Things to see and do Petite France

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.

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.

On the hiking path leading to the Alcide islet, discover one of the oldest trees of Reunion Island: the King of Tamarins. With its trunk measuring 9 m and its branches reaching 19 m high, it dominates the forest that surrounds it. More than 400 years old, it has a circumference of 3.89 m. Despite the cyclones and storms that have broken part of its branches, it remains majestic. If it could, it would even tell us about its encounter with the first inhabitants of the island. Continuing the hike, you will reach a viewpoint on the Maïdo.