Reunion Island: Volcanic Paradise in Indian Ocean
Where is the Island of Reunion?
I love France and has visited there many times before. However, I never thought that I would ever see the beautiful island of Reunion in Southern Africa. The opportunity arrived during a cruise on the Sinfonia en route to Mauritius. The ship anchored at Pointe des Galets, Reunion for one day and gave the passengers the opportunity to go on a day trip. I chose to visit the popular tourist town St Gilles-les-Bains by bus.
Where is Reunion? Reunion is an Indian Ocean island east of Madagascar of which the official language is French. The cruise ship anchored at Port de la Pointe des Galets, which is an artificial harbour about 15 km from the capital of Reunion, St Dennis.
Tourist town St Gilles-les-Bain
The idyllic St Gilles-les-Bain is about an hour and a half by bus from Pointe des Galets. I chose this day trip because I wanted to at least experience the seaside in Reunion. The scenery en route to St Gilles-les-Bain was beautiful and I was also not disappointed to experience the town St Gilles-les-Bain. The beach stretches for about 20 km with beautiful golden sand and has the typical turquoise water of Indian Ocean islands as well as an energetic vibe. One has a feeling of being on an island paradise. This beach, however, is the exception in Reunion as all the other beaches’ sand consists of a black volcanic mixture. Since most of Reunion consists of volcanic mountains, this town shows the more tropical side of the island. Visitors to this town indulge in diving and many other sorts water activities, including snorkeling or swimming. This area is also ideal for deep-sea fishing.
Expensive Island
Why did I not visit one of the many volcanoes and chose a town full of tourists instead? I heard from the other passengers how interesting their trip to a volcano was, but I did not want to travel that far and also wanted to see a beach in Reunion.
The beauty of this island is really breathtaking and I would definitely recommend a Reunion family holiday here. Accommodation in Reunion is not difficult to find, but be warned that this island is very expensive.
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