Exploring Treasure Isle

Reunion Island is relatively small (63 km long and 45 km wide, covering 2,500 square km) and close to Madagascar and Mauritius. Just a four-hour flight from South Africa, it’s known for its rainforest, mountains, and beautiful beaches.

Touching down on Reunion Island, I was eager to unpack a whole Pandora’s Box of adventures that lay before me. Once out of the airport and in the safe care of guide Nicholas Cyprien, we headed straight for the mountains. This made sense, as Reunion Island is essentially formed on two volcanoes: Piton des Neiges (Peaks of Snow) and Piton de la Fournaise (The Furnace Peak). The Peaks of Snow volcano (in the centre of the island) last erupted a very long time ago, leaving three massive calderas (bowl-shaped valleys) surrounding it. Driving up to the first caldera (Cilaos) was like climbing a stairway to heaven: 420 gut-wrenching, hairpin bends, with towering peaks above and a few mind-numbing drops below. The view of Cilaos is well worth the around two-hour drive, as the town is nestled in a giant amphitheatre and surrounded completely by mountain peaks that appear to pierce the azure sky.

While the village itself is picturesque beyond words, it was the famous Creole hospitality that managed to beat all expectations. The name Cilaos means ‘the place one never leaves’, and the hospitality really was that good. We stayed at the Hotel Tsilaosa, and the owner, Noe Dijoux, even took us down to his cellar for a tasting demonstration of the local wines.

Ideally, we would have needed at least a week to explore the area properly, as there was no time to see the other two calderas: Mafate (only reachable on foot or helicopter) and Salazie (famous for its rainforests and the beautiful Voile de la Mariée Waterfall). Visitors looking for things to do will be spoilt for choice because 42% of the island is a nature reserve, meaning there are plenty of great mountain biking and hiking trails. Cilaos is also renowned for its canyoning (a combination of hiking, sliding, swimming, and even abseiling down a river path) and if time and budget allow, a helicopter ride over the area is worth it for the view, as well as the adrenaline rush.

The setting of the Furnace Peak volcano (on the south side of the island) is just as dramatic. This volcano is more active, last erupting (peacefully) in 2010 and 2007. The area is dry and barren, making a hike around the crater feel like a walk on the moon. For those looking for memorable adventures, skydiving jumps can be done over the volcano and there are also some amazing paragliding sites on the island. Craziest of all is the marathon, Diagonale des Fous (Diagonal Race of the Fools), a 160 km running race that takes place annually in October. The race starts in the south-west part of the island and then cuts across the entire island to finish in Saint Denis, in the north. By the end of the race, the runners (limited to 2,300 entrants per race) would have climbed a staggering 9,000 metres of (literally) breathtaking scenery.

Amazing as the mountains undoubtedly were, what would an island getaway be without sun, sand, and clear blue waters? The towns on the west side of the island have some memorable beaches, most of them with hotels and B&Bs leading straight onto the sand. Again, choosing what to do is a tough choice.