Manawa is one of my longest-standing affiliate partners: a French platform with the biggest outdoor catalogue on the French market (6,400+ activities) and a strong presence in Reunion Island. I put its booking process to the test on a helicopter tour and came away convinced. Here's my detailed review.
Launched in 2014, Manawa is the leading French specialist in guided outdoor activities. It covers 90% of what reputable operators offer in Reunion Island (helicopter, diving, canyoning, paragliding, kayaking, guided hiking) and 60+ countries. If you love the outdoors, it's the first place I send you.
Three things convinced me to feature Manawa on most of my activity pages. First, the depth of the outdoor catalogue: no other French platform goes this deep into adventure activities. Second, transparent pricing: the price you see is the price you pay, with no hidden fee at the last step. Third, local roots: on the island, Manawa works with the same serious operators I already list.
That's also why I chose it as my main affiliate. When you book through my activity pages, the redirect takes you to their secure platform and you pay the same price as booking direct. I earn a commission that pays for the writing on this site.
Explore the Manawa catalogue
Manawa connects travellers with local outdoor operators, and its catalogue is split into five broad families.
Diving, kayaking, paddleboarding, surfing, sailing, water canyoning, rafting. The biggest part of the catalogue, with plenty on offer in Reunion Island (the lagoon, Saint-Leu bay, the Rivière des Marsouins and Rivière des Roches).
Paragliding taster flights, microlight flights, helicopter flyovers, paramotoring, skydiving, bungee jumping. In Reunion Island, this is the most popular category (helicopter, Saint-Leu paragliding, Saint-Paul microlights).
Guided hiking, mountain biking and e-MTB, climbing, via ferrata, quad biking, buggy rides, electric motorbikes, horse riding. Just as good in a European summer as in Reunion Island's dry season.
To judge the service properly, I booked a helicopter flight over the island with Corail Hélicoptère. Here's how it went, from booking to landing, with a screenshot of the actual search results.
I filtered by destination (“Reunion Island”) and category (“helicopter”): 109 activities in total, with the first listings being a Mafate flyover at €305 with Mafate Helicopters, a diving taster at Saint-Leu at €75 with Excelsus. I paid by card and got an instant email confirmation, with no service fee added at checkout.
The operator gets the booking at the same time. A confirmation text arrived 48 hours before the flight with the exact address of the helipad, the flight time and what to wear. I had nothing to chase.
Everything ran on time: a short safety briefing, then a 45-minute flight over Mafate, the volcano and the west-coast lagoon, with a pilot who explained the landscapes below. Breathtaking views and a smooth landing.
From search to flight, not a single hitch: no hidden fees, no chasing the operator, no nasty surprises. That's exactly the standard I expect from a platform I send my readers to. 5/5, without hesitation.
Six things that set it apart from general platforms (GetYourGuide, Viator, Civitatis).
No other French platform goes this far in specialising in the outdoors. Water, air, land, winter and racket sports: Manawa covers the lot, with real depth at sea and in the mountains.
Manawa isn't limited to Reunion Island or mainland France: think diving in Indonesia, paragliding in Nepal or mountain biking in Canada. For frequent travellers, it's a handy way to compare outdoor activities from one destination to the next.
You can filter by activity, level, guide language, location, budget and duration (useful if you need an English-speaking guide), and four clicks take you from an idea to checkout. Listings are detailed, with full descriptions and photos that genuinely reflect the operator.
Users agree on this: Manawa replies quickly (in French) and steps in if the local operator doesn't. Several weather cancellations on my own bookings were handled without any hassle.
Manawa gift cards are valid across the whole catalogue (a big plus), can be spent in several goes, and come as physical or digital cards. New customers get 5% off with the code MNW2026, which can be combined with seasonal codes.
The price you see is the price you pay: no hidden checkout fees, no compulsory insurance and no service charge. Manawa plays it straight here, unlike competitors that add 8-15% at the last step.
No platform is perfect. Three things to bear in mind so there are no surprises.
The most popular activities (helicopter flights in Reunion Island in the southern summer, diving in Bali, paragliding in Chamonix in July) sell out fast. Booking 2 to 4 weeks ahead is the norm.
It comes with the territory: 5 to 15% of outdoor activities are postponed or cancelled, depending on the season and the sport. Manawa and its operators offer a new date or a refund, but you have to accept some uncertainty.
In Bali or Nepal, booking through Manawa can cost 10 to 20% more than booking locally. The extra pays for the platform's insurance and its French customer service, so weigh it up according to how you like to travel.
Beyond my own verdict, here are the public ratings. The Ekomi certificate below sums up 17,232 post-activity reviews.
93.45% positive reviews, 2.88% neutral, 3.67% negative. Only customers who have booked can leave a rating, so it's highly reliable and the best measure of what users really think.
If you're planning an outdoor activity in Reunion Island (helicopter, paragliding, canyoning, diving, kayaking), Manawa is the first place I send you: the most complete catalogue, transparent prices, responsive customer service (in French) and 5% off for new customers with the code MNW2026. 5/5, without reservation.
A nice touch: Manawa gift cards are valid across the whole worldwide catalogue and can be spent in one go or several. They're not tied to a single activity or destination.
They come as digital cards (sent instantly by email) or physical cards, for any amount from €25, and the recipient chooses the activity.
A great present for a birthday, Christmas, the end of the school year or a wedding: you give an outdoor experience without choosing it for them. Instead of booking a paragliding flight at Saint-Leu, you let them choose between helicopter, diving, canyoning or any activity in the catalogue.
Six other affiliate platforms I use on the site, each with its own speciality, so you can pick the right one for each type of activity.
Page last updated on 24 September 2026.