Helicopter and microlight flights from Saint-Gilles

Why fly from Saint-Gilles rather than Saint-Pierre

Two ports on Réunion run scenic flights, and they point in different directions. Leaving from Saint-Pierre, on the south coast, a helicopter naturally banks toward the wild south and Piton de la Fournaise: lava fields, the coast at Saint-Philippe, the volcano’s crater rim when conditions allow. Leaving from Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, on the west coast, the geography is different. The aircraft climbs inland from the lagon toward the island’s interior, and the circuits on offer are built around the cirques that ring the Piton des Neiges massif: Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie, plus, on longer circuits, the Trou de Fer waterfall above Salazie.

This is worth stating plainly because the two ports get compared constantly, and the honest answer is that they are not interchangeable. A flight from Saint-Gilles will not show you the volcano’s crater in the way a Saint-Pierre departure does; a flight from Saint-Pierre will not put you over Mafate’s ramparts. If your list includes both the cirques and the volcano, you likely want one flight from each port, or a longer round-the-island circuit that some operators run from Saint-Gilles and price accordingly. Read the exact route on the tour listing before booking — operators change circuits by season and by aircraft availability, and the description on the day is more reliable than a general guide.

What a helicopter flight from Saint-Gilles typically shows

The aircraft lifts off near the port at Saint-Gilles, over the lagon and the reef that protects l’Hermitage and La Saline-les-Bains, then turns inland. From there, depending on the circuit:

• Mafate: the cirque with no road in or out. From the air you see the ilets — La Nouvelle, Marla, Roche Plate — scattered across a landscape of ramparts and ravines that only makes full sense from above. Walkers spend one to three days covering what a helicopter shows in minutes; the two experiences are complementary, not substitutes for each other.
• Cilaos: the cirque reached by road from Saint-Louis, via the roughly 400-bend RN5. From the air the switchbacks read as a single thread cut into the rampart, and the cirque’s terraced lentil fields and vineyard plots are visible around the town.
• Salazie and the Trou de Fer: Salazie is the greenest of the three cirques, with waterfalls including the Voile de la Mariée near Hell-Bourg. On longer circuits, the flight reaches the Trou de Fer, a canyon of waterfalls that has no easy hiking access and is genuinely difficult to see any other way.
• Piton des Neiges: at 3,070m, the island’s highest point and an extinct volcano, visible as the massif around which all three cirques are arranged.

Not every circuit covers all four. A shorter flight might stay over Mafate and the west coast; a longer one adds Salazie and the Trou de Fer. Check what the specific listing includes before assuming a full-cirques tour.

a helicopter circuit over the cirques departing from Saint-Gilles

Microlight (ULM) flights: a lighter alternative

A microlight, or ULM, is a smaller, open-frame aircraft that carries far fewer passengers than a helicopter — often just the pilot and one or two passengers. The appeal is a more exposed, slower-feeling flight with wide, unobstructed views, at a different scale of experience from a helicopter cabin. What it will not give you is a fixed answer on price or flight time up front: both vary by operator, aircraft and circuit, and the honest approach is to check the current listing rather than repeat a figure that may be out of date by the time you book.

Microlight departures from Saint-Gilles generally cover a version of the same west-coast-and-interior geography as the helicopter circuits, sized to the aircraft’s range and the day’s weather. If a full round of the cirques matters more to you than the format of the aircraft, compare both options on the day rather than assuming one is automatically shorter or cheaper than the other.

a microlight flight over Réunion from Saint-Gilles

Why the early departure matters

Réunion’s interior clouds over as the day warms, typically from around mid-morning. This is the same pattern that affects the Maido viewpoint above Mafate and the Route du Volcan: clear at dawn, hazed in by late morning, especially in the humid season from November to April. Helicopter and microlight operators build their first departures around this window, and an early slot is not a marketing detail — it is the difference between seeing the Trou de Fer and seeing cloud where the Trou de Fer should be.

