Reunion - An adventure awaits

Tamarin Seymour on 18 September 2014
Imagine your day spent visiting a volcano, swimming in waterfalls or hiking for kilometres to return to your oasis on the lagoon with a cocktail in hand. If this is your idea of the perfect getaway then Reunion awaits you.

I was privileged enough to be selected out of 700 entrants to take part in the first ever South African "mascarun", this is a race made up of physical and intellectual challenges to learn about the diverse island that is Reunion. A short 4 hour flight on Air Austral will get you there; they offered good service and good food to make for an excellent start to your journey.

Reunion is a French Island so their roads are immaculate and car hire is a great way to go, but they drive on the "wrong" side of the road and English is not widely spoken which put together can confuse the greatest of minds. An hour after our welcome we arrived at the Lux Ila De La Reunion which would be our home for the next 4 nights. Clean, comfortable rooms awaited us and a stroll on the white sandy beaches on the lagoon was the perfect end to some tiring days.

Our first evening we were introduced to our teams and a group of people that would become good friends within just a few days. We were a diverse group of people and everyone was special in their own unique way.

The next week was one surprise after another; each coastline of Reunion has its own climate, vegetation and sights. We got to hike 8km of their 200km hiking trails to the cirque Mafate, enjoy helicopter flips over the mountains and lagoon and a visit to the Rum factory and vanilla plantation which left me with an understanding as to why vanilla carries the price tag it does. A 4x4 excursion to the active volcano Piton de la Fournaise took us to an altitude of 2400m above sea level and left a few of us a little bleak on the journey down. The aqua hike to another cirque, Salazie, was my highlight (this basically entails jumping off a 6m cliff into a waterfall pool and then using your body to "raft" down the river from one pool to another - big WOW) finishing our challenges with a great day on the beach with kayaks, archery and local beach games. In our "down" time we got to visit a few hotels and took a final drive to the last cirque of the island, Cilaos – it was an interesting drive with 420 bends in the road over just a 30km distance. We arrived at a beautiful combination of both - Switzerland and France, just in the mountains!

The food was a gastronomical experience from one meal to the next. Fresh fruit, line fish, seafood and local specialties had me excited for what was to come. From French inspired cuisine in the hotels to local specialities in guesthouses and a restaurant "Lychees", lying next to a sparkling river. You need to try a little of everything to get a feel for the island and its people.

We were hosted by Lux Recif for our last 3 nights, and it was just a short walk to the local beach, nightclubs and supermarket. The best part of the stay was grabbing a cocktail and watching the sunset on the beach, it was unforgettable and breathtakingly beautiful.

So go ahead and contact me to book your adventure to Reunion, you need your passport, international drivers licence, a swimming costume and hiking shoes.

The island will welcome you with open arms.