Réunion

Réunion, one of the Mascarene Islands, is a French island in the Indian Ocean some 175 km south-west of Mauritius; the euro is used and French is spoken alongside Réunion Creole. It rises to the Piton des Neiges, about 3,070 m and considered the highest point in the Indian Ocean, while the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world’s most accessible volcanoes, is ringed by lava fields and the Plaine des Sables. Around the Piton des Neiges lie the cirques of Cilaos, Salazie and Mafate, the last reachable only on foot or by helicopter — all part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Days are spent outdoors: waterfalls, canyoning, hiking the GR R1 and GR R2, helicopter flights and paragliding above the lagoon. On the drier, sunnier west coast, Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, L’Ermitage-les-Bains and Saint-Leu face white sand and a reef-sheltered lagoon. The wild south hides black-sand coves such as Grande Anse at Petite-Île, and humpback whales pass offshore roughly June to October.

The east is greener and wetter. May to October is generally drier and milder, November to April hot and humid. Creole cooking — cari stews, spicy rougail, samosas, bouchon dumplings — meets Bourbon vanilla and crafted rum, with French art de vivre in a tropical key. It suits hikers, active travellers, couples, families and those pairing it with Mauritius.