REUNION - Airmauritius

REUNION

Some call it " the Himalayas of the Tropics "

An island of true contrasts, the French department of Reunion is unknown to many travelers and is one of the most intriguing spots one earth..

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This unique island lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean, nearby Mauritius and Rodrigues and forms part of the Mascarenes archipelago.

It is an island of spectacular natural wonders, with wild dramatic mountain scenery.

Geography

Reunion is a small island that is nearly round: a main road goes all the way round 240 kilometres (150 miles).

It’s a mountain rising out of the ocean, born of two major volcanic events.The island is 63 kilometres ; 45 kilometres wide; and covers 2512 square kilometres.

It is similar to the island Hawaii in sofar as both are located above hotspots in the Earth's crust.

The Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end

of Réunion Island, rises more than 2611 metres above sea level.

It has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring.

The Piton de la Fournaise is created by a hotspot volcano, which also created the Pito des Neiges and the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Today, at the centre of the island are three gigantic basins: Mafate, Cilaos, and Salazie (called cirques)

Resulting from enormous collapses, they are open to the sea via narrow passages.

These basins constitute one of the island’s major attractions. Surrounded by walking paths, they offer nature lovers a spectacle of wooded gorges and extraordinary waterfalls.

The coastal plains are narrow, the slopes rising rapidly.

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Language & Population

Reunion has 700,000 inhabitants of diverse and often multiple origins
Great cultural richness has resulted from a history full of movements and meetings.

To understand each other, the inhabitants of the colony forged a vernacular language: Creole, derived from Old French, spiced with words from Malagasy, Hindi and Tamali, as colourful as you could wish.

Creole is still used but the official language is French, spoken by the vast majority of the population.

Climate

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Reunion benefits from a particularly pleasant climate: a tropical climate where the trade winds (dominant winds from the East-South-East) bring a delectable mildness. The average temperature on the coast is 18-31°C, although it is cooler in the hilly interior.

Temperatures and rainfall vary according to the altitude and exposure: there can be significant variation from one end of the island to the other.
The East side (the “windward coast”) is more humid as it is exposed to the trade winds.

The West side (the “leeward coast”), protected by the mountainous landscape, is much drier.

The year is divided into two seasons:

The cool dry season lasts from May to October with, from June to August, a Winter that is only Winter in name, except near the mountain peaks. -

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The hot wet season, from November to April, sees two thirds of the annual rainfall.

In any case, it is very sunny all year round, even during the peak of the rainy season, in January and February: it’s an endless summer!

The cyclone season lasts from December to March. Although a direct hit happens rarely, cyclones way out at sea can bring days of heavy rain.

Culture

Reunion Island is a combination of French, African, Indian, and Chinese cultures. The inhabitants of the island speak mostly French or Creole, and about three-quarters of the island’s residents are Roman Catholic, though both the Buddhist and Muslim religions are represented as well.

This is largely a society respectful of each other’s diverse cultures and the island has suffered no political or social unrest in almost two centuries.

Thanks to this delightful blending of cultures, you can walk down the streets of the cities and hear traditional ecclesiastic choral music emanating from one of the island’s magnificent churches and listen to the chants of the Muslim’s ringing from the mosque on the opposite corner.

Folk music is lively and diverse, often heard during street fairs or performed in cafes or bistros.

Passport and Visa Entry Requirements

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French immigration regulations apply. Nationals of Western European countries, Argentina, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, the United States and some African countries do not need visas for up to a three-month stay.

All other nationalities require visas, which should be obtained from a French embassy or consulate in advance.

One should ensure that the visa given is valid for Reunion

Customs

Duty free allowance :• 200 cigarettes, 50 cigares or 250g of tobacco
• 1 litres of spirits over 22 % or 2 litre for spirit under 22 %, 2 litres of wine.
• 50 ml of perfume or 250 ml eau de toilette

Detax for non EU passenger.

Fruits, vegetables, seeds and meat products are considered as restricted goods and are prohibited from entering the islands. When leaving the Réunion, the authorities restrict the export vegetable ( plants, flowers…). Tax : A tax and tourist vignette is charged on the price of the rooms.

Health Requirements : No vaccinations are officially required for a visit to Reunion. For passengers coming from endemics countries: Yellow Fever and Cholera vaccination is compulsory. There is not malaria in Reunion

Electricity
Reunion is supplied with 220/240 volt alternating current at 50 hertz. The wall plugs take the same two-pin plugs as France.

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The Reunionese cuisine is as intermingled as the population.
No dish has kept its original flavour; all have been enriched and livened up by the generous inspiration of Bourbonese cooks and influences from elsewhere, French, Indian, Chinese…

Dishes from each of these countries can sometimes be found in the same meal.

What to see

Coast
The coastal lowlands of Reunion Island are where cities and villages have sprung up throughout the centuries, since the time the French settled on the island in 1642.

The west coast towns offer warm, relaxing bea ches as well as plenty of opportunity for enticing watersports.

The lively town of St-Gilles-les-Bains attracts scuba divers with its nearby coral reefs and St Leu is the perfect location for avid surfers. Pretty St Paul boasts a fun outdoor street market and lots of traditional Creole houses for guests to admire.

The northernmost coastal capital city of St Denis is often overlooked by tourists in favor of the beaches or mountains.

Here you will find island architecture on a tour of this friendly city as well as art galleries, beautiful gardens, and the island’s best variety of restaurants, ranging from formal sit-down establishments to island take-out joints, where you can grab some quick Creole finger foods to enjoy during your downtown stroll.

East coast towns offer fields of sugar cane and vanilla, attractive architecture, luxurious vegetation, and lots of waterfalls. The sea, however, is rugged on this coast and not appropriate for swimming or other watersports.

The Interior
Reunion’s rugged interior is formed by Salazies Mountain – an extinct volcano – in the west and the Grand Brule Mountain in the east, where visitors will find the island’s still-active volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise. The interior’s highest point is Le Piton des Nieges, standing a majestic 3,069 meters tall.

The island’s three cirques, dominate the topography of the interior portion of Reunion. Often described as “natural amphitheatres” or “calderas”, a cirque – literally a volcano that collapsed upon itself - offers amazing photo opportunities , fun and adventure.

But the interior of Reunion is much more than just lava-covered mountains and ancient crumbling craters. On this volcanic island, guests will find amazing lush, green forests like the Bebour-Belouve, where you’ll view birds that you’d be hard-pressed to see anywhere else in the world.

Waterfalls are abundant and spectacular as well, literally trickling in the dry months but offering crushing flows during the rainy season, when monsoons are a natural occurrence.

Hotels in Reunion.

There is an excellent range of hotels to be found on the island, ranging from comfortable inns to luxurious 4 and 5 star properties.

Access

Reunion can by reached by air from Mauritius. Air Mauritius operates daily flights ( approx every hour) to Reunion, flying time is approx 30 minutes.

A holiday combining the tropical beaches of Mauritius and the wild scenic beauty of Reunion, is an ideal combination.

If you are visiting Mauritius we recommend a stopover of at least 3 days ( 2nights) in Reunion. Ideally, however a stay of 4 fays ( 3nights) will give the traveller more time to visit all the sights of Reunion.