Helicopter flights over Reunion Island: 9 options, 2026 prices

This is the balanced option in the Mafate Hélicoptères catalogue: 45 minutes in the air, enough to cover Piton de la Fournaise and the island's three cirques, without paying the extra €40 for the full 55-minute tour. You take off from Pierrefonds shortly after the briefing, climb south and bank over the Enclos Fouqué and the Fournaise flow, then head back towards the centre of the island to reach Cilaos and its rocky bottleneck.

The pilot then continues on to Mafate (the only way to see it, since the cirque has no road access) and loops back via Salazie and its hanging waterfalls. You get a 360° aerial view, your own headset and live commentary from the pilot throughout. This is the flight I'd recommend to anyone who won't be coming back to Reunion Island: 45 minutes to tick everything off in one go, without the fatigue of the longer flight.

Worth noting: with 4.9 out of 131 verified Manawa reviews, this is the Mafate Hélicoptères option with the most feedback. If you're torn between this and the full tour at €345, think about your itinerary. Staying 4 days and want to make the most of the morning? €305 is enough. Staying longer and want to really treat yourself to the flight you won't do again? The 55-minute full tour adds the east coast and gives a little more time over each cirque.

Take-off from Pierrefonds in Saint-Pierre; plan to arrive 30 minutes before your booked time. Manawa rate €305 per person, flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before.

55 minutes by helicopter is the longest option in the Mafate Hélicoptères catalogue: a genuine full tour that adds 10 minutes to the previous flight and also covers the wild east coast, the frozen lava flows along the Route des Laves, and gives the pilot time to linger over each cirque without rushing.

In practice, after the Piton de la Fournaise caldera, the flight descends towards Sainte-Rose, follows the east coast with its basalt cliffs plunging into the ocean, climbs back up via Salazie and its pools, crosses Mafate from north to south, and loops through Cilaos before heading back down to Pierrefonds. Over 55 minutes, the pilot can take the time to line up each of Mafate's hamlets, whereas on the 45-minute version they pass over and keep moving.

This is the option to choose if you'll only do this flight once in your life. With 4.9 out of 177 Manawa reviews, it's also the company's most-booked flight. The price difference with the €305 option (€40 more per person) is mainly worth it for scenery enthusiasts who want to take photos without feeling rushed, and for couples making it an experience in its own right.

Take-off from Pierrefonds, individual headset, pilot commentary in French throughout the flight and a safety briefing before boarding. Manawa rate €345 per person, flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before.

The volcano flight is the shortest and cheapest option in the Mafate Hélicoptères catalogue, and by far the most requested during an eruption. 25 to 30 minutes in the air, focused exclusively on Piton de la Fournaise and its caldera. Take-off from Pierrefonds, climbing due north, and 10 minutes later you're above the 2,632 m summit.

The pilot circles the Dolomieu and Bory craters, descends into the caldera to show the recent flows (some still smoking, depending on the period), flies over satellite cones such as Formica Léo, then heads back towards the sea along the great 2007 flow frozen across the Route des Laves. During an eruption, the pilot keeps a safe distance from the sulphurous fumes while finding the angle that lets you safely watch the lava in motion.

This is also the recommended option for anyone who has already climbed Piton des Neiges on foot and just wants to see the volcano from the sky without paying for the cirques. At €205 per person, this is the widest gap on the page between the experience you get and the price you pay: you won't feel short-changed, and it's easy on the wallet.

Worth knowing: if an eruption starts during your stay, book straight away: slots sell out within hours. If you arrive several days after it begins, some slots may already be fully booked. Manawa rate €205, flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before.

40 minutes of flying dedicated entirely to the cirques and waterfalls, without the volcano. This is the option for anyone with no particular interest in Piton de la Fournaise, who's wary of sulphurous fumes, or who has already climbed it on foot and wants to see the rest of the island from the sky.

The flight heads due north from Pierrefonds, crosses Cilaos passing above its rocky bottleneck and the Bras Rouge waterfall, climbs towards Trois Salazes and Piton des Neiges (hikers at the summit are often visible in clear weather), descends into Mafate with its ten perched hamlets, and loops through Salazie where several hanging waterfalls are visible from the sky (Voile de la Mariée, Cascade Blanche, among others).

The pilot takes the time to point out each waterfall and each hamlet, since skipping the volcano leaves more time over the cirques than on the €305 option. It's the least-booked option in the catalogue (11 Manawa reviews versus 131 for the €305 flight), but a perfect 5 out of 5, which means the few customers who choose it know exactly what they're getting.

Manawa rate €280, €25 less than the €305 option that includes the volcano. Only worth choosing if you're sure you don't want to see the Fournaise from the sky. Flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Funbooker gives access to the same Mafate Hélicoptères flights as the Manawa options above, but as a single listing covering four routes. You choose your option when booking: Volcano Route (25 min, €204), 3 Cirques Route (35 min, €280), Essential Route (45 min, €305), or Premium Route (45 min, €345). Take-off is from Pierrefonds airport in Saint-Pierre, as with every southern option.

