Reunion travel guide

During the heydays of sugar production Saint Leu was blooming. Today Saint Leu is a vacation town with some fine old buildings, a lively waterfront and a equally popular beach. There are great viewpoints overlooking the town from the zigzagging roads which leads up the mountains.

A visit to the capital of Réunion is usually done rather quickly. The city center is small with more than a handful of charming well-preserved colonial mansions. No building is higher than three stories and most of the sights are within walking distance. The cannon and palm lined waterfront, La Barachois, has great views of the dramatic mountains which rise vertically out of the sea right outside Saint-Denis.

Réunion is not known for beaches, but Saint-Pierre is bit of a beach town. It's a nice town with a bustling center lined with modern shops, but to find Saint-Pierre's soul you need to head down to the waterfront. Here lie the yacht harbour, the promenade with restaurants and snack stands, and the white sand city beach with tranquil azure waters.

The platform at Takamaka Viewpount gives you a panoramic views of the untouched valley (beside a small power plant). Narrow waterfalls tumbles down the sheer mountain walls and is the only contrast to the otherwise green impenetrable forest which cover the mountains. The ride to Takamaka Viewpount is almost as exhilarating, a 9 km long twisted road with lots of blind bends.

The reason to come to Cilaos is of course the soaring mountains. There are a several great hikes to do in the vicinity of Cilaos, either multi days from valley to valley or just day hikes. A popular day hike is the return trip up to the pass, Col du Taibit, which separates the Cirque de Cilaos from the Cirque de Mafate. 830 m of altitude gain within 2.5 hours. It startes 5 km outside Cilaos towards Ilet a Cordes. Both the GR 1 and GR2 pass through.