I’ve wanted to parasail for as long as I can remember. As an adrenaline junkie and ocean lover I couldn’t think of anything more perfect than gliding through the sky with the sea below you. And perfect it was. Parasailing in Mauritius was one of the best experiences – something that both Peter and I absolutely loved! The only downside was that it all happened far too quickly. We could have easily stayed for hours up there in the air.
We spent a magical week in Mauritius with my family at the beginning of the year. One of the highlights for me was Parasailing. We stayed in Grand Baie but on one of our days, we decided to take a day trip out to Ile Aux Cerfs. We booked a trip through a local tour operator and they put together a great package for us. Part of the package included Parasailing at Ile Aux Cerfs.
Why Ile Aux Cerfs?
Although I don’t have any other Parasailing experience to compare it to, I can quite confidently say that Ile Aux Cerfs is the best place for parasailing in Mauritius. The island is a must-visit when in Mauritius so why not explore its beauty from the air?
Ile Aux Cerfs is a picturesque island that is spread over 87 hectares of untouched land. You will find this paradise off the east coast of Mauritius. It’s known for its white sandy beaches and its turquoise coral-reefed lagoon which leads to a wide range of water sports activities.
Parasailing in Mauritius: Our experience
Our boat trip left from Trou d’Eau douce at about 09:30 on Saturday morning. Since we were staying in Grand Baie all the way up in the North and Trou d’Eau douce is in the East, we arranged a transfer from our hotel as part of the package. It’s about an hour’s drive so we had quite an early morning!
Not ones to miss out on a meal we made sure to wake up early enough on Saturday morning so we still got our breakfast in. With food in our tummies and a cup of coffee to start the day we were ready for the festivities that lay ahead. Palma, from the tour operating company, picked us up from our hotel just after 8 am and drove us down to Trou d’Eau douce. Once there we met with a local who would be transporting us by speed boat to Ile Aux Cerfs. Palma left us with a receipt containing our activities for the day which included Parasailing and an undersea walk. We were told to use this as proof of booking.
The boat trip took about 20 minutes and as we arrived on the island we were directed straight to the Parasailing tent on the beach. Ile Aux Cerfs is a beautiful little island but we thought that we should get Parasailing done first since our time was limited. We would explore the rest of the island after! We just needed to show our receipt to the people from Sunparasail Mauritius. From there we were directed to the beachfront. Once on the beachfront another guy explained that we would be getting on a speedboat and taken to the Parasailing launch pad – which as it turns out is a small wooden platform, no bigger than our study, in the middle of the sea!
So there we were my parents, brother, Peter, and Myself, on a boat en route to experience parasailing in Mauritius. You can pretty much see the Parasailing launch pad from the shoreline. It’s only about a 5-minute boat ride. Once on that platform, everything runs very quickly. You can see that these guys do this every single day. As soon as you set foot on that platform they start throwing the equipment onto you in preparation for the parasailing experience.
Everything moves so fast from here. Since we were five people, my parents Peter, and I parasailed in tandem, while my brother did a single flight. My parents went first. They were hooked up, and within a few minutes, they were up in the air. The whole experience doesn’t last very long – it’s about 10 minutes. Peter and I were next. From the moment we went up I felt like this was my new favourite thing! Attached to a parachute, it’s just you between the sky and the sea. It’s a thrill like no other! At some point during the experience, they slow down and lower you into the water to add a little more excitement. I didn’t want my Parasailing in Mauritius experience to end! My brother was last and he also absolutely loved it!
The great thing about Parasailing is that you don’t even need any sort of training. They literally told us everything we needed to know while we were geared up and attached to the parachute. This was about 20 seconds before we were up in the air! If you doing it in tandem, only the person at the back needs to listen. This is because when coming into land, they need to guide the parachute onto the landing pad. The person in front doesn’t have to do a thing!
If you have safety concerns then you can be rest assured that Parasailing in Mauritius is a fairly safe activity. The harnesses are well maintained and as I already mentioned they will give you a quick rundown of what you need to do – which really isn’t much. There’s a boat that will be pulling the parachute. The parachute is permanently attached to the boat, so you will just be harnessed up when it’s your turn. There really isn’t anything to worry about when it comes to Parasailing. It’s probably one of the safest “extreme” activities that you can do!
Why do it?
Parasailing in Mauritius was one of the best ways to experience a birds eye view of the incredible scenery! Mauritius is one of the most beautiful tropical islands for people with adventure in their blood, and there’s no better way to explore it.
Once you reach the destination of a few hundred feet in the air, everything around you takes on a new perspective. It’s thrilling to see deep into the water below you with mountains all around. It’s difficult to describe the incredible view that you have from every angle. The beach, the ocean, and the amazing beauty of nature are nothing short of breathtaking. I found the experience to be a peaceful and exciting one. Not the same kind of thrill that you get from daring adventures.
Hey Travel Babes. I’m Hayley a.k.a Ms Blissness – Adventurous dreamer and free spirit. I’m on a quest around the world with my husband, Peter. Join us on our journey for some travel inspiration and a lot of Love and Light xx. More about me…