La Reunion — A Hiker's, Sports Lover's and Holiday Paradise

24 villages, three mountain cirques and an active volcano offer endless variety, fantastic Creole cuisine and pure adventure.

Thursday, 7th May:

The first leg takes us from Mulhouse to Paris Orly. Two hours later we board our Boeing 777 bound for La Reunion. Our plane departs with an hour's delay towards the Indian Ocean and La Reunion — the pilot apparently didn't feel like going through the airport security checks, but never mind.

We're looking forward to this fantastic island of hikers with its active volcano, dramatically rugged mountains rising to 3,071 m, countless waterfalls, canyoning, diving, and swimming — and much more besides.

For those who want a holiday far from mass tourism, La Reunion is the perfect choice. With around 300,000 visitors per year, you can explore the island at a leisurely pace. That said, don't wait too long — plans were in place to increase visitor numbers to 1,000,000 by 2020.

In June 2009, what was then the most expensive construction project in the European Union was completed: a 32 km motorway section along the east coast, requiring an impressive 90 tunnels and bridges.

Our personal tip:

The Polyglott travel guide Mauritius-Reunion* and the ITC Book Award-winning Rother hiking guide La Reunion*, which always got us where we needed to go.

La Reunion — Time difference:
+ 3 hours in winter
+ 2 hours in summer (Central European Summer Time)

From May to October it is winter. The climate is mild and relatively dry, with temperatures between 20–25°C.
From November to April, temperatures range from around 24–30°C; on the coast it exceeds 30°C with high humidity and the most rainy days.
On average, it rains 12 days per month during this period.