Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Réunion

This educational farm is dedicated to the coconut. You'll discover all its secrets, from planting to processing and using the products: wood, fibers, cabbage-coconut, water, coconut milk and oil, shell crafts... Participatory workshops enable you to learn how to make coconut punch, braid the leaf, or grate the coconut to make cakes. If you want to tantalize your taste buds, think of the Coco Snack (11.30am-1.30pm) or the Saturday brunch (once a month, 9am-12pm, by reservation), all made with coconut, of course.

Angèle Mac-Auliffe, daughter of the first doctor of Cilaos, introduced the young girls of the circus to embroidery. Today, the Maison's president, Suzanne Maillot, Meilleur Ouvrière de France, continues the tradition. Exhibited in the style of the great galleries, you'll find household and table linens. The tour explains the "jours" technique, handed down through the generations, and the time needed to complete the work. It takes three months to make a one-meter table throw. You can also meet the embroiderers. A warm welcome awaits you.

Take the Route Forestière du Volcan from Bourg-Murat and plunge into a whole new world. It's 24 km long and passes through superb, varied, lunar landscapes. On your way there or back, take the time to stop at Nez de Boeuf to admire the view of the Rivière des Remparts, then at the Commerson crater. You'll then cross the Plaine des Sables, before finishing at the Pas de Bellecombe, culminating at 2,311 m, to admire the magnificent panorama of the Fouqué enclosure and the volcano. It's also a meeting point for hikers.

Founded by the renowned Aimé Rivière aka Mémé, this charming boutique offers delicious local products to take home, including their famous turmeric, a spice with recognized medicinal and gustatory qualities here in powder, syrup, jam, vinegar or punch. They also organize half-day tours of the garden, the farm and the spice cave, ending with a Creole meal. An authentic stopover, as rich in color as it is in flavor! Products also available for international delivery on the website.

The three-century-old Domaine du Grand-Hazier opens the doors to its two-hectare garden and the beautiful Creole house that sits on the throne. It is representative of the great sugar estates of the end of the 18th century on the East coast. But the main attraction of the estate is indeed its vanilla, which has been awarded the gold medal several times at the Paris Agricultural Show. A guided tour will allow you to know everything about vanilla: from the discovery of its fertilization in the 19th century, to the production of today's excellent frosted vanilla.

A spectacular and refreshing stopover in the East. The waterfalls of the Windward Coast are much more watery than those of the West, and while Niagara obviously looks pale beside its American namesake, it still dominates the St. Suzanne River and its ruffled banks some 50 metres high, imposing its thunderous roar on them, especially in summer during the rainy season. Don't be surprised to see Reunion Islanders rushing there after a heavy rainstorm to admire the spectacle. Watch out for the weekend rush.

This district, wedged between two ramparts, combines residences, industry and historical relics. It's well worth a detour, if only to admire the bichique fishermen's canals, or to stroll along the banks at the river mouth. Along the rue de la Boulangerie, you'll find ^19th-century shops, including the freestone house at the corner of rue du Pont, dated 1835. Portions of the mill canal are still visible at the foot of the Tikatsou staircase. Adjust your gaze and you won't be disappointed.

Starting from the Vincendo marine, here is a pleasant path offering superb panoramas on the wild coast, where the Indian Ocean comes to throw itself on the volcanic rock covered with Durand potatoes. Easy to access, the short walk will lead you to the Yellow Cape, a cliff of about fifty meters high, of ochre color. This geological curiosity is a rare natural wonder in Reunion Island. Its color comes from lava called hyaloclastite. A very steep path leads down to the foot of the cape, but be careful!

This oratory owes its popularity to a "miracle". On May 27, 1940, an old lady is said to have seen the statue of the Virgin move there. Since then it has been a place of recollection and prayer. Always full of flowers, this cave testifies to the attachment that many Reunionese have to the Virgin Mary's cult. The configuration of the site presents the originality of offering two devotions side by side. The grotto of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes is in fact backed by a Holy Expedition.

Created in 2007, its 1,054 km² encompass 42% of the island. It was founded to ensure both human and ecological preservation of the heart of the island. The fauna and flora, the forest, the volcano, the cirques, the landscapes, the traditions and the roots of Reunion's identity are all assets to be protected. Visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists, the national park constitutes a real laboratory for sustainable development in order to respond to the realities of the territory.

