Private Seaplane Tour with Scenic Views of Mauritius review
Who it’s for
Guests staying in the north or east who want the feeling of a water take-off and a lagoon from a few hundred metres up, and who are not chasing the Le Morne photograph. Couples who want a cabin to themselves without paying for a five-seat helicopter. Two aircraft can fly together as a duo, which some families like. The pilot talks you through it in English or French, there is a safety briefing, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included.
It is not for children under seven, anyone over 105 kg (230 lb) or 200 cm, pregnant women, or people with back or heart problems or vertigo. And it is not for anyone who reads “scenic views of Mauritius” and assumes the south-west is included. Grand Gaube is roughly 80 km and an hour and three quarters by road from Le Morne. Seaplanes do lift from the Le Morne lagoon with other operators, but that flight is not sold on GetYourGuide and so is not on this site; the whole picture is on seaplane tours.
The day in order
- Hotel pickup, then the drive to the seaplane hangar beside the LUX* Grand Gaube car park.
- Safety briefing, life-jacket routine, weights checked against the 105 kg limit.
- Engine start. This is when the clock starts — taxi, take-off and landing all count inside the 15 or 30 minutes.
- The water take-off. Every reviewer mentions it, and they are right to.
- The north-east lagoon: reefs, Île aux Cerfs, the Grand Port coast, and sea life if the water is clear — Leroy from France counted two turtles.
- Landing on the water, taxi back, engine stop. Then the drive back to the hotel.
Read the duration line twice. Fifteen minutes engine start to engine stop is a short time in the air once you subtract the taxi out, the take-off run and the landing. If you are going to do it, the 30-minute option is the one that feels like a flight. Weather can reschedule it, as with everything that flies here.
What works
- Taking off and landing on water is a different feeling from a helipad, and it is the thing people talk about afterwards
- Private: your party only, so no seating lottery
- Cheaper per person than a helicopter seat, and hotel transfers are included
- Turtles and reef in clear water on the north-east lagoon
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours
Worth knowing
- It does not fly over Le Morne and does not see the underwater waterfall
- Fifteen minutes is measured engine to engine; the shorter option is mostly taxi and take-off
- Weight limit 105 kg, height limit 200 cm, no children under 7
- Grand Gaube is on the far side of the island from Le Morne, about 80 km
- Not for pregnancy, back or heart problems, or vertigo
If you are on the north or east coast and want both, do this for the water take-off and book a helicopter for the sandfall on a different morning. Trying to fold both into one day means an 80 km drive between them and two weather windows to get right. The choice is laid out on helicopter or seaplane.
What the reviews say
A 4.5 from 121 people, and the words are warm. Stephen from the UK: “One of the best things I’ve done in a long time, a definite must do.” Annalena from Germany: “The 30-minute seaplane tour was simply fantastic.” Finn from Germany: “Beautiful scenic flight over the lagoon. Felt safe the entire time.” Hansjoerg, reviewing from Mauritius: “Completely new feeling to take off and land on water.” Jackie from Kenya: “Best experience ever, the captain was incredible.” Ramona from Germany called it “a breathtaking experience that we will never forget.”
Notice what is missing. Nobody mentions Le Morne, because the aircraft never gets there. The praise is for the water, the lagoon and the pilot, and on those terms it is deserved.
Is it worth the money?
As a way to get into the air over Mauritius, it is the cheaper option per person, and it is private. As a way to see the underwater waterfall it is worth nothing, because it does not go there. So the question is only what you are buying. If it is the flight itself, yes. If it is the sandfall, put the money towards a helicopter seat; the cost page explains why a seaplane minute and a helicopter minute are not the same minute.
Check dates
Frequently asked questions
Does the seaplane fly over the underwater waterfall?
No. This seaplane takes off at Grand Gaube on the north-east coast and flies the north-east lagoon. Le Morne and the sandfall are on the opposite corner of the island, about 80 km away. The flights that do pass over it are the three helicopters on helicopter tours.
How long is the seaplane flight really?
Fifteen or thirty minutes counted from engine start to engine stop, which includes taxiing, the take-off run and the landing. The 30-minute option is the one that feels like a flight. How that compares with 35–45 minutes in a helicopter is on helicopter or seaplane.
Is there a seaplane from Le Morne?
Seaplanes do fly from the Le Morne lagoon with other operators, but that flight is not sold on GetYourGuide and so is not reviewed here. Ask locally if you are staying at Le Morne. The background is on seaplane tours.
Who cannot fly on the seaplane?
Children under 7, anyone over 105 kg (230 lb) or taller than 200 cm, pregnant women, and people with back or heart problems or vertigo. Helicopters have no age minimum on the products here, which is why families with small children usually end up on one; see is it worth it for the by-profile verdicts.