Surfing Reunion Island
French Department Indian Ocean
You could make this a dedicated sports trip, but to booast numbers you might want to team up with your French LOTE department. You can travel together and have different activites on the gournd.
Day 1 Australia – Reunion Island (B)
Depart Australia on you flight to St-Denis
Day 2 St-Gilles-les-Bains (B)
Upon arrival in St Denis transfer to you hotel in St-Gilles-les-Bains. The rest of the day is free for you to explore St-Gilles-les-Bains as a group.
1st night’s accommodation in St-Gilles-les-Bains
Day 3 St-Gilles-les-Bains (B)
This morning participate in your first 2 hour surfing lesson. Spend the afternoon at leisure. You might decide to go to Les Roches Noires, the most popular beach in St-Gilles-les-Bains, or visit Le Jardin d’Eden, the local botanical garden.
2nd night’s accommodation in St-Gilles-les-Bains
Day 4 St-Gilles-les-Bains – St Denis (B)
This morning participate in your second 2 hour surfing lesson. In the afternoon take an excursion to St-Denis, the capital of Réunion Island Take advantage of your free time in St Denis to discover the Creole mansions and historic buildings or to do some shopping. Return to your hotel in the evening.
3rd night’s accommodation in St-Gilles-les-Bains
Day 5 Piton de la Fournaise (B,L)
After breakfast at your accommodation, meet your bus driver for a whole day excursion to “Le Piton de la Fournaise”, Reunion’s most famous volcano. En route, drive passed attractions such as, “La Plaine des Cafres”, “Le Tampon”, “La Plaine des sables” and “Le Pas de Bellecombe”. Return to your hotel in the evening.
4th night’s accommodation in St-Gilles-les-Bains
Day 6 St-Gilles-les-Bains (B)
This morning participate in your third 2 hour surfing lesson. Enjoy a free afternoon relaxing at the beach.
5thnight’s accommodation in St-Gilles-les-Bains
Day 7 St-Gilles-les-Bains (B)
This morning participate in your fourth 2 hour surfing lesson. In the afternoon take, travel to L’Hermitage and snorkel at Parc Marin. An experienced guide will give you information about the flora and fauna found on the reef.
6th night’s accommodation St-Gilles-les-Bains
Day 8 Le Maido – St Paul Market (B,L)
7th night’s accommodation in St Gilles-les-Bains
Day 9 Reunion – Australia (B)
Transfer to Airport for your flights to Australia
Day 10 Australia
Arrive Home to Australia
About Reunion
The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. Although remote from mainland France (France métropolitaine), Réunion nonetheless officially forms an integral part of the Republic, representing its own département.
Main Cities and Towns
Saint-Denis, the capital of Reunion island
Saint-Gilles, situated on the west coast, where all the white sand beaches are.
Saint-Leu, a well-established city of surf.
Saint-Pierre, second most important town of Reunion Island
Etang-Salé, a small town on the west coast with one of the black (volcanic) sand beach
Saint-Benoit, where you can find the vanilla cooperative factory
All important Food!
Thanks to its history, Reunionese cuisine is a mix between different cultures: French, Indian, Chinese & African. Typical dishes are cari and rougail which are a meat or a fish cooked in a sauce and eaten with rice. Depending on the season, many tropical fruits are available, like lichees (December), mangos, pineaples (the Victoria types in Reunion are said to be the tastiest), bananas and papaya.
At lunchtime you can experience many types of sandwiches and samoussas in snack-bars (cheap but not very balanced, except for the spicy "achards sandwich"), and easily find snack restaurants. Reunionese cuisine is quite safe, but ask for some samples to ensure that they're not too spicy. The spice level is below that of most Indian cuisine.
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Mountainous Interior |
Classic Beaches |
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Map including towns and surf locations |