The most beautiful natural sites to discover Réunion

As you leave Saint-Leu on the Route du Littoral, just past Pointe-au-Sel, a parking lot offers a view of a powerful "souffleur", a curious geological phenomenon on the coast. The wave enters a rocky cavity, sucked into the jagged basalt cliffs. A few seconds after the backwash, the water that has remained in the hole is violently expelled in a spray several metres high. This is the great oceanic geyser, the fireworks display. A fascinating spectacle, especially when the ocean is rough.

This is undoubtedly the hike that offers the best "minimum effort for a maximum view" ratio. From the car park, a path starts and reaches a fork 30 m further on. Take the direction of the Cap Noir, for about ten minutes of walking at the edge of a cliff of 1 000 m height from where you have an imposing panorama on Mafate. From there, you can either retrace your steps back to the car park or make a loop via the Verre-Bouteille rock. It's a very nice walk, but beware of the ladders that may make walkers sensitive to vertigo feel cold.

On the sea side, north of Saint-Paul; just follow the signs. This pond, which lazes in the sun in a pleasant undergrowth, was a fantastic food reserve for the settlers. If you are discreet, you can observe moorhens, herons and pawpaws. At the time of the Sunday picnic, the Reunionese families take possession of the green banks and the coconut grove. You can also go water skiing on the pond, or go for a jog on the very pleasant fitness trail along the ocean.

One of Réunion Island's best-known and most photographed waterfalls. Go to the main road to Salazie, where it can be seen on the left, and you won't be able to miss it. You can also go as far as Mare-à-Citrons for an even more spectacular view, especially during the rainy season. Please note that although it used to be possible to take a walk to reach the foot of the waterfall, this is no longer possible due to a prefectoral decree.

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!

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.

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.

A haven of peace between Salazia and Hell-Bourg. At dawn, an atmosphere of peace and quiet is carried by the singing of birds and a few water hens can be seen. At weekends, the laughter of the children reveals a more festive and family atmosphere. For camping or picnicking, you can reach this place in 15 minutes on foot. Several kiosks overlook the water. It is also a place steeped in history, where you can see the remains of the dwellings of the first land concessionaires. The place is exotic, shady and welcoming, and is a place of great beauty.

Remarkable sites, classified as natural sites, these basins with their waterfalls and basaltic organ walls are worth a detour. The basin la Paix, very well signposted to the car park, is on the right (contrary to what the sign indicates). Steps carve the steep descent. Straight to the car park, the Bassin la Mer is wilder. Be careful, since March 2018, it is forbidden to swim in the Bassin la Paix, due to numerous accidents (hydrocutions, currents...).

The only high altitude lake of volcanic origin in Reunion Island, the tour of Grand-Étang is a very nice family walk, with multiple ferns and the majestic waterfalls of Bras d'Annette. To get there, follow the RN3 towards Saint-Pierre for 10 kilometres, and, near the Payet bridge, branch off on the road to Grand-Étang. You will reach the lake in half an hour's walk. You can then go around on foot or on horseback (there is a very good horse farm nearby) in about 1 hour. It is beautiful, quiet and green. A call to meditation.

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...

The Saint-Gilles ravine, which flows from the Éperon to the Port of Saint-Gilles, feeds several heavenly pools and waterfalls. Beware, access to most of them is forbidden since 2002 by prefectural decree, and, if everyone ignores it and passes anyway, know that the paths leading to them are not always easy to practice. The ponds supply Saint-Gilles with water. It is for the sake of hygiene and because the community fears that they will become a public dumping ground that they are forbidden to enter.

Called Pic Adam or Piton Bois de Nèfles, this hike offers a beautiful view of the coast. Named after Captain Pierre Adam, who installed there and in Mauritius, in 1881, oil-powered optical signal devices, this peak is accessible by the Bois-de-Nèfles road. The point of view can be earned after a 1 to 2 hour walk of about 4 km. We recommend this hike from May to July, during the guava season! It is, moreover, accessible with the family.

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.

This is a superb gateway to the cirque de Mafate. Easy but fairly long, the Orangers canalisation path, located for the most part on the rampart wall of the cirque de Mafate, offers a magnificent panorama. A must: with each step, the view opens up a little more over the cirque to the îlet des Orangers. On the way back, the coast gradually reveals itself. This hike is a change from the usual access to Mafate via the Col des Boeufs or the Rivière des Galets.

A simple detour on the Route des Plaines allows you to discover this grandiose panorama, often forgotten by tourists. The vertiginous belvedere offers a plunging view of the Grand-Bassin islet, located 600 m below, at the bottom of the gorges of the arm of La Plaine. You can also see the Niagara waterfall from the South with the arduous ribs of Dimitile in the background. On the site you will find picnic kiosks, very popular on weekends, as well as a bar-truck and kiosks with fruit vendors, handicrafts, corks and samoussas.

Created in 2007, it covers an area of about 35 km2 and stretches along the coast for 40 km, half of which along the coral reef: from Cap la Houssaye (Boucan-Canot) to Roche aux Oiseaux (L'Etang-Salé les Bains). This area is home to a unique biodiversity in overseas France, threatened by pollution and excessive fishing. Yellow beacons planted in the lagoon and in the sea delimit three protection zones. Follow its news on its website.

Very popular, the Bassin Boeuf is often the Sunday outing because it is easy to access and pretty. From the car park, follow the path, cross the river using the pebbles. From there you will have the choice to go down on the left towards the bassin Nicole and its waterfall (a little rock and roll path) or to take on the right to go up towards the bassin Boeuf, more favourable for swimming. The access walk to the latter, only 15 minutes, is easy although a bit muddy. The basin is fed by a pretty waterfall, and a rope allows you to play Tarzan.

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.

The last primary forest of Saint-André, it is a world of olive wood, tan-red and jamerosa that is offered to you on this trail. In this twelve thousand year old forest, you will discover species unique in the world: ironwood, takamaka and parrot trees. After a 45-minute walk, you will have a magnificent view of Salazie. An interesting picnic area, that of P'tit Trou, close to an Indian chapel. A very nice walk, difficult in the rainy season, because of the soggy path! The loop is done in 2 hours.