INDIAN OCEAN

Information on customs and security formalities is provided as a guide.
Under no circumstances may Corsair be held responsible if your official documentation is not in order.

To prepare your trip, we suggest you contact the island’s tourist office:

Reunion Tourist Office

90 rue de La Boétie, 75008 Paris

+33 (0)1 40 75 02 79 / fax. 01 40 75 02 73

email: contact@reunion.fr

Helpful tips

There are no obligatory vaccinations.

On site

Shopping hours

Shops are open from 08:00 to 17:00

Transport

The network of yellow buses serves the main towns on Reunion

Security

Take care when swimming, as there can be sharks in some places. Make sure before taking hiking trails that they are well marked.

Services

Most services are open from 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, and on often on Saturday morning.

Celebrations and public holidays

Choca festival in Entre-Deux from 1st to 31st July
Sakifo Music Festival in Saint-Pierre from 4th to 8th August
Vacoa and palm festival in Saint-Philippe from 6th to 15th August
Pilgrimage from Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette to Saint-Leu on 19th September
Aïd-el-Kebir (Eid al-Adha or Tabaski) on 17th November
Fête caf' (Festival of the Cafres) on 20th December
Cavadee Festival in Saint-Leu, Saint-André and Saint-Louis from 19th to 21st January
“Réunion d’aventures” race from 8th to 15th May

The essentials

Reunion is the ideal spot for active holidays packed with discovery. The island has many hiking paths, often offering magnificent panoramas.

With its volcanoes, its black lava cliffs, its verdant cirques, its exotic fauna with a wealth of protected animal species (such as “Kelonia” turtles that you might come across under the waves), its banana plantations, waterfalls and magnificent beaches, Reunion will be sure to fascinate you.

You will have the chance to go diving and surfing.

Among the essential sights, we can mention in particular the La Fournaise peak, occasionally active, and the cirques of Mafate and Cilaos. You should also check out the State Gardens, the Reunion National Park and the La Roche Ecrite natural reserve if you are in the area.

Gastronomy

The traditional Creole dish is “cari”, which can be found on every table and every restaurant. Often accompanied by rice and grains, it comes in various versions, such as chicken cari or lobster cari.

There are other very similar dishes, such as “Rougail”, “Massalé” or “Boucané”. The island has a multitude of fruits and spices growing, including the palm, brèdes, songes, the baba figue, vanilla and chayote.

The latter is the favourite vegetable on Reunion, and resembles a sort of pear or avocado.

Culture

Reunion is a place where various beliefs and cultures come together. This cultural mix can be seen in the diversity of its population, derived from an astonishing cross-fertilisation from the four corners of the Indian Ocean.

Africans, Indians, Tamils, Madagascans, Comorians and Chinese have come together to relive their traditions and create new ones. You will be won over the people of Reunion, naturally engaging and tolerant.

Throughout the island, you will get the chance to get to learn about traditional customs and appreciate a genuine Creole heritage. There are some very interesting cultural locations, such as Stella de Saint-Leu Museum, which traces the history of Reunion, the village of Cilaos with its baths and Creole huts, as well as Noor al Islam Mosque in Saint-Denis.

Climate

The island has a tropical oceanic climate. Tempered by the proximity of the ocean, the temperature on the coast varies between 18 and 31 °C.

The cooler dry season runs from May to November (infrequent rain and mild temperatures), and the warmer wet season runs from November to April. In October and December, the season is Spring-like, with resplendent vegetation.