the absence of relief, to perceive all these creeks and "inaccessible" beaches hidden by the rows of Mauritian houses... In the helmet: the explanations of the pilot, very professional, very nice. Above: the sky. Underneath: the life that is going on in the Creole way. And in the middle of it all: you, installed in this kind of big and pretty dragonfly that flies from one color to another, and reveals the hidden sides of Mauritius (the ocean so close behind the coral barrier...). For the romantics, flight in binomial possible in 2 microlights side by side, wow!

And for the daredevils, free fall in parachute from the same base.

Because the colors of the lagoon are even more beautiful and intense seen from the sky than from the beach, and because it's a wonderful experience to climb aboard a seaplane-ULM taking off directly from the water, we offer you this flash of aerial beauty: in a 15-minute version for the sensation of flying and discovering a piece of the East coast and in particular the island of Ambre; or 30 minutes for a panoramic view of the seven northern islands and flying over the Blue Water Hole; or the ultimate 60-minute experience to float out of time. Experienced pilots and maximum safety.