La Reunion
Reunion Island Self-drive
16 nights from £2,950pp
Includes: Flights, car hire & accommodation
Overview & Highlights
This petite French island remains unknown to many travellers as most are drawn to the wildlife of neighbouring Madagascar or the famed golden beaches of Mauritius.
However, Reunion holidays have so much to offer the discerning traveller. Enjoy a true feeling of discovery and idyllic isolation surrounded by the warm tropical Indian Ocean as you experience an island paradise filled with so much more than a pretty coastline.
- Beautiful Indian Ocean Island scenery
- Exhilarating hikes
- Stunning waterfalls
- Relax on the lagoon
- Freedom to explore at your own pace
- Hikes up to the summit of the Volcano, Piton De La Fournaise
- Stay in traditional guest houses
“If you are looking for an alternative Indian Ocean destination which offers the chance to explore and enjoy stunning scenery & nature, Reunion is the perfect choice”
This two-week Reunion driving tour combines the active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise, breathtaking scenery and picturesque mountain towns in the three Cirques, with a beach holiday where you can dive, surf, play golf, windsurf and paraglide.
Nature enthusiasts should explore Bébour Forest, with its carpet of white lilies and dominated by enormous, prehistoric-looking tree-ferns. It is possible to see all the locally endemic birds and a variety of rare plants during one walk in Bébour Forest.
Drive through lush fields of sugar cane and past Tamil temples built by plantation workers, visit villages dotted with pretty Creole painted cottages and stay in traditional B&Bs and home stays.
The Cilaos amphitheatre is the largest of the cirques, with a beauty similar to the Alps in summer. There are wonderful hiking trails up into the mountain forests and among the ravines (overnight hikes can be arranged) and gentle, shorter walks.
Visit St Pierre, with its charming fishing port, 19th-century dry dock, and craft market. Walk to La Rivière Langevin with its amazing waterfalls. Or do the botanical ramble at Mare-Longue and the Garden of Perfume & Spices.
- Day 1: Depart UK via Paris to Reunion
- Day 2: Hell-Bourg – Cirque de Salazie
- Day 3: Cirque de Salazie and surrounds
- Day 4: Bébour Forest
- Day 5: Piton de la Fournaise volcano & lava flows
- Day 6: La Rivière Langevin & St Pierre (the wild south)
- Days 7 & 8: Cirque de Cilaos
- Days 9-15: Hermitage-les-Bains; 7 nights at the refurbished 5-star LUX* Ile de la Réunion
- Day 16: Drop off hire car and fly home
The itinerary is completely flexible – you can start on the coast and end in the mountains and spend more or less time in each place. It’s a wonderful island and one of our favourite places for a self-drive holiday.
A few impressions…
“Wow, what a trip, it was absolutely wonderful. I am absolutely amazed how few people know about Reunion. I still am shell shocked by the beauty of the island … tropical birds, rainforests, trekking volcanoes, snorkelling coral reefs.”
Richard B
Let us begin the journey that will create memories to last a lifetime.