Booking the first flight of the day, and building in a buffer rather than scheduling a flight right before another activity, gives the best odds of a clear circuit. If the operator offers to reschedule for weather, take it: a flight over cloud is not the same product as a flight over the cirques, however it is marketed.

Choosing between the shorter and longer helicopter circuits

Saint-Gilles operators generally split their helicopter offering into two tiers: a cirques-focused circuit that concentrates on Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie, and a longer round-the-island tour that adds ground further afield once the aircraft has cleared the interior. Neither is objectively better — the choice depends on how much time you have and whether the cirques alone satisfy what you came to see.

If Mafate’s ilets and the Trou de Fer are the main draw, the shorter circuit above covers that ground without the added flight time and cost of a full loop; the round-the-island option further down this page is built for anyone who would rather see as much of the island as possible in a single flight and treat the cirques as one part of a bigger picture. Read the stop-by-stop description on each listing rather than assuming from the title alone, since operators adjust the exact route by season and aircraft.

What to bring and how to prepare

Neither helicopters nor microlights departing Saint-Gilles carry much luggage allowance, so pack light: a phone or camera, sunglasses, and a light layer, since cabin and open-frame aircraft both run cooler at altitude than the lagon below. Loose scarves or hats are best left behind on a microlight, where the airflow is far more direct than in a closed helicopter cabin. Arrive at the meeting point with time to spare for a safety briefing and weigh-in — weight limits apply per seat on both aircraft types, and an accurate weight declared at booking avoids last-minute reshuffling of the day’s manifest.

Motion sensitivity is worth considering honestly before booking, particularly for a microlight, where the open frame and closer relationship to the air currents over the cirques make for a livelier ride than a helicopter cabin. If you are prone to motion sickness, a helicopter circuit is the steadier of the two options, and a light stomach rather than a heavy breakfast beforehand tends to help either way. Photography through a helicopter’s windows is straightforward, but ask the operator about doors-off or open-window options if a clear shot of Mafate or the Trou de Fer without glass in the frame matters to you — not every aircraft or circuit offers it.

Getting to the meeting point

Saint-Gilles-les-Bains sits on the west coast, roughly forty minutes to an hour’s drive from Roland-Garros airport near Sainte-Marie in the north, depending on traffic through Saint-Denis. Most visitors flying from Saint-Gilles are already based on the west coast for the beaches and lagoon at l’Hermitage or La Saline-les-Bains, which makes an early-morning flight easy to combine with the rest of a West Coast day. If you are staying elsewhere on the island, renting a car is close to essential for reaching the meeting point on time, since public transport options to the port area are limited, especially before the first Car Jaune services of the day.

Comparing this page to the other Saint-Gilles port pages

Saint-Gilles runs two other tours that share the departure point but stay firmly at sea level: whale and dolphin watching and the catamaran and sunset cruise. Both look outward across the lagon and along the coast; neither goes near the cirques or the interior. If what you actually want is to see Mafate, Cilaos or the Trou de Fer, a boat will not get you there — you need the air, on foot over several days, or the Maido viewpoint for a fixed, free vantage over Mafate from the ground.

Helicopter vs. hiking: what each actually delivers

	Helicopter or microlight from Saint-Gilles	Hiking into the cirques
Mafate	Full aerial view of ilets and ramparts in one flight	Ground-level access to villages like La Nouvelle; one to three days, gîte bookings required
Cilaos	View of the RN5’s switchbacks and the cirque floor	Drive in on the RN5 (about 1 hour, no stops), then hike or soak in the thermal baths
Salazie / Trou de Fer	The canyon and its waterfalls, otherwise very hard to see	Distant viewpoint from Bélouve only; no direct trail to the canyon floor
Weather dependency	High: cancels or shortens with cloud, wind or rain	Lower, but trails close after heavy rain (check ONF status)
Booking lead time	A day or two ahead, especially July-October	Gîtes in Mafate need weeks of advance booking in peak season

