Catamaran Cruises in Reunion Island: sunset, whales and stars, 2026 prices

The best-rated sunset cruise on the west coast, with 5 out of 5 from 13 Manawa reviews, and at €35 the cheapest. It leaves from Le Port (Titan marina), a 15-minute drive from Saint-Gilles on the Route des Tamarins, so allow for that if you're staying by the beaches. The operator is FestiYacht de Bourbon, which runs the Maloya, a spacious catamaran designed to carry a large number of passengers while keeping room on the front deck.

The trip lasts 2.5 hours, 2 of them at sea. Check-in is 30 minutes before boarding, with free parking on site. After the safety briefing, the boat leaves an hour before sunset and heads towards Cap La Houssaye or La Grande Chaloupe, depending on conditions. You sail back after dark as the harbour lights come on, one of the best moments of the trip.

On board, the crew serves a welcome drink (a home-made local cocktail, alcohol-free on request) and 2 canapés such as savoury pastries or samoussas. It's lighter than on the longer cruises, but this trip isn't about the food: it's the light of the sunset over the west coast, the shift from deep blue to orange, and being out at sea rather than at a land-based viewpoint like Cap La Houssaye.

Who it's for: couples wanting a relaxed end to the day, families with children (no minimum age, free for babies under 1, under-18s must be with an adult), and groups of friends taking sundowners out to sea. Flexible cancellation policy with a free reschedule or refund for bad weather. Bring a windbreaker: the temperature drops fast once the sun is down, even in the warm season.

Same boat (the Maloya, run by FestiYacht de Bourbon from Le Port) as the sunset trip, but this time the focus is on learning about whales and dolphins. The boat carries a hydrophone that picks up humpback whale song and dolphin whistles, played through the onboard sound system. The marine guide explains what you're hearing and seeing in French and English, with printed information sheets on board.

On the west coast of Reunion Island, you'll find 4 dolphin species year-round: the spinner dolphin (the most common, in large pods), the bottlenose dolphin, the Indo-Pacific dolphin and, more rarely, the pantropical spotted dolphin. From July to October, humpback whales come up from the south to calve and nurse in the warm waters; the hydrophone picks them up before you even see them at the surface, which makes the encounter all the more special.

A catamaran is a different experience from the faster RIBs used elsewhere on the island: you cover less ground in 2.5 hours, but once you're there you're more stable, you can watch from inside the cabin or on the front deck just above the waterline, and the gentler engine is easier on the animals. The Reuni'Mer whale-watching code is respected (slow approach, minimum distance of 100 m, backing off if an animal shows signs of stress).

Manawa price €37, among the cheapest whale-watching trips on the west coast. Included: educational commentary, printed materials, and depending on the slot, either pastries and fruit juice in the morning or a welcome drink and canapés in the afternoon. Flexible cancellation with a full refund for bad weather. Worth booking if you want a proper whale and dolphin trip without the bumpier ride of a RIB; otherwise, see the dedicated whale-watching page for Saint-Gilles.

The most unusual of the three: 2.5 hours at sea after dark, with an astronomy guide on board who points out the constellations and tells the myths behind them. Departure is from Le Port (Titan marina, FestiYacht de Bourbon), boarding 30 minutes before the slot. The trip is scheduled in the late evening depending on the season, generally between 7pm and 9pm, to get proper darkness offshore.

The beauty of going to sea at night is that a kilometre offshore, the light pollution from Saint-Denis and Le Port almost disappears. Reunion Island has a southern hemisphere sky, with constellations you can't see from Europe or North America: the Southern Cross, Sagittarius at its highest, the southern Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds on some moonless nights. The guide picks them out with a laser pointer and teaches you the basics so you can carry on stargazing with the naked eye afterwards.

The boat is the Maloya, the same catamaran as for the sunset and whale-watching trips, so the comfort is the same: a front deck to lie on, a cabin to warm up in, and a sound system for the commentary. A welcome drink (local cocktail, alcohol-free on request) is served at the start. There's no meal, so eat beforehand or bring a light snack.

Who it's for: couples, astronomy lovers, and children from age 7-8 with an adult (the trip is calm, but they need to stay quiet at sea for long stretches). Who it's not for: anyone prone to seasickness (the swell feels stronger at night) or looking for a party. Manawa price €45, flexible cancellation. No reviews yet, as it's a new trip from FestiYacht de Bourbon.