Réunion is a French overseas region and department in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Madagascar and 200 km south-west of Mauritius. This volcanic island of extraordinary drama packs an active volcano, three steep-walled cirques, a UNESCO World Heritage mountain core, dense rainforest, and a warm lagoon into 2,512 km². It is simultaneously French enough to accept euros and credit cards everywhere, and exotic enough to feel like another world entirely.
Réunion's sole airport is Roland Garros (RUN) in Sainte-Marie, 9 km east of Saint-Denis. There are no scheduled ferry services from Réunion to the mainland; all connections are by air. Within the island, hiring a car is strongly recommended — the public Car Jaune bus network covers the coastal ring road (Route Nationale 1 and 2) but does NOT reach the volcanic interior, the cirques, or the volcano. The main Ring Road (RN1 west coast + RN2 east coast) encircles the island in approximately 200 km. Journey times are longer than the distance suggests due to mountain terrain and hairpin roads, especially to Cilaos (37 hairpin bends on the RD241).
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
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