Zarlor « Parasailing in Reunion island »
A magical moment above the lagoon!
Flying over the lagoon with your feet in the void does that sound to you? Well come and discover Reunion parasailing from the port of Saint-Gilles-les Bains followed by a lunch with the Zarlor of the West Tourist Office.
What is a Zarlor ?
Zarlor is a creol word that means « treasure » !
But here, ” Zarlor ” are activities, recommendations (guided tours, sport or cutltural activities…) highlighted by the Tourist Office to discover or re discover the West part of the island.
Meet at Saint-Gilles’s harbour
It is very close to the harbour’s fish shop and the La Case à Pains bakery that we find Aliocha at Parasail Réunion to start our Parasailing in Reunion’s Zarlor. After giving our weights, we get vest and harness and Aliocha, Marie Laure takes us to the beautiful boat that will tow us during this activity.
Equipment and briefing
We leave the port and we equip ourselves. Aliosha explains the procedure to us while he inflates the parachute on the way. Nothing very complicated, we will just have to sit down by lowering the strap of the harness well towards the knees and let ourselves be lifted gently by the parachute.
He shows us the few gestures to know to be able to communicate if necessary once we are at 70/100 meters in height. Say hello with your arms when everything is going well and do the scissor with your legs if you want to come back down… in short, it’s hard to forget these 2 gestures!
Parasailing in Reunion Island
That’s it, the sail is well inflated, Romain and I are installed on the deck of the boat, sitting in our harnesses. And little by little we are lifted thanks to the winch which lets the parachute gain height.
And that’s it, we climb, we climb until we reach between 70 – 100 meters in height. It’s crazy, we don’t feel like we’re that high, but when we compare ourselves to the buildings, or even to the sailboats’ masts (which are between 20 and 30 meters), we realize that we is really above.
Sitting, feet literally in the void, above the Indian Ocean… We contemplate the sea, Reunion island, the mountains… the shadow of our parachute on the water. We look for dolphins and turtles (who knows…) and we admire the beauty of the landscapes of our beautiful island!
The weather is great, the colors are beautiful. Aliocha takes us over the coral reef, it’s so beautiful, blue, green, turquoise… all that’s missing is a turtle to complete the picture. Even if at this height, it would certainly be only a point in the ocean.
Blue, green, turquoise…
We’re flying above the coral reef!
Safety first!
From time to time, Marie Laure turns to us and says hello to check that we are well. We say hello in return to confirm that everything is ok.
The Parasail Réunion team is made up of professionals, state graduates. It is therefore in complete safety that we flew by parasailing over the Indian Ocean.
Parasailing in Reunion: the descent!
After about 15 mins, it’s time to descend. We are entitled to a little surprise before re-landing on the deck of the boat. But we won’t tell you everything so as not to spoil the ending! And then it depends on the weather conditions too.
We see the boat getting closer little by little… and it’s time to land. We have to stay up until Marie Laure comes to pick us up. And back on board!
We are entitled to a small cold drink (water, coconut, juice, beer, punch…)! And it’s time to head back to port…
Lunch in Saint-Gilles
But don’t worry, it’s not over, after this Reunion parasailing flight, it’s time to go to lunch not far from here. Creole meal or fish of the day depending on availability and dessert… just to prolong the pleasure at the water’s edge.
In any case, we had a great time even if it goes by too quickly!
A different way to see Reunion from the sky!
Parasailing in Reunion Pratical infos:
This « Parasailing in Reunion island’s Zarlor » takes place at Saint-Gilles’ harbour in Reunion west coast. Parasail Reunion is almost under the Case à Pains’ bakery, close to the Fish Shop.
- Approx. 1h for the all activity and 15 mins for the flight.
- The price is 124€/pers. for the parasailing + lunch.
- Find all infos and book your activity on West Tourism Office website. (in french).
Do not forget: water, solar cream and a towel.
And to find all our activities in Reunion, it’s here !
Amazing, wonderful, congrats all the best for next