Réunion

Réunion is a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean, about 700 km east of Madagascar and 200 km southwest of Mauritius. This volcanic island of 2,512 km² is one of France's most dramatic landscapes: Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupts several times a year; the three massive cirques (Cilaos, Mafate, and Salazie) are natural amphitheaters carved by erosion into the extinct Piton des Neiges volcano; and the terrain drops from 3,070 meters (the highest point in the Indian Ocean) to tropical beaches in under 40 km.

With about 900,000 residents, Réunion is remarkably diverse: Creole, French, Tamil, Chinese, Malagasy, and Comorian communities create a cultural kaleidoscope reflected in the island's extraordinary cuisine. The Pitons, cirques et remparts are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Réunion offers something rare — genuine European infrastructure (excellent roads, hospitals, and services) in a spectacularly exotic volcanic tropical setting.

Piton de la Fournaise is one of the world's most active and accessible volcanoes. Erupting two to three times per year on average, it puts on spectacular shows of lava fountains and flows that often reach the sea, creating new land. The Route du Volcan drive across the Plaine des Sables — a surreal lunar landscape of red and black volcanic ash — is one of the most dramatic drives on Earth.

When the volcano isn't actively erupting, hikers can trek to the crater rim (Pas de Bellecombe) for views into the caldera. The Cité du Volcan museum in Bourg-Murat offers excellent multimedia exhibits on vulcanology. When it is erupting, crowds gather at designated viewpoints to watch the earth remake itself in real time — a genuinely awe-inspiring spectacle.

The cirques of Cilaos, Mafate, and Salazie are colossal natural amphitheaters formed by the collapse and erosion of the ancient Piton des Neiges volcano. Each has its own character: Cilaos (accessible by a famously winding road with 420 hairpin bends) offers thermal springs, lentil farming, and excellent hiking; Salazie is the greenest and wettest, with the picturesque village of Hell-Bourg (voted one of France's most beautiful villages); and Mafate is accessible only on foot or by helicopter — no roads penetrate this wild cirque where about 700 people live in scattered villages.

The GR R2, the island's premier multi-day hiking trail, traverses all three cirques and summits Piton des Neiges (3,070 m). The trail network totals over 900 km, making Réunion one of the world's great hiking destinations. Mountain refuges (gîtes) along the routes provide basic but characterful accommodation.

Réunion has no wine production but is a significant rhum arrangé (infused rum) territory. The French overseas department in the Indian Ocean — a volcanic island of extraordinary topography — produces rum from local sugarcane, then infuses it with tropical fruits, vanilla (Réunion was historically the world's largest vanilla producer), and spices. Isautier and Savanna Distillerie produce acclaimed rums. Rhum arrangé (rum macerated with vanilla, lychee, pineapple, or combava citrus for months) is the island's signature drink, found in every household.

Getting There: Roland Garros Airport (RUN) in Sainte-Denis receives flights from Paris (11 hours nonstop via Air Austral/Air France), Mauritius (45 min), and regional destinations.

Getting Around: Car rental is essential. Roads are excellent but winding in the interior. No railway. Traffic can be heavy around Saint-Denis and the west coast.

Best Time: May to November (austral winter) is cooler, drier, and best for hiking. December to April is hot and wet with cyclone risk. The volcano erupts year-round — check the observatory website.

Budget: French pricing applies. Hotels €60–250/night. Gîtes (mountain huts) €20–40/night. Restaurant meals €15–40. Self-catering is economical via excellent local markets.

Don't Miss: Route du Volcan, Piton des Neiges summit, Mafate cirque trek, Piton de la Fournaise (if erupting!), the weekly market at Saint-Paul, and Réunion's extraordinary Creole cuisine.

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Réunion is France's most underrated destination. While Tahiti gets the postcards and Martinique gets the cruise ships, Réunion quietly offers what might be the most dramatic landscape of any island on Earth. The drive across the Plaine des Sables to the volcano feels like arriving on Mars; the next morning you could be trekking through cloud forest in Mafate, reachable only on foot.

The Creole culture is the island's soul — a joyful, spicy, musical blend of everything the Indian Ocean has thrown together. Try a rougail saucisse at a roadside snack bar, order a dodo beer, and watch the sunset from Saint-Leu. It's France, but not as you know it.

— Radim Kaufmann, Kaufmann World Travel Factbook