Booking notes

• Departures leave from the port area at Saint-Gilles; confirm the exact meeting point on your booking confirmation, not from memory of a previous trip.
• Weight limits and passenger counts apply to both helicopters and microlights; check them against your group before booking, particularly for microlight flights with very limited seating.
• Weather cancellations are common enough in the cyclone season (November-April) that a flight booked on your last full day carries real risk of not happening at all. If a flight matters to your trip, build in a spare morning.
• A round-the-island helicopter circuit is a different, longer product from a cirques-only flight; read what is included before comparing prices between listings.

a longer round-the-island helicopter tour from Saint-Gilles

For a flight that leans toward a specific natural feature near the coast rather than the interior cirques, some operators also run shorter scenic circuits.

a scenic flight taking in the Arche du Paradis

Planning around the flight

A Saint-Gilles helicopter or microlight flight pairs naturally with a day based on the west coast: the Maido viewpoint in the same early morning window if you want a ground-level look at Mafate before or after flying over it, or a relaxed afternoon back at l’Hermitage or La Saline-les-Bains once the flight is done. If you are also weighing a Saint-Pierre departure for the volcano, see the helicopter flights from Saint-Pierre guide, which covers that different circuit in full. For a wider look at what else fills a West Coast day, the things to do in Saint-Gilles guide lists the lagoon and land-based options around the same base.

Anyone planning several days around the cirques on foot rather than in the air should start with the Mafate hiking planning guide or the best hikes in Réunion Island overview, both of which cover gîte booking and trail access in detail that a scenic flight cannot replace.

Flying over Mafate from Saint-Gilles is easiest to plan when the flight is the fixed point and the rest of the West Coast day bends around it, so choose your arrival date with the early morning departure in mind and leave the afternoon free for l’Hermitage. From overseas, you can search flights to Réunion on Aviasales and work back from the day you want in the air.

Reunion Island helicopter and microlight FAQ

Is a helicopter flight from Saint-Gilles worth it?

If your priority is Mafate, the Trou de Fer or a full-cirques overview in a short time, yes: these places are otherwise reached only on foot, over one to three days. If your priority is the volcano or the wild south coastline, a flight from Saint-Pierre covers that ground more directly.

What is the difference between the Saint-Gilles and Saint-Pierre helicopter flights?

Saint-Gilles departures fly north and inland toward Mafate, Cilaos, Salazie and the Trou de Fer. Saint-Pierre departures fly south and east toward the wild south coastline and Piton de la Fournaise. The two ports point in different directions and the circuits rarely overlap.

Is a microlight flight cheaper or shorter than a helicopter?

A microlight (ULM) flight is generally a lighter, more open-air experience with fewer passengers per flight than a helicopter, but exact pricing and duration depend on the operator and circuit chosen on the day; check the current listing on GetYourGuide or Viator rather than assuming a fixed figure.

Why do flights leave early in the morning?

Cloud typically builds over the cirques and the volcano from mid-morning, especially from around 10am. An early departure gives the best chance of clear views over Mafate, the Trou de Fer or the cirques before the interior clouds over.

Can I fly over Mafate instead of hiking there?

Yes. Mafate has no road, so a scenic flight is the only way to see the cirque’s ilets and ramparts without walking in. It shows the terrain from above rather than replacing a visit to villages such as La Nouvelle or Marla.

Will the flight be cancelled for weather?

Flights are weather-dependent and can be delayed, shortened or cancelled if cloud, wind or rain close in over the cirques, particularly in the cyclone season from November to April. Keep the day flexible and check the operator’s rebooking policy before you book.

Do I need to book a helicopter flight in advance?

Yes, especially in the July-October peak hiking and whale-watching season when morning slots fill first. Booking a day or two ahead, with an early-morning slot, gives the best odds of clear weather and an available seat.