Mauritius is a small island with a surprising amount hidden in plain sight. From the ground you see a beach, a mountain, a sugar cane field. From 400 metres up you see why the beach is there, how the reef built it, and where the volcano that made the mountain collapsed.
These are the nine sights worth the altitude, what each one looks like from above, and which flight covers it. Some you can also visit on foot, and they are better for having been seen from the air first.
If you are still deciding which flight to take, start with our helicopter and seaplane tour guide for Mauritius, then come back and pick your route by the sights you want.
1. Le Morne Brabant and the Underwater Waterfall
Covered by: short and long flights from southern helipads, south-west seaplane flights from La Prairie.
From the ground Le Morne is a sheer wedge of basalt at the end of a peninsula. From the air it becomes the corner post of the whole south-west, with the brightest lagoon in Mauritius wrapped around its base and the reef edge running out to sea beside it.
Just beyond that reef is the island’s most photographed illusion: a pale plume of sand sliding off the shelf into deep water, which from altitude looks exactly like a waterfall pouring into the ocean. You cannot see it from the beach and you cannot see it from a boat. This single sight is why most people book a flight, and we explain what is actually happening in our article on the underwater waterfall in Mauritius.
The mountain itself carries real weight. It has been UNESCO-listed since 2008 for its history as a refuge for escaped slaves, and that history reads differently when you can see how isolated the summit is.
2. The Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel
Covered by: 25-minute and longer flights from southern helipads.
On the ground the coloured earths are a fenced viewing area with dunes of red, brown, violet and blue-grey volcanic clay. It is interesting but compact, and most visitors are mildly underwhelmed.
From the air it works much better, because you see the dunes as part of the wider Chamarel bowl: the clay patch, the forest around it, the Chamarel waterfall dropping into its gorge nearby, and the slope running down towards the coast. The colours read as stripes in the landscape rather than a roadside attraction.
3. Chamarel Waterfall
Covered by: 25-minute and longer southern flights.
The island’s highest single-drop waterfall falls around 100 metres into a deep, dark basin ringed by forest. From the viewing platform you look across at it. From a helicopter you look down into the basin, and you can see the river above the fall, the plunge pool below and the gorge it has carved, all in one frame. It is one of the clearest examples on the island of a sight that is simply better from above.
4. Black River Gorges
Covered by: 25 and 45-minute flights, and longer seaplane routes along the edge.
This is the last large stretch of native forest in Mauritius, and from the ground it is a series of trails under a canopy. From the air it is the island’s green heart: ridges, ravines and an unbroken forest roof over the highest land on the island.
What it shows you is how much was lost elsewhere. You fly from cane fields and resorts into this and the contrast makes the history of the island obvious without anyone explaining it.
5. Tamarind Falls, or Sept Cascades
Covered by: 45-minute flights and private charters.
Seven linked waterfalls drop through a steep gorge inland of Tamarin. Hikers and canyoning groups see two or three of them in a day. From a helicopter you see the whole staircase at once, from the top pool to the final drop, which is the only way to understand how the system works.
The gorge is tight and the walls are high, so the light here is best in the middle of the day.
6. Crystal Rock and Ile aux Bénitiers
Covered by: southern and west coast flights, south-west seaplane flights.
Crystal Rock is a lump of coral limestone standing alone in the middle of the lagoon off Ile aux Bénitiers. At water level it is a curiosity that catamarans stop beside for photographs. From the air you see what makes it strange: it sits in the middle of a vast pale shallow, with no other rock near it, like something left behind.
Ile aux Bénitiers alongside it is long, thin and fringed with sandbars that only reveal their shape from above. If you have taken a catamaran cruise here, the aerial view explains the whole day you spent on the water.
7. Port Louis and the Central Peaks
Covered by: 45-minute flights, north helipad flights and private charters.
Port Louis is a working port city squeezed between a harbour and a wall of mountains, and that geography is invisible from the street. From the air you see the container terminal, the old town, the waterfront and then the peaks rising directly behind it: Le Pouce with its thumb-shaped summit, and Pieter Both with the boulder balanced on top.
These are the remains of an ancient volcanic caldera rim. Once you have seen them from above, the shape of the whole island makes sense.
8. Ile aux Cerfs and the East Coast Lagoon
Covered by: private charters, longer island loops, east coast flights.
The east coast lagoon is the widest in Mauritius, and from a boat you simply cannot judge its scale. From above, Ile aux Cerfs and its neighbouring islets sit in a sheet of pale turquoise that runs for kilometres, with the darker reef line holding back the open ocean beyond it.
