Réunion

Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. Le Piton de La Fournaise is a millenary volcano that has been active since it was discovered and continuously adds meters to the island’s shores at each major eruption. The 40% of this island is classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Réunion is a dream destination for lovers of the outdoors. Hiking is the number one activity, although, canyoning, mountain biking, rafting, diving, whale watching and horse riding are also readily available. But it is not all about nature, landscapes, and adrenaline, Réunion has its cultural gems as well, including stunning ’creole’ architecture villages, as well as colourful religious buildings and festivals

Highlights

Volcanic landscapes

Hiking trails

Alexandre Péribé, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Beaches

Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, (CC BY 2.0)

Waterfalls and pools

User: Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wild coast road

by dyonis Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Cédricazanove, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When to go

The best time to visit Reunion is from late-April until late November. The climate of Reunion is tropical hot and humid, but varies greatly depending on the height and exposure to prevailing winds. On the island exist two distinct seasons, the hot and humid rainy season, which runs from December to February with average temperatures ranging from 23°C to 30°C and the fresh and dry season which runs from May to November with average temperatures ranging between 25°C and 18°C.

Snorkelling and Diving: the best time for scuba diving is during June to November, although it is possible to dive there on a year-round basis. Visibility around Réunion is wonderful and averages at 30m while the water temperature ranges from 22-29°C. Most of the diving in Reunion takes place on the west side of the island but it is also possible to dive the wilder currents in the south or the east side of the island to see old underwater lava flows.

Hiking: the between-seasons (from May to June and from September to October) are especially recommended: it is not too hot; it is less likely to rain and it is possible to add a swim in the rivers to your hike or end the day at sea. Winter however (June-August), is also appropriate, if you bring wool for the cool nights.

Wildlife: proof of Reunion Island’s incredible biodiversity, which now officially counts twenty-two species of cetaceans. Among these, sperm whales, fin whale’s humpback whales migrate to Reunion Island during the austral winter. They come here to breed and give birth in warmer waters. Therefore, it is possible to spot many of them from June until October every year. Most of the encounters with humpback whales happen on the West and South-West coasts, which are the biggest sea sides of Reunion Island.

Birdwatching: any time except cyclone season which is late January to March.

Practical information

Currency

The Euro is the official currency. Typically, 1 Euro is 1,07 to 1,18 per US Dollar.

Language

The language in common use on the island is French Creole, and Tamil is also spoken by some people. French, however, is the official language.

Visa

French citizens or inhabitants of the European Union: identity card or valid passport. Citizens of foreign countries: valid passport, visa if necessary, and a return ticket or continuation of the journey. For people coming from any country other than France: valid passport, visa if necessary and a return ticket or ticket for an ongoing journey from the island.

Indian and Chinese nationals no longer need a visa for stays of up to 15 days. To organise their stay, they have three options: they can contact a travel agency in India offering Reunion Island as a destination to buy a package tour (flight + accommodation). This agency will then contact an incoming agency on Reunion Island with a licence to request visa waivers, they can apply to an incoming agency on Reunion Island, or they can book their flight directly with the airline and apply to a local agency with a licence to organise their stay. Since 2013, South African passport holders are no longer required to obtain a visa when travelling to Reunion Island on holiday, for short stays of up to 90 days.

For more information visit this website

ATM & credit card

There are plenty of banks and ATMs on the island, and most shops and hotels accept major credit cards. ATMs are the easiest way to access funds while in Réunion, but banks charge foreign transaction fees plus a per-use ATM charge. Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted. Credit cards will prove the cheapest and easiest way to pay for major purchases. Credit cards are mandatory if you want to rent a car. Smaller places, however, sometimes refuse cards for small amounts and it is not common for chambres d’hôtes and gîtes d’étapes to take credit cards.

Check with your bank before you leave home to ensure that the card you plan to use to withdraw cash does not have a low daily or weekly limit.

