Travel guide
Réunion

The 12 keywords Réunion

1. #Babouk

With its long legs, this harmless spider(Heteropoda venatoria), typical of the islands of the Indian Ocean, gives goose bumps to those who cross it. Its body measures 2.2 to 2.8 cm and its legs can extend up to 12 cm. It does not weave its web, but slips into every nook and cranny of the hut and surprises with its great leaps.

2. #Bouchon

You'll see a lot of traffic! On one side these meat bites wrapped in a flour paste, a local specialty of Chinese inspiration steamed, available in all bar trucks. On the other side, the corks... trucker's corks. The rush-hour traffic jams will give you time to enjoy the sea view.

3. #Carri

A reference dish in the local gastronomy, this speciality is composed of a base of white rice, accompanied by meat, fish, seafood or other foods, simmered with onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and turmeric. It is accompanied by 'grains', i.e. pulses such as Cape peas, white beans or lentils, and sometimes also 'brevas'.

4. # Gossiping #

The Reunionese take a malicious pleasure in mocking, teasing and making fun of each other, in short, in moukater. If these verbal acrobatics are generally fair game, moukatage spares no one. The island is small and rumours circulate at full speed on the ladilafé (gossip). An island's hobby: everything is known.

5. #Cirques

In geological terms, the cirque is a basin formed by the subsidence of a mountain. There are three cirques in Reunion Island: Cilaos, Mafate and Salazie. In the heart of the island, protected by ramparts more than 1 000 m high, they are only connected to the outside world by a river, embedded in gorges. Real worlds apart!

6. #Creole

Designating a language, a people and a culture, Creole is the very identity of the island. Speaking Creole is the first change of scenery that a tourist encounters. An imprecise mixture, so deeply rooted in the customs, Reunion Island's creolity is perpetually enriched by the specificities of the people who live there.

7. #Sleep

The dodo is a large bird that has been extinct for many years. There were some in Mauritius, and perhaps also in Reunion Island, although this has never been scientifically proven. In any case, this is what the legend has always wanted, to the point that today the dodo is one of the emblems of the island, and especially of the local beer, the Bourbon brand.

8. #Sleeping

It's not you who takes a nap under the filaos after a good picnic, but a reptile, the best known of which is the panther chameleon. Originally from Madagascar, it has populated the island with its colourful colours, but it is nowadays very threatened. Its extreme slowness makes it vulnerable to cars and predators.

9. #Straw-in-tail

Named so because of its long tail, this white bird of the South Seas, spotted with black lines, is the emblem of Reunion Island, even if it is curiously not an endemic species of the island. You will be able to observe it along the cliffs of Reunion Island, or near the gullies, between two fishing parties where it attacks small sea fishes.

10. #Ravine

A gully is a natural geomorphological and hydrogeological formation created by water runoff that you will find everywhere on the island. They bear the names of historical characters, animals that are fished there, or are the mark of a romantic or dramatic story. They have a lot to tell you and bring you to life.

11. #Zamal

Zamal is a much sought-after herb that grows in the shade of prying eyes. Probably arrived with the engaged ones in the XIXth century, the plant acclimatized very well in Reunion Island and replaces cannabis today. Do not forget that it is, of course, forbidden and that the penalties incurred are the same as in France.

12. #Zoreil

Zoreil is the name given to people from France, whether they are tourists or long-term residents. Legends say that the outstretched ear of the metro that does not understand Creole turns red in the sun or that the punishment that the foremen reserved for chestnuts was to cut off the ear.