Réunion

Réunion, in a few days

From Creole Saint-Denis to the cirques of Mafate and Salazie and the lava fields of the Piton de la Fournaise, by car: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Saint-Denis and the north

Days 1-2

The island's capital, with Creole villas behind carved wooden lacework and a seafront, the Barachois, lined with old cannons facing the Indian Ocean.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Creole capital, guidedHalf day · from €15
  The villas, temples, mosque and cathedral of Saint-Denis, and the history of the people who built them.
• Le Chaudron market and Creole housesHalf day · from €10
  One of the island's big street markets, with spices, fruit and samosas, then a walk past the painted wooden houses.

✦ Free to visit

• Le Barachois, the seafront and its cannons
• The painted Creole houses
• The Jardin de l'État and its natural history museum
• The seafront promenade

📲 Book things to do in Saint-Denis and the north on GetYourGuide

2

The cirques of Mafate and Salazie

Days 3-4 · 🚗 Car 1h30

Two vast collapsed volcanic amphitheatres, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2010. Salazie has a road; Mafate has none, and is reached only on foot or by helicopter.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Guided hike into MafateFull day · from €40
  A day on the trails of the only cirque without a road, where supplies still come in by helicopter.
• Helicopter flight over the cirques45 min · from €280
  Cilaos, Mafate and Salazie from above in under an hour, with the waterfalls of Trou de Fer if the weather allows.

✦ Free to visit

• The cirque of Salazie and the Bridal Veil falls
• Hell-Bourg, listed among the most beautiful villages of France
• The Bélouve forest and its viewpoints
• The viewpoints over the cliffs and peaks

📲 Book things to do in The cirques of Mafate and Salazie on GetYourGuide

3

Piton de la Fournaise and the south

Days 5-7 · 🚗 Car 2h30

One of the most active volcanoes on earth, erupting every year or two. Around the crater, the ash plains look like another planet.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Hike to the volcano's craterFull day · from €25
  From the Pas de Bellecombe down into the caldera and up to the rim of Dolomieu crater, about five hours there and back. The trail closes during eruptions.
• Plaine des Sables and Pas de Bellecombe, guidedHalf day · from €35
  The red and black ash plain on the road to the volcano, then the viewpoint over the caldera.

✦ Free to visit

• The view of the volcano from the Pas de Bellecombe
• The Plaine des Sables, red and black ash
• The Route des Laves, across lava flows set solid down to the sea
• The springs and freshwater pools of the south

📲 Book things to do in Piton de la Fournaise and the south on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A hire car · Essential for the mountain roads up to the cirques and the volcano. Distances are short, but the bends make every drive longer than the map suggests.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Cari: chicken, fish or duck simmered with turmeric, onion and tomato, the everyday dish of the island.
• Rougail saucisse: smoked sausage cooked down with tomato and chilli, the Creole classic.
• Rice, grains and rougail: rice, beans or lentils, and a sharp chilli relish, served with every cari.
• Samosas and bonbons piment: chilli fritters and samosas, the street food of every market.
• Rhum arrangé: rum steeped with fruit, vanilla or spices, poured at the end of the meal.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Start hikes on the volcano and in the cirques at dawn: cloud rolls in by late morning.
• Because of shark attacks, swimming is banned outside the lagoons and the supervised areas on most of the coast.
• Allow plenty of time on the road: the relief makes drives slow and winding.
• Book the mountain lodges in Mafate well ahead: beds are few and there is no road in.

Words that help

English ↔ French

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/reunion-island

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.