An island Réunion? I’m in!
Carol Drinkwater is so enchanted by the natural treasures of this French Indian Ocean island, she vows to return for more
IHAVE discovered France’s best-kept secret. Réunion is an island of some 970 square miles situated in the Indian Ocean south-west of Mauritius and east of Madagascar. It is the largest of the Mascarene islands (Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues), which are all volcanic in origin.
Strolling about this tropical paradise breathing the sweet aromas of cardamom, pineapple and vanilla, I soon realised I had fallen upon somewhere quite unique. The island is a melting pot on so many levels: nationalities, cultures, faiths, the marriage of sea and land. The island’s hinterland is so varied, so rich, it has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Réunion is a département outre-mer (overseas department of France), using French civil and penal codes. French is the official language but in everyday life, Creole is the spoken tongue.
Réunion is lush and extraordinarxtraordinarily beautiful with climatic variations that range from humid to tropical and Mediterranean. While we were baking in 95F, over on the east side of the island it was lashing rain.
Inland, it is luxuriantly green – bursting with man-sized ferns and dotted with dense forests of towering trees decorated with rare orchids. High-altitude plains separate the island’s two volcanoes. One is no longer active but the other, Piton de la Fournaise, erupts regularly.
Surprisingly, given its remarkable beauty, tourism is a relatively new industry. Unlike Mauritius, there are almost no resorts. The presence of sharks must be one good reason. I learned as we landed that swimming in the open sea is forbidden.
My heart sank. I am a passionate swimmer and scuba-diver. I needn’t have been concerned. A turquoise lagoon flanks the west side of the island, where most of the hotels and villas are (nothing is higher than two storeys). Beyond the lagoon is a coral reef that keeps the sharks at bay. The code for windsurfers is don’t venture further than the lagoon and stay out of the water after sunset.
Réunion has a wide choice of diving outfits and the dive-masters know where to take their clients. I was seduced by the Marine Natural Reserve, which stretches across 13 square miles. Here, 80 per cent of the coral reefs are protected.
If you’re not into diving or dolphinspotting, there is the Ermitage underwater path. Kit yourself out with flippers, snorkel and mask and
follow the leader. It is an amazing way to discover these reefs, offering a unique opportunity to understand such a delicate ecosystem and why it needs to be protected.
THE austral winter, June to October, is the season for whales. These magnificent cetaceans pause in the warm waters off the coast of Réunion to mate, give birth and raise their calves before returning to the plankton-rich waters of Antarctica. Sightings are frequent. If you have never watched whales frolicking in an ocean, never heard their song, then this is the perfect setting for such a memorable experience. Dozens of boat trips offer opportunities to see these mammals close up, even to swim with them, while also respecting and protecting them during this crucial stage of their reproduction cycle.
In spite of all this, the lovely beaches and surrounding sea are not Réunion’s main attraction, even if the seaside villages of StGilles-Les-Bains and Ermitage-lesBains are busy with bathers during holiday periods. If beaches are all you’re after, you better choose Mauritius or the Seychelles.
Réunion’s ace card is its interior, its natural parks. Its volcanic origins have defined an extraordinary landscape, characterised by high peaks, deep canyons, lush ravines and vast plains, which are ideal for trekking, cycling and water rafting. Whether you’re gazing at astounding volcanic peaks, staring upon one of the many water cascades or hiking through forests, you are in for fantastic scenery.
We stayed at the only five-star resort on the island, Lux* Saint Gilles at Ermitage-les-Bains. It has three restaurants and a collection of plantation-style villas looking out across the lagoon. Although I felt the place was in need of some refurbishment, it has a large and very attractive swimming pool that wraps around the beach side of the resort. Tall waving palms and huge volcanic boulders add local beauty. We booked bed and breakfast only and it worked perfectly. It was an excellent starting point for our inland adventures and we welcomed our swims after days traipsing about the island.
There is so much to see inland that I recommend hiring a car when you arrive. There seemed to be plenty of buses, but taxis don’t operate after about 9pm. If, like us, you prefer to eat out, to discover the many beachside restaurants, both Creole and French, you’ll need transport. The outings are worth it to watch the fishermen set off into the dark night, to net tomorrow’s catches of oysters, scallops, and superb prawns.
One of our day trips was to a vanilla plantation on the east of the island. There were two routes available to us. The first cut through the island’s central high plains, the second followed the coast. We opted for the coast, which was remarkable, like nothing I’ve seen before. We passed through villages where the architecture was traditional Creole and the gardens were planted up with bananas, papayas and coconut palms. On the whole, Creole habitations are modest cottages with spacious verandas, painted in pinks, blues and yellows. The overall impression was of cool, carefree living. The locals lounged in the shade beneath magnificent red-blossom flame trees. They waved and smiled as we drove by.
Just outside Saint-Philippe, a small town that offers marlin and deepsea fishing trips and has a stunning coastline scattered with volcanic boulders and black sand, we made a stop at the Jardin des Parfums et des Epices (Garden of Perfumes and Spices). We hadn’t booked a guide, so we wandered about the grounds enchanted by the natural scents and the magnificence of the nature. There is a guesthouse nearby and a smallll shop where you can buy a variety of spices and oils.
We travelled on along ng the southern edges of f the island, following the Lava Route. The ground is nothing but fields of lava, like great clods of bruised earth with plants busting through. It was like seeing the e surface of the Earth h being born, layers of timeme laid bare. All over the island, the roadsides are dot-dotted with shacks and stallsalls selling succulent home-grown fruits and veg. Here, there was even an al fresco cafe to enjoy while gazing on the brooding volcano, its open mouth shrouded in clouds.
The Plantation Vanilla-Bourbon, way off the beaten track beyond sugar fields high above Sainte-Rose, was an inspiration. We spent an afternoon hiking through a forest adorned with pendulous green vanilla pods. All is the work of one remarkable woman who has planted some 7,000 vanilla orchids and earns her living from this unusual activity. If you are interested in the history of perfume or tropical forestry, you’ll find this a most rewarding outing. The Saga du Rhum museum is situated in a distillery on a family-owned sugar plantation close to Saint-Pierre. It takes you through the sugarcane story which hehelps set the scene of RéunioRéunion’s brutal history. It begabegan with plantations, slaslavery and indentured lalabour. What evolved ffrom this past is a glorrious mix of races and every skin tone known to man. Réunion has been nicknamed the Rainbow IIsle because it is consisidered one of the momost integrated societiesties on the planet, and you fefeel that vibe wherever you go. There is joyousness, warmth and a sense of equality. A pirate named Olivier Levasseur buried his treasure on Réunion in the 18th Century. It has never been found. Some folk return regularly to search for it. We’ll be back soon, to enjoy more of the riches on offer.
The Forgotten Summer (Michael Joseph, £10), by Carol Drinkwater, was published in paperback last week.