Region
West coast
Sleep in Saint-Gilles; swim in the lagoon, then go inland for hikes from a hire car.
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Key facts · Réunion
- Best months
- Apr–Nov
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Language
- French official
- Plugs
- C · E · 230 V
- Time zone
- UTC+4 all year
Rules in force · 7Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…
- Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
- Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
- African islands ↗Sleep on the island you fly home from the night before your long-haul departure; inter-island flights and ferries in this region are cancelled or rescheduled often enough to break a same-day connection.
- African islands ↗In the Indian Ocean islands book flexible rates for December to March: a cyclone warning can shut airports, ferries and roads for two or three days.
- Réunion ↗Réunion is French and in the EU but outside the Schengen area: a Schengen visa does not automatically cover it. Check the French government's entry rules for Réunion for your passport.
- Réunion ↗Swimming and surfing are restricted on much of the coast because of shark risk; swim only in the lagoon and supervised zones.
- Réunion ↗Access to Piton de la Fournaise closes during eruptions and alerts; check the prefecture's current status before you go.
The west coast is the dry, sunny side of the island and the usual first base. Keep the room here and take day trips into the cirques and toward the volcano early, before the cloud.
Where to sleep
Plan the nights
How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags
Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags
Night sequences
- 3 nights
- Saint-Gilles 3, one cirque day-trip
- 5 nights
- Saint-Gilles 2 + Cilaos 2 + Saint-Gilles 1
- Hiking inland in the afternoon means cloud, cold and tired drivers: start at dawn.
Day-trips door to door
| To | From | Door-to-door p50 | Last return | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cilaos (cirque) | Saint-Gilles | 105 min | unknown | Winding mountain road by hire car; start early and allow more in cloud or rain. |
| Piton de la Fournaise (volcano) | Saint-Gilles | 150 min | unknown | Long drive; access closes during eruptions and alerts: check the prefecture first. |
Bags between cities
No luggage forwarding culture: keep the big bag at the coast hotel and take a day pack inland.
When to go
Months and weather
Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons
Seasons at a glance
Pick a month to see where to go.
Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table
| Country | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Gilles | ok | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | ok |
| Réunion (country-wide) | ok | × | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | go | ok |
Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.
Eat and move on
Regional food and where to go next
Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next
Go next
The cirques
planned3–5 nights
Cilaos, Salazie and car-free Mafate (on foot)
Volcano and the wild south
planned1–3 nights
Piton de la Fournaise, the Plaine des Sables and lava coasts
West coast: what we know, and what is coming
1 of 1 places open
On this page
- 1 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
- How to split 3 or 5 nights
- 2 day trips with door-to-door time
- Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
- What to do with the big bag between beds
Coming as the guide grows
- Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
- Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
- Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
- Regional food: what, where and when it works
Meanwhile
Planning aids
Built from this guide's own data
Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time
Region in numbers
- Where to sleep
- 1 base
- Day trips
- 2, 1 h 45 to 2 h 30
- Nights suggested
- 3–5 nights
Trips that stop here
Lagoon, Cilaos and the volcano
7 days · 4 nights here
Saint-Gilles → Cilaos → Plaine des Cafres → Saint-Gilles
Two cirques and the volcano
10 days · 3 nights here
Saint-Gilles → Hell-Bourg → Cilaos → Plaine des Cafres → Saint-Pierre
The hiker's island
14 days · 3 nights here
Saint-Gilles → Mafate → Cilaos → Caverne Dufour refuge → Plaine des Cafres → Saint-Philippe → Saint-Denis
Local time
What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.
Saint-Gilles
…
Checking your clock…Indian/Reunion
Ask about West coast
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