Booking through Funbooker rather than Manawa comes down to three practical points. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the flight, versus 24 hours on the Manawa listings, giving extra flexibility if the weather turns. The gift voucher is valid for 12 months, handy for gifting a flight without locking in a date straight away. And the child rate starts at €190, one of the cheapest entry points on this page.

As for the routes themselves: the Volcano Route heads straight for Piton de la Fournaise, Plaine des Sables and the Rivière des Remparts. The 3 Cirques covers Cilaos, Mafate and Salazie with the Voile de la Mariée waterfall and Trou de Fer. The Essential adds the Bélouve forest and the lagoon to the cirques-and-volcano tour. The Premium, the most complete option, extends further still with the Tamaka and Grand Étang. Four ways to see the island, for four budgets.

In short: if you already know which route you want and hundreds of verified reviews matter to you, the Manawa listings above remain a very good choice. If you'd rather compare all four options on one page, keep the option to cancel later, or gift the flight, the Funbooker listing is the most flexible. A headset, pilot commentary and a safety briefing are included in every option.

This is the most expensive option in the catalogue, and the most memorable. €1,208 for the whole group (up to 6 people, roughly €200 per person), a full half-day. The idea: you take off from Pierrefonds, the pilot flies you to a secluded Creole gîte (a country guesthouse) deep in nature, drops you off, leaves, and comes back three and a half hours later to pick you up.

During your three and a half hours on the ground, you enjoy an authentic Creole meal prepared by the gîte's hosts (cari, the local curry, rougail, smoked sausage, rice and beans, home-made dessert), often in a setting you couldn't have reached by car. A little free time to digest, a coffee, then the flight back to Pierrefonds.

This is typically the flight given for a birthday, a wedding, or to close out a family trip in style. With 6 people, the price works out at €200 a head, roughly the same as the volcano-only flight (€205) but with the meal, the secluded gîte experience, and the return helicopter trip thrown in.

Book several weeks ahead, especially in the dry season (May to November). The slot depends on the joint availability of the pilot and the partner gîte. Manawa rate €1,208 for the group (up to 6 people), flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Run Hélico is the other operator based at Pierrefonds heliport, alongside Mafate Hélicoptères. Bookable here through GetYourGuide, its offering splits into three routes designed for different budgets: a panoramic flight over the island's landmark sites, a fuller exploration of the island, and a route centred on the three cirques. Flight time ranges from 35 to 55 minutes depending on the option chosen at booking, from €259 per person.

The route covers the classic highlights of flying over the intense island: the Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie cirques with their lush ramparts carved by erosion, Piton de la Fournaise, dramatic waterfalls and forests. Take-off is from Pierrefonds, pilot commentary is available in French and English, and a safety briefing precedes boarding.

With 4.8 out of 48 verified reviews, Run Hélico posts solid feedback, in line with the island's other operators. Cancellation is free up to 2 days before the flight, and a reschedule is offered if the weather doesn't allow flying. Weight is capped at 120 kg per passenger, and you should plan to arrive early for the briefing. It's a good alternative if Mafate Hélicoptères' slots are full, or simply to compare routes and prices between the two Pierrefonds operators.

This is the flight to go for if you're staying on the west coast. Most helicopter options take off from Pierrefonds, in the south, which often means an hour's drive before an early-morning flight. This particular tour instead takes off from Saint-Gilles les Bains heliport, with a return transfer from your hotel included in the price, for West coast properties between Boucan Canot and Saint-Leu.

In 45 minutes, the route covers the essentials of the island: the three cirques of Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie, Piton des Neiges, the Bélouve primary forest, Trou de Fer where several waterfalls plunge down, and Piton de la Fournaise. The return leg follows the Ermitage lagoon, whose shades of turquoise are best appreciated from the air. A tour as complete as the longer southern options, without the drive to Pierrefonds.

The helicopter carries up to 6 passengers and a pilot. The rate is €310 per person, transfer included, putting it on a par with the full southern tours once transport is factored in. The listing currently shows 5 out of 5, on a small number of reviews so far. Tips and any extras are at your own expense, and cancellation is free under certain conditions, worth checking when booking. Plan to arrive early for check-in.

The short option departing from the west, to discover the cirques without giving up a whole morning or heading to Pierrefonds. This 25-minute flight takes off from Saint-Gilles les Bains heliport. A hotel transfer is offered as an option, chosen at booking, unlike the 45-minute flight where it's included.

The flight focuses on the two most spectacular cirques seen from the sky. Mafate first, the wildest, with no road, reachable only on foot or by air, with its perched hamlets. Then Salazie, the wettest and greenest, and Trou de Fer where several waterfalls plunge into a forested canyon. On the way back, the helicopter flies over the lagoon, whose colours read perfectly from altitude.

At €240 per person for 25 minutes, this is a taster flight rather than a full tour: neither Piton de la Fournaise nor Cilaos feature. It's the right pick to try a helicopter for a tighter budget, or if you're staying in the west and don't want to give up half a day to the journey. The aircraft, an Airbus, carries up to 6 passengers and a pilot. Arrive 30 minutes before the flight, ID required. Free cancellation under conditions.