Private Full Tour of Reunion Island with Driver Guide

1st step: The Blower!

The blower is a natural site that, under the action of waves, causes a geyser to gush up to several tens of meters high!

2nd stage: the black sand beach!

We then stop on the longest black sand beach on the island: the beach of the Salt Pond, a mixture of olivines and volcanic sand: an extraordinary beauty.

Stage 3: the chasm!

A little further, let’s discover the Salt Pond Abyss. It is a long volcanic chasm in which the waves come to end their run spectacularly. The site is very nice and particularly impressive when the swell is strong!

4th stage: viewpoint over Manapany!

This viewpoint offers a superb panorama of the Indian Ocean and the green village of Manapany les Bains. We can see the long pebble beach as well as the swimming pool.

Stage 5: Langevin!

Continue in the south of the island and make a stop at the Langevin River. The Grand Galet waterfall is one of the most beautiful on the island!

6th stage: Cap-Villagne!

We now arrive at the famous Cap Méchant: this is where we will have lunch. The place is surprising: a vast green lawn lines black ebony rocks flowing into the deep blue of the ocean. A unique landscape where the forces of nature are fully expressed!

7th stage: the Route des Laves!

We now arrive in the Grand Brûlé: but what is this place? During large volcanic eruptions, lava flows flow down the flank of the volcano in a very wide corridor (the Grand Brûlé) before ending up in the ocean. There then remain gigantic fields of solidified volcanic rocks, only one road crosses this unique landscape: the Route des Laves, we take it.

8th stage: Notre-Dame des Laves

Let's continue our journey to Sainte-Rose, where the church of Notre-Dame des Laves still stands proudly. It was in 1977, during a major volcanic eruption, that a lava flow destroyed everything in its path, but miraculously stopped at the entrance to the building before going around it. The legend was born.

9th stage: the East River Bridge.

Shortly after Saint-Rose, we stop by an old suspension bridge over the Rivière de l’Est, with a maximum span of 152 metres, it was actually the longest bridge in the world when it was built in 1894! It is a remarkable work of art completely restored.

Step 10: The Church of Sainte-Anne!

We now pass a baroque church whose beauty attracts the eyes. The church of Sainte-Anne, classified as a historic monument in 1982, is one of the remarkable churches on the island!

Stage 11: Niagara Waterfall!

Now let's go north towards Sainte-Suzanne. We take a narrow road in the middle of the sugar cane fields to reach a small cove from which a beautiful waterfall flows. It is named Niagara, because in rainy periods its flow can be torrential, like the famous Niagara Falls!

Stage 12: The Barachois of Saint-Denis!

The Barachois de Saint-Denis is an emblematic place of Réunion.

It was once a small port/landing. The few cannon remnants, supposed to repel the English invasion of 1810, still face the sea. Today, it is a popular place to walk, being close to the prefecture and the statue of the Reunion war hero Roland Garros.

13th stage: Cap-la-Houssaye!

Now it’s time to go back west! Our tour of the island will end with a final stop: Cap-la-Houssaye. There are two completely different environments:

The savannah and its expanses of golden grass under the scorching sun give this place an air of Africa: only lions are missing!

The vertiginous cliffs flowing into the ocean: a magnificent panorama of the entire Bay of Saint Paul!