On the 15th of May, 7 very excited Travel Agents joined myself, Ross from Air Austral and Christian from Papangue Tours, on an adventurous educational to Reunion Island.With one of the Worlds most active volcanoes, as well as 27km of warm, welcoming beaches, coupled with mountains and forests, Reunion Island offers vacation opportunities ranging from relaxing to truly exciting... and we were about to explore it all! Janette Doldo

Above & Beyond Holidays

5DAY 1 Paragliding

ADVENTURE

REUNION ISLAND

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On the first day we went paragliding over St Leu. We took a small bus up a windy road which most of us wished we were taking back down rather than taking a giant leap off a cliff. However we got out at the top and were greeted by a group of well experienced Paragliders.

They suited us up and hooked us up to a parachute. We were jumping tandem and my guy was the boldest one... he was a surfer, a kite surfer, wind surfer, base jumper, bungee jumper and canyoner. But they were totally professional and before I could re-think the jump, we were already launching off the mountain and gliding through the air, across the mountains of Reunion Island, the valleys, villages, coral reef and eventually landing by the beach... What a rush – It was awesome!!!

All the Agents thoroughly enjoyed it. Any early feelings of anxiety quickly dissipated and they were all ready to do it again! It is not scary at all, it’s a gentle slope where you run off and the journey in the air is peaceful and surreal. I would recommend it to any traveller – even young teens were giving it a go.

Paragliding in Reunion Island is a must-do and prices start from $120 per person

Take off from the top

View from the airLara from Escape Travel ready to go!Gliding to the coast

DAY 2

DAY 3

gastronomY

cirque of cilaos

Lara taste tests the local rum

Journey up to the cirques

Flightcentre’s Josh chooses chicken

We checked into the Grand Hotel Du Lagon – a gorgeous beach front resort on the west coast, where we had the chance to relax and unwind. After a dip in the Indian Ocean, we sampled some local rum at the hotel bar... passion fruit, pineapple, vanilla and many others – strong enough to knock you off your bar stool!

We were treated to a 5 star dinner at the hotel featuring the French delicacy ’foie gras’ (duck liver) which is absolutely

delicious in Reunion.

Earlier that day, we took a walk into town to try the local delicacies... Josh from Flight Centre was brave enough to try an odd looking

piece of chicken with a dough coating. David from Jetset Ballina thought it was safer to stick to a delicious baguette. I tucked into the local lentil dish with choko and palm heart salad of which Reunion is most famous for.

The village of Cilaos shelters under the towering walls of the Piton Des Neiges, we made the journey almost 3000m above sea level to the highest mountain in Reunion. People choose to live here high up above the world in a protected environment – it’s literally a community perched high up on a mountain. In Cilaos you will experience French village life (with a twist), clean mountain air, thermal waters and a myriad of hiking trails for every level.

The temperature is much cooler here so what better way to warm us up than a wine tasting tour at the Les Tsilaosa Hotel. The owner of this creole style hotel produces his own wines. He talked us through the various types of drops and the story of how they are forbidden to sell as the sugar content makes people go crazy in the head!

That night we bedded down at The Le Vieux Cep Hotel. It has a great reputation for country cooking and the creole decor set against the green mountain peaks gives you the sudden urge to yodle - like a scene from “The Sound of Music”!

Grand Hotel Du Lagon Beach

David from Jetset tucks into a baguette

Local Beach

Phillipa finds a bakery

Le Vieux Cep Hotel

We are shown forbidden wines produced in Cilaos

Wine tasting... Bottoms up!

DAY 4 volcano tour

Our 4WD Volcano Tour Guides

The rocks are still hot to touchCascades

We were very excited on day 4 to visit Le Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Most recently, an eruption occurred on 2 January 2010 and lasted for ten days.

Our guide picked us up after an early breakfast and gave us many facts and interesting information as we sat back comfortably in a 4WD. The temperature quickly dropped from the coastal heat of 30’C to a chilly 10’C as we climbed higher up into the mountains. Bring a jacket!