An embroidery shop where you can see an embroiderer at work. She works there all day long, on a tablecloth stretched on a "drum". Luciane Técher will make you discover all the current embroidery techniques. Inspired by Tenerife lace, she asserts her method by getting rid of excess frills. This long work is today threatened by Malagasy imports at low prices. Souvenirs to bring back: framed embroideries or coasters.

La maison du Géranium is a small country distillery, in the heart of a vast botanical garden of 3 800 m² planted with medicinal and food species, run by a friendly couple. Mr, a distiller from father to son for three generations, explains the extraction process of the essence of geranium, cryptomeria or eucalyptus... Everything depends on the day and what is simmering on the fire of the big still, condemned to sweat big drops of natural essences. Madame welcomes you in the souvenir shop, full of essential oils.

You will be able to admire the many viewpoints on the mountains, the circus and the river. Two kiosks are waiting for you to picnic in the shade. From there, you can take the Chemin de la Cascade Blanche and reach another point of view in 30 minutes. If you add another 20 minutes, you will be able to reach the waterfall, which is permanent all year round. This end of the route is recommended for sportsmen and women. Be careful, in any case, it climbs and you will have to cross a river: not to be done in rainy weather.

Johan Morel opens the doors of his artisanal distillery perched on the heights of Saint-Leu to explain the manufacturing process of his essential oils. The young enthusiast distils in an old copper still local aromatic and medicinal plants that he grows on site. You will enjoy both the good smells and the magnificent panoramic view of the west coast. These essential oils are sold in the pretty little shop decorated with vintage objects. This immersive tour promises to awaken your senses!

This is the story of a family that has been growing vanilla for 4 generations. In the 1850s, Reunion Island was the cradle of vanilla development, but this tradition is disappearing. So in three quarters of an hour, you can discover all the stages: from the planting of the orchid plant to the sale, through the harvesting and packing of the beans in the workshop. At the end, you will be able to buy this famous black gold and why not learn how to plant it at home.

Mmm... a name like that is more dreamy than "Beef Pond"! This not very high waterfall is indeed deliciously shaded and flows into a welcoming basin. It is earned at the price of an easy walk through a bamboo forest, to the rhythm of birdsong. Those who love thrills and jumps might want to follow the course of the waterfall. Be careful though. We advise you during the week to avoid the rush of Sunday picnics. Exit at Quartier-Français then follow Bras-des-Chevrettes.

Europe's largest cane sugar production unit, it produces 40 tonnes of sugar per hour, meaning that a semi-trailer loaded with sugar leaves the plant every half-hour, while a truck overflowing with sugar cane enters the plant every 4 minutes! The white smoke is not coming from the sugar factory itself, but from the adjoining power plant. It uses the sugar mill's bagasse to produce energy. A visit to the factory is a fascinating experience, with a tour that will stimulate all five senses.

An unavoidable stop on the Maïdo road, a visit to Jean-Yves Bègue's distillery is like a moment suspended in time. Jean-Yves will be pleased to explain you the process of distilling geranium, camphor, eucalyptus and cryptomeria. He perpetuates the family tradition in the greatest simplicity and shares his know-how with passion. He will tell you how the cultivation of geraniums has played a great role in the history of the Western Highlands. You will then be able to leave with these essential oils thanks to his shop.

The Grotte du Peuplement is located at the southern exit of Saint-Paul, opposite the Cimetière Marin. Legend has it that it served as a refuge for the 1663 arrivals, but historical studies have proven this to be false. This site was named the "Cave of the First Frenchmen" in the 1960s, after having been called the "Cave of the Portuguese" or the "Cave of the 12 Exiles". As the cave remains inaccessible due to falling rocks, you can enjoy the pleasant park which was completely redeveloped in 2016, ideal for a family picnic.

This easy 1.3 km walk is registered on the NFB's list of Marmailles trails. The loop features explanatory panels on the fauna and flora. Here, the forest is generous: coloured woods, fanjans (tree ferns) and 70 other listed species will be discovered. There are even hundred-year-old affouches (huge and tortuous trees)! The loop is quickly closed and one comes out of it educated. It is better to park on the car parks of the plane tree area.