Reunion Island

The astounding welcoming culture on our island is an indispensable part of the creole tradition. There are no dangerous animals and you are in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but at the same time in Europe: Reunion Island is a French oversea department.

Our closest neighbors are our Mauritian cousins, 200 km in the north-east and second closest our Malagasy relatives, 800 km in the west. Most of our ancestors came from there, abused as slaves in the sugar cane or coffee plantations.
But we also have, because of a common history, close relations to Seychelles, to Rodrigues Island (which is a province of Mauritius) and to the Comoros archipelago, and there especially to Mayotte, which is also a french oversea department. All these islands are united in tourism promotion group of the Vanilla Islands.

We currently count some 860,000 heads and the size of the island, 70 km long and 50 km wide, roughly matches the one of Luxembourg.

On our tropical island you will find 200 different geographical areas with their own micro-climates and the corresponding landscape and vegetation forms, often very close to each other as crow flies . The islands landscape types range from desert to  rain forest.

The main religions are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.

In European summer we are two hours ahead of Paris time, in winter three hours.

Hiking is one of the most popular activities on our clearly underrated island. But this volcanic hotspot is also one of the best places in the world for canyoning, downhill mountain biking and paragliding. You can rent an electric bike in order to climb the steep slopes. White water activities such as rafting are very common in the east of the island. There are excellent diving spots, and the number of kite surfing enthusiasts is growing. Surfing is again possible since 2021 on some spots.
Zip lining, tree top climbing and bungee jumping are also a top recommendations for your stay here.There are about fifty horse riding centers and three golf courses.

From July to September you will have the opportunity for (humpback) whale watching, dolphins are present all year round. You can enjoy sunset outings in catamaran and also big game fishing. Or you relax and reestablish your health in the thermal waters of Cilaos*, in a breathtaking environment.

Due to the high degree of endemism in the animal and plant world, botanists and ornithologists too, get their money's worth on Reunion Island.

And - sure - this island is a paradise for volcanologists and volcano lovers, especially during eruptions. There is minimum risk involved and eruptions are very frequent: those last years there was an average of more than two per year.

Or you just spend a relaxing, lazy beach holiday, with occasional detours for visiting local attractions.

And don't miss creole culture and food, a mixture of African, Asian and European influences. 
 

Touristic infrastructure, such as accommodation of all kinds (from camp sites passing by mountain huts and tree houses to ***** hotels), car rentals and tourist information centers is well developed. 

Reunion Island is just waiting to be discovered by you !

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