As we approached the volcano, the driver made us close our eyes and open them 10 seconds later to what seemed like the planet MARS! The earth was red and eerie and we were moving in and out of bright sunlight and heat to dense fog with cold and rain. The weather and fog would change constantly as we were so high up. As this happened we caught glimpses of the massive crater. There is also an option to see it by helicopter or take designated hiking paths to the caldera floor.

The interior of the church untouched

Lava parts at the

church doorstep

We continued back down the mountain to see the effects of some of the recent eruptions. One was to a sight where a small miracle occurred. In 1977 the lava flow crossed the highway and surrounded the local church. It got to the front door but then stopped in it’s tracks and parted without destroying the building. The front entrance was later cleared out, and the church was brought back into service under the name of Notre-Dame des Laves (“Our Lady of the Lavas”).

When lava has crossed a highway, engineering services wait for the lava to cool off and build another stretch of road over it. One area that had lava flow a whole year ago is STILL hot to touch. Our guide had some dry sticks and was able to light a fire on the surface. It is worth noting that for months after an eruption, the area of the lava flows

can still be hot enough to burn your fingers and to steam in rainy weather. Don’t wear your favourite pair of sneakers – they will most likely melt the sole!

After a traditional creole lunch in a local villagers home consisting of lentils and chokos, we headed to the south coast. Passing pineapple plantations and sugarcane, we arrived at a beautiful coastal town of cascades. These waterfalls were flowing fresh with cold water, but this didn’t stop a local stripping down for a cold shower!

4WD tours of the volcano can be half or full days and start from $165pp

Volcano drive through red eart

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Glimpses of the volcano

Local takes a cold shower

DAY 5 shoP & relaxA day at the markets was a colourful way to end the tour. Lots of bargains to be had amongst the piles of bags and stacks of trinkets. One could get lost in the maze of hand-made crafts and home-made jams!

Our last night was spent at the luxurious Le Palm Hotel & Spa. Upon entry to this stunning hotel, we were greeted by an amazing rainbow that spanned from the mountains to the ocean – you could actually see the end of the rainbow joining the sea... no pot of gold unfortunately.

That night we were treated to a wonderful meal and some relaxing drinks by the bar. The hotel has a magician that entertains you during dinner. The agents were left tricked and amazed by the very talented magician. We couldn’t believe our eyes at the display of magic – much like the wonders we had seen that week on our Reunion Island adventure!

Rainbow at Le Palm hotel & Spa

Ross and I finally relax

Paul, Flight Centre finds a bargain

The Magician finds Malinda’s Card

HIRE A CAR: All hire cars are available with GPS and it is the easiest and cheapest way to get around to all the sights and move from hotel to hotel. Reunion & Beyond have many self-drive packages on offer!

PACK FOR HOT & COLD: Reunion has a beautiful sunny coast but also a mountainous interior. When exploring the cirques and volcano, it gets colder as you get higher above sea level. Remember walking shoes!

BOOK EXCURSIONS & DAY TOURS: Reunion wouldn’t be the same without a volcano tour, a visit to the cirques or an adventurous activity like paragliding, surfing, canyoning, hiking, helicopter tours, water rafting or horse riding.

COMBINE YOUR HOLIDAY WITH MAURITIUS: Reunion offers adventure and awe inspiring scenery. The perfect combination is only 45min flight away – Mauritius, for turquoise lagoons and luxurious resorts. Above & Beyond Holidays can arrange the perfect package!

GRAB THIS BROCHURE: All you need to know about Reunion is right here and anything else is only a phone call away to our Reunion Specialist at Reunion & Beyond Holidays 1300 895 203

must-do in reunion island

REUNION ISLANDMAURITIUS • MADAGASCAR • AFRICA • SEYCHELLES

TOLL FREE: 1300 895 203Shop 15 /22-24 Kenthurst Road, Round Corner NSW

www.reunionandbeyond.com.au

Special thanks to

Thanks for coming...Top: Our guides Andre & Christian from Papangue Tours, Josh - Flight Centre, Ross from Air Austral, David - Jestset Ballina.Bottom: Me, Janette of Reunion & Beyond, Malinda - Back Track Adventures, Jenny - Ramsgate Travel, Lara - Escape Travel Macarthur Sq, Phillippa - Majestic Travel and Paul from Flight Centre.