The most beautiful natural sites to discover South

This bow-shaped basalt promontory, pierced by a cave, is a spectacular stopover. The waves crash so violently that the cliff trembles, the atmosphere disturbed by the sea spray becomes mystical. The place is pleasant and wild, bordered by a forest of vacoas, ideal for a picnic or a meal in one of the restaurants. In August, the festival of the vacoa and the palm tree takes place on the site. Finally you will surely meet here a lady, well known to the locals, who harasses passers-by to distract them from the devil! You can even find her on YouTube!

Wild, grandiose and atypical, this black sand beach will surely mark you. Its beauty is only equalled by the danger it can represent. Outside the swimming areas, the risk of sharks is real. Surfing is now forbidden. The currents are also very powerful. Fortunately, nets are installed with a MNS station and allow to refresh and play in the waves. On the beach, the sand can be very hot, especially in summer! Keep a close eye on your swarm and prefer to put your towel in the shade of the filaos.

At 11 km from Les Makes, this breathtaking view of the Cilaos circus is a must. The access is equipped for people with reduced mobility. It is best to arrive at dawn and before 9am at the latest to enjoy the show. Count 1 hour drive from Les Bas. The winding D20 is signposted from Saint-Louis. From June to December, you will come across trailers overflowing with cane, pulled by tractors or, more rarely, by mocha oxen. It is also the starting point for hikes, including a 3.5-hour hike offering sumptuous panoramas.

In the ^18th century, the area was invaded by a salt marsh that prevented cultivation. In 1873, a certain Robert proposed using filaos to fix the sand in the dunes. Over a million were planted. Today, the forest (922 ha) is divided into sections: the first to stabilize the dunes, the second for biological conservation, the third for firewood production and the fourth, 10 km long, for public use. The forest has become a leisure paradise: hiking, horseback riding, cycling (recumbent, elliptical), quad biking, segway, fitness trail...

This southeastern cape of the island offers a spectacular panorama. The contrast between the black of the coastline, the blue of the ocean, the white of the waves and the green of the flora which is taking back its rights, with vacoas several metres high, is striking. Panels explaining the origins of the 1986 flow show the horseshoe shape of the volcanic area and invite visitors to walk on the 30 hectares that have extended the tip of the Table. From the Puits-des-Anglais car park, one can walk on the lava platform and join the RN2.

Mare Longue is a primary rainforest of exceptional botanical richness. Decimated by two centuries of intensive deforestation, miraculously rescued by major conservation efforts, today less than 7% of this original tropical rainforest remains, located mainly in Saint-Philippe. Thérésien Cadet (1937-1987), a professor at the University of La Réunion, was the driving force behind this awareness. In the 1970s, his passion and commitment to the in-depth study of the plant species that make up the Mare Longue forest drew the attention of its managers to the need to preserve this "jewel of Reunion's natural heritage". A stele pays tribute to him at the start of a trail that takes around 1h30 to complete. This is one of Réunion's most beautiful botanical trails, in what is the island's first biological reserve.

Hiking. Take a stroll through the vegetation that has replaced the La Fournaise flows. There are two routes to the botanical trails, signposted on the left of the N2. The first, signposted at the Baril exit, follows a path that joins forest road 4, which leads to the trailhead. The second takes the RF4 directly to the trailhead. On this walk, you'll discover the forest's coloured woods, grand natte, benzoin, cinnamon tree, red-barked rampart wood, candle wood, vanilla stakes and other rare pearls. A leisurely stroll that doesn't tire you out.

Very easy access, the white sand beach of Saint-Pierre and its transparent water invite you to meet the small fishes of the lagoon. Equipped with public showers and an MNS station, it allows children to splash about safely, as long as they stay in the delimited square. A privileged place for sunbathing and swimming in summer, it is often visited by locals in the early morning before going to work! At the end of the day, take advantage of the nearby snack bars to take a few samoussas and enjoy the sumptuous sunset over the sea.

This pond offers picnickers banks planted with badamiers, neems and eucalyptus trees. At least on the sea side, where its shore is welcoming with its gently sloping lawns; the part on the plain side, on the other hand, is covered with swamps, with the proliferation of salads and water hyacinths nourished by the fertilizers that flow into it. A nature and bird reserve, the site is placed under the protection of the Conservatoire national du littoral. It is one of the few places where you may see the Bourbon Egret, an endangered endemic bird.

A beautiful garden of 7,000^m2, rich in about thirty endemic species, such as the takamaka, benzoins or the big mat. There is even a century-old letchi. Let yourself be transported by this tropical vegetation by reading a good novel or by drawing the trees or other plants. The shady spot also attracts the picnickers of the village. For more information, you can ask to be accompanied by a guide from the tourist office. It is necessary to call a few days in advance to find out his availability.

The botanical park is a jewel to be discovered in the heights of Saint-Joseph. Former crossroads of the great perfume plant distilleries, the park is a place steeped in history, where Valmyr and Marie-Jo pass on their passion: aromatic and medicinal plants. Let us guide you through the educational greenhouses, before tasting herbal teas with multiple virtues. Various workshops on the transformation of plants are offered. A boutique also opens its doors.

Prior to 2007, the rocky coast here was directly battered by the waves. It formed a bay used as a fishing port. Since the eruption of the century, this 300-metre strip of very fine black sand, mixed with olivine crushed by the sea, shimmers in the sun as if it contained gold flakes. A steep and stony path descends along the rampart to reach the beach. If it is too dangerous for swimming, this beach, the last born in Reunion Island, is worth the trip for the spectacle of the end of the world that it offers.