The landscapes of Reunion Island make you dream and often push the visitors to enjoy them during outdoor sports activities.
If you are lucky enough to go to Reunion Island this summer, here is a small tour of the outdoor activities to do on the island. Despite its size of 2,512 km² (three times smaller than Corsica), Reunion Island is full of spots whether on land, sea or in the air. 42 % of its territory (i.e. 100,000 hectares) is listed as World Heritage by UNESCO. It is the rarity of its landscapes as well as the endemic fauna and flora that live there, which make Reunion Island a unique place.
By mountain bike from the summit to the beach
Every year, Reunion Island organizes one of the most famous mountain bike marathon in the world. Since 1995, the Mégavalanche takes the participants from 2205 meters of altitude on the cirque of Mafate to the seaside after a dizzying descent on the trails of the island. Obviously, some easier trails are accessible on the island. But to make the descent in its entirety remains a nice challenge.
Diving with dolphins and whales
Located in the Indian Ocean, Reunion Island is perfectly situated to observe marine mammals that pass close to the coast. Bottlenose dolphins and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin can be seen all year round near the coast. The impressive humpback whales are present every southern winter, from June to October. They travel thousands of kilometers from Antarctica to the warm waters of Reunion Island to mate and give birth to their young. Other marine mammals also come but more rarely, such as sperm whales, fin whales and even Risso's dolphins.
Hiking on the volcano
Reunion Island has the highest volcanic summit of the Indian Ocean at more than 3000 meters of altitude. To reach the summit of the Piton des Neige, it is one of the most beautiful hikes of the island which is proposed to you. We cross thick forests of guava trees and tamarinds to evolve in the heart of a raw and wild nature of Reunion Island. After a departure from the cirque of Cilaos, it takes about six hours of walking before arriving at the famous refuge of the Dufour cave for the night. The next day, hikers leave before dawn to cover the last kilometers and watch the sunrise from the summit. The hike is also an opportunity to admire the 230 endemic plant species of the island, the numerous birds and the island fauna.
Surfing on protected spots
For several years now, Reunion Island has had to deal with the shark crisis. Numerous attacks have taken place on humans, but it is now possible to surf again on some secured spots of the island. The latter are indeed protected by nets, as is the case on the beaches of Saint-Leu in the west, open again to surfing since last year. The anti-shark device combines preventive fishing for sharks, a drone overflight of the spot, a daily study of the turbidity of the water while two jet skis and a support zodiac are present on the spot when it is open.
In the air with a paraglider
600 paragliding licensees are registered on the island. Reunion Island is indeed favourable to this discipline thanks to its favourable aerological and climatic conditions, so much so that the world championship has already taken place here. There are no less than 70 sites of free flight from the lagoon to the volcano, through the green slopes of the island.
Canyoning and rafting
With its three cirques shaped by the Piton des Neiges volcano almost 3 million years ago, Reunion Island is also a nice playground for canyoning and rafting. The most difficult will be to choose your spot between the canyons of Bras Rouge, the Langevin river, the canyon of Fleur Jaune, the Trou de Fer, the Takamaka, or the one of Sainte Suzanne...