Opening times

Business hours are generally 8am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Some shops close on Monday. Bars and restaurants are open from 10 am until 10pm or sometimes midnight.

Time: GMT +4 hours.

Main airports

Aéroport de la Réunion Roland Garros (the airport is in the northern part of Réunion along the coast, just like the island’s capital Saint-Denis, the distance from the airport to the centre of Saint-Denis is 9 kilometres. By car, it takes 15 minutes)

Saint-Pierre Pierrefonds Airport (situated in the south of the island, only flies direct to the island of Mauritius. But from this little airport, you can travel, via Reunion’s Roland Garros airport or Mauritius, to Madagascar, the Seychelles, Sydney, Noumea, South Africa, Mayotte, Rodrigues, Asia).

Public transport

Réunion’s towns are connected by a bus service (car jaunes). There are 13 lines in total, one of the most popular ones being line “T” that runs through many beach resorts along Reunions west coast, from Roland Garros Airport in the north to Pierrefonds Airport in the south. Stops are on request, to signal you want to get off clap your hands loudly twice. You can check the timetable and routes here

Taxis are expensive, and prices go up even higher at night time (after 8pm), these are easily hired in town centres or at bus stations. Taxis can be shared. Car hire is reasonable. Driving is on the right side of the road. In the rainy season the roads can be impassable in places as torrents of mud and rockfalls have been known to block routes. If you are considering driving at such times of year, book a 4×4 for safety.

Things to avoid

Swim in the sea if there is no lifeguard or cartel advice, there are several beaches with deadly strong currents

Swimming in the sea after a cyclone or very heavy rainfall

Leaving anything of value in a rental car or on the beach

Walking out alone at night or in isolated areas

Drinking tap water after a cyclone/heavy rainfall

Food

The creole cuisine of Réunion is a mixture of eating colonial culinary customs with native ingredients, strongly influenced by Malagasy gastronomy (from Madagascar), as well as other gastronomies from East Africa. It also incorporates elements of French gastronomy, due to colonization, as well as Indian and Chinese, brought by immigrants. The most famous dishes in Réunion are: “Rougail sausage” (plain or smoked, fresh pork sausages, smoked, tomatoes, onions, and a little olive oil, accompanied by white rice), “Cabri Massalé” (indian origin, is a mixture of many spices, goat or goat meat, tomatoes stewed with massalé and turmeric, served with rice), “Camaron curry” (freshwater tiger prawn, garlic, pepper, and ginger. It only remains to add the tomatoes, onions, thyme and turmeric, and the final step, is with white or yellow rice). “Gateau patate douce” (a sweet potato cake flavored with vanilla and rum)

Electricity and plug types

In Réunion the electrical current is 220 volts, and the standard frequency 50Hz. European-style plugs with two round pins are standard.

Health and insurance

Reunion’s medical facilities are very good. Most towns have doctors and clinics, while the principal hospital is in Saint-Denis. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK and most EU countries, whose citizens are entitled to emergency medical treatment on presentation of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, a travel insurance is strongly recommended. There are no real health risks associated with travel to Reunion. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travelers arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Vaccinations are recommended for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. There is no chance of contracting malaria but precautions should still be taken against mosquito bites, as there are occasional outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and chikungunya.

Other

As in France, restaurants will usually add a service charge to your bill so tipping is not necessary, though adding a few Euros will certainly put a smile on your host’s face if you had an exceptional time. It is also not necessary to tip tour operators or bartenders.

Réunion had always been known as having a heavy shark presence, particularly tigers and the fearsome bull shark. From 2011 to 2019, there was a massive, and unexplained, rise in shark attacks on Réunion in which over 24 encounters were reported, 11 of them fatal. The locals recommend some best practices to mitigate the risk of sharks. They warn to avoid surfing in murky water after a rain and not to surf too late into the evening, which is apparently when sharks move into the shallow water to feed. Results show that three areas (Saint-Gilles, Trois-Bassins, Etang-Salé) have high levels of potential interaction with sharks.