Tourism in Reunion, France

By | July 14, 2022

According to phonejust.com, Reunion Island is a piece of France in the Indian Ocean. In any city of Reunion, there are chic colonial mansions, all signs are written in French, and the service does not lag behind the European one. The main attraction of the island is its nature. The centuries-old activity of the Reunion volcanoes has formed a wide variety of landscapes – from circuses with sheer cliffs and waterfalls that fascinate with their size to small picturesque valleys with lakes. There are about 600 km of hiking trails on Reunion, so the island is a great place for hiking. The western and southern coast of Reunion is occupied by numerous resorts with sandy beaches. Coral reefs stretch in the coastal waters, where you can go diving and look at the colorful inhabitants of this part of the ocean.

The most favorable season for traveling in Reunion is the period from May to November, when the probability of rain is the least and there is no sweltering heat.

The official language of Reunion is French. However, the Creole language is still widely spoken on the island.

Geography in Reunion, France

Reunion Island is located in the western Indian Ocean, 220 km southwest of Mauritius and 800 km east of Madagascar. Reunion is part of the Mascarene Islands. Its area is 2512 sq. km.

Reunion is of volcanic origin, so its relief is mountainous. A chain of volcanoes stretches from the northwest to the southeast of the island, among which is the active volcano Piton de la Furno with a height of 2631 m, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the world (it has erupted more than 100 times since 1640). The highest point of Réunion is the extinct volcano Piton des Neiges (3069 m). In the center of the island, as a result of volcanic processes, three vast mountain valleys (circuses) were formed – Mafat, Silao and Salazi, which go to the sea through narrow gorges.

There are few rivers on the island, they are all small and rapids.

Climate in Reunion, France

Réunion has a humid tropical climate. Summer here is hot and humid, it lasts from November to April. In winter (May-October) comfortable warm weather is observed. Within the island there are no noticeable differences in air temperature, only with height it gradually decreases. During the summer time on the coastal plains during the day the air warms up to +28..+30 degrees, at night it is about 21..23 degrees of heat. In winter, daytime air temperatures reach +25..+27 degrees, night – 16..18 degrees of heat. In the mountains in winter, light frosts can occur at night.

The greatest amount of precipitation falls on the east coast, especially on the northeastern slopes of the mountains – up to 5000 mm of precipitation per year. On the west coast, about 1500 mm of precipitation falls annually. In the period from December to April, powerful cyclones often fall on the island, they are accompanied by heavy showers and stormy winds. This time of the year is the rainiest in Réunion.

Best time to visit:
The most favorable season to travel to Réunion is from May to November, when there is the least chance of rain and there is no sweltering heat.

Types of Tourism in Reunion, France

BEACH HOLIDAYS

The best beaches of Reunion are located on the western and southern coasts of the island. The east coast is mostly rocky, gray cliffs rise along the coast, against which powerful waves break, raising columns of spray into the air. The resort closest to the capital of the island is Saint-Paul. South of it is the most popular resort of Reunion – Saint-Gilles-les-Banes . It stands on the banks of a picturesque lagoon, which stretches 20 km south of the city. The beaches here are composed of both white coral sand and black volcanic sand. Saint-Gilles-les-Bagnes is popular with tourists because it has a French atmosphere. All buildings here are built in European style, and the service is not inferior to European standards. Life in the resort is seething day and night, because along the coast there is a series of restaurants, bars and discos. South of Saint-Gilles-les-Bagnes, there are such resorts as Bucan Canot, Rocher-Noir, Saint-Leo, Etang-Sale-les-Bagnes, Saint-Louis and Saint-Pierre .

DIVING

Along the west coast of Reunion near the lagoons of Saint-Gilles-les-Bagnes, Saint-Leo, Etang-Sale-les-Bagnes and Saint-Pierre stretched out coral reefs. They are located very close to the shore and are exposed during low tides. Coral reefs are under protection, but diving is allowed here. The best place for diving is the coastal waters of Saint-Gilles-les-Banes . When diving, you can see underwater canyons, gorges, cliffs and caves. Diving depths within the resort can reach up to 30m. The waters here are home to a huge variety of large pelagic fish and small, colorful tropical fish.

In the southern part of the Saint-Leo resort at Point-au-Sal is the Grand Tombant dive site.. It offers the most mesmerizing dives on the island. There are strong currents in this place, so only drift diving is possible. The diving depth reaches 70 m, and at the bottom there is a “forest” of fire corals. Sharks sometimes swim in Grande Tombant and there are loaches 1.5 m long and weighing about 80 kg.

SURFING

The west coast of Réunion offers excellent surfing opportunities. Most often surf is practiced in the resorts of Saint-Gilles-les-Banes , Saint-Pierre , Saint-Leo and Saint-Paul.

HIKING

The main attraction of the island is its nature. Over the millennia of volcanic activity, diverse landscapes have formed. The island has about 600 km of hiking trails that surround volcanoes, mountain valleys and picturesque waterfalls. The most popular places for hiking are the three circuses – Mafat, Salazi and Silao . Cirques are large volcanic valleys surrounded by mountains. They were formed as a result of the destruction of volcanoes under the force of their gravity. The diameter of these valleys is about 10 km. Of great interest to tourists are also climbing from the city of Hel-Burg to the highest point of the island – Mount Piton de Nezh (3069 m), climbing to the crater of the active volcano Piton de la Fourno (2631), climbing Mount Ecritus (2227 m), which starts from the town of Brule, and hiking along the d’Afouche valley in the north of the island, where tamarinds and wild ficuses grow.

VOLCANOES

A chain of volcanoes stretches from the northwest to the southeast of the island, among which is the active volcano Piton de la Furno with a height of 2631 m, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the world (it has erupted more than 100 times since 1640). Extinct volcano Piton des Neiges (3069 m) is the highest point of the island. Piton de la Furno volcano is located in the south of the island. You can climb to it through the settlement of Burg-Murat, the ascent takes about 5 hours. You can look at the main crater of the volcano – Enclos Fokyu, and other craters – Bori and Brulant.

Tourism in Reunion, France