Helicopter Tours Mauritius

One of the best ways to visit the island is by helicopter where an exceptional view of the island is offered: patches of green sugarcane fields, meandering rivers, rocky mountains, white beaches and turquoise lagoons. Everything that you see on TV becomes a reality through a helicopter tour of the island. It is without a doubt one of the best memories you will have once you get into the air at 500m altitude and cruise the island. Actually Mauritius does not possess many helicopters given that there is no real military service; there are 4 Chetak and 1 Fenrec used for helping in police works and the Dhruv helicopter for rescuing purposes that can fly quite some distance offshore. Air Mauritius, the company that hires the helicopters, has 3 Bell Jet Ranger helicopters (helicopters which were created initially for the US Army but were rejected; they were then redesigned successfully for commercial uses!) for touring the island. The helicopters are modern looking with the white and red colour of the Air Mauritius logo, about 3m in height, 12 m long, with two blades, one pilot cabin and 4 passenger seats; they can move at a rate of 6.9m/s with a maximum speed of 224km/h going up to an altitude of 693km. Air Mauritius proposes different helicopter activities. They include sightseeing tours where the beautiful scenery of the island is unleashed before your eyes (craters of volcanoes, descending waterfalls and top view of coral reefs); pick up can be made either from the airport or from your hotel. Airport pick up for tours lasting 15minutes are £211, £311 for 30 minutes, £488 for 45 minutes and £577 for an hour. Hotel pick up or from other areas with helipad facilities are at £266 for 15 minutes, £377 for 30minutes, £555 for 45 minutes and £711 for an hour. Other services are namely direct pick up from the airport to your hotel or vice versa (at £445), flying off to the wonderful golf courses on the island in no time at all (at £1067) and enjoying an hour tour of the island to be dropped off at one of the restaurants with helicopter pads for a two hour lunch (£1333 excluding lunch receipt). The helicopters can also be hired for photo and filming sessions for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes and an hour for £666, £933, £1111 and £1377 respectively. All fares are for couples; additional fees must be paid for each new passenger. All pilots are thoroughly trained as per the 'global standards’ guidelines. They also act as tour guides giving tips about the important areas being flown over all the while keeping the passengers safe and secure. The helicopter tour is quite an enjoyable business given that Air Mauritius receives more than 10,000 passengers per year!