The sandbars between the islets shift with the tide, and from the air you can see the channels boats use to get through them. Anyone who has spent a day at Ile aux Cerfs will recognise the beaches and still be surprised by how small they look against the lagoon.
9. The Northern Islets: Coin de Mire, Flat Island and Amber Island
Covered by: north helipad flights, north lagoon seaplane flights.
North of Cap Malheureux, four islands sit in a line out to sea. Coin de Mire, known as Gunner’s Quoin, is the dramatic one, a tilted wedge of rock with cliffs on one side. Beyond it are Flat Island with its old lighthouse and quarantine buildings, Round Island and Serpent Island, which are strict nature reserves.
To the east, Amber Island sits closer to shore in a shallow green lagoon. From the air the whole group looks like stepping stones heading out into the Indian Ocean, and you can see the deep channels of darker blue running between them. The north lagoon seaplane flights work this area at low altitude, which is the best way to see the water colour change over the reef.
Which Flight Covers Which Sights
| Sight | Southern 15 min | Southern 25 min | 45 min and up | North flights | South-west seaplane | North seaplane |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Morne and underwater waterfall | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Seven Coloured Earths | No | Yes | Yes | Sometimes | No | No |
| Chamarel Waterfall | No | Yes | Yes | Sometimes | No | No |
| Black River Gorges | No | Partly | Yes | Yes | Partly | No |
| Tamarind Falls | No | No | Yes | Sometimes | No | No |
| Crystal Rock and Bénitiers | Sometimes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Port Louis and central peaks | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Ile aux Cerfs and east lagoon | No | No | Private or extended | No | No | No |
| Northern islets | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
If you want everything in one flight, that means 45 minutes or more, or a private charter. If you want the famous view at the lowest cost, the 15-minute southern flight does exactly that and nothing else. The cost of each option is broken down in our Mauritius helicopter tour price guide.
The Thing Nobody Tells You About Flying Over Mauritius
The sights are the reason you book, but the thing most guests talk about afterwards is the reef.
From above, the reef is a continuous pale line running around almost the whole island, a few hundred metres offshore. Inside it, the water is calm and bright. Outside it, dark blue and moving. Every beach you have enjoyed, every snorkelling spot, every catamaran anchorage exists because of that line.
You cannot see it from the ground at all. Fifteen minutes in the air and it becomes the most obvious fact about the island, and you spend the rest of your holiday noticing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you see on a helicopter tour of Mauritius?
On a short southern flight, Le Morne Brabant and the underwater waterfall. On 25 minutes, add Chamarel’s coloured earths and waterfall and the west coast lagoon. On 45 minutes or more, add Port Louis, Le Pouce and Pieter Both, Tamarind Falls and Black River Gorges.
What is the most impressive sight in Mauritius from the air?
The underwater waterfall off Le Morne is the most famous, but many guests say the reef line around the island is the more lasting impression, because it explains how every lagoon and beach on the island came to be.
Can you see Ile aux Cerfs from a helicopter?
Yes, on private charters, extended island loops and dedicated east coast flights. Standard short flights from the southern helipads do not reach it, so ask about the route before booking if the east coast is your priority.
Which flight sees the most sights?
A 45-minute or longer helicopter flight, or a private charter where you shape the route. These link the south-west, the central highlands and the north in one circuit. Seaplane flights are regional and stay within one area.
Can you see the northern islands from the air?
Yes. North helipad flights pass Coin de Mire, Flat Island and the surrounding reserves, and the north lagoon seaplane flights cover Amber Island and the channel towards Roches Noires at low altitude.
Is Chamarel worth seeing from the air if I have already visited it?
Many people find it better from above, because you see the coloured earths, the waterfall and the gorge as one landscape rather than three separate stops. The viewing platforms show you detail, the flight shows you context.
Do flights go over Black River Gorges?
Longer helicopter flights of 25 minutes and up usually cross or skirt the gorges, and 45-minute flights give the best view of the forest interior. It is the clearest view you will get of the last large stretch of native forest in Mauritius.
Pick Your Sights, Then Pick Your Flight
Most people choose a flight by price and then hope the route includes what they want. Do it the other way around. Decide whether you care most about the waterfall, the gorges, the east coast lagoon or the northern islets, then pick the flight length and departure point that actually covers it. Fifteen minutes from the south is perfect for one sight and useless for four.