Skip to content
LarkTours

Routes · Africa

Sydney to Réunion: the coast and the cirques

Sydney → Saint-Gilles → Cilaos

Cirque de Cilaos
"Cilaos Circus.jpg" by Patrick Portes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
SaintDenisReunion005 (Saint-Denis)
Photo: B.navez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Volcano hikes & mountain amphitheatres Best season (general guide): May–Nov

Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, is a volcanic landscape of jagged peaks and deep valleys. This route spends three nights on the west coast at Saint-Gilles and three in the mountain village of Cilaos. From Sydney you'll connect via Mauritius or another hub to Saint-Denis. UNESCO lists the island's pitons, cirques and ramparts, the steep landscape formed by two volcanoes.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Saint-Gilles: day one, the lagoon; day two, Piton de la Fournaise; day three, beach and markets. Then spend days four to six in Cilaos: day four, drive to Cilaos; day five, walk into the cirque; day six, Salazie and Hell-Bourg.

Piton de la Fournaise, in the south-east, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and trails lead across its crater floor when it is quiet. The island's centre has three cirques, huge amphitheatres of rock. Mafate has no roads and is reached only on foot or by helicopter. Cilaos, reached by a road of many hairpins, is known for hiking and lentils, while Salazie has waterfalls and the Creole village of Hell-Bourg.

Saint-Gilles, on the west coast, has a coral lagoon and the island's best beaches. May to November is the drier, cooler season. The Piton des Neiges, an extinct volcano at over 3,000 metres, is the highest point in the Indian Ocean.

Mafate's small villages are supplied by air. Practical notes: Réunion is an overseas department of France, so you'll pay in euros, and French is the official language. The Grand Brûlé, on the volcano's south-east flank, is where lava flows have repeatedly reached the sea. Rougail saucisse, a sausage and tomato dish, is a Creole staple. Réunion's Creole culture is celebrated in maloya, a music and dance tradition listed by UNESCO.

Safety: Canada's advice for Réunion is to exercise normal security precautions (updated 26 May 2026), and the US rates France Level 2 (28 May 2025).

Suggested outline

  1. Sydney

    Start

  2. Saint-Gilles

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    The lagoon coast of the west.

    Saint-Gilles-les-Bains lagoon Reunion
    "2015-06-02-LaReunion 1537-0570++ 02.JPG" by Nop112233, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  3. Cilaos

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    A mountain village inside a volcanic cirque.

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Saint-Gilles — Arrive; the lagoon· Sydney → Saint-Gilles (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Saint-Gilles — Piton de la Fournaise
  3. Day 3 · Saint-Gilles — Beach and markets
  4. Day 4 · Cilaos — Drive to Cilaos· Saint-Gilles → Cilaos (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Cilaos — Walk into the cirque
  6. Day 6 · Cilaos — Salazie and Hell-Bourg
  7. Day 7 · Cilaos — Travel home from Cilaos· Cilaos → Saint-Denis (overland), then Saint-Denis → Sydney (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

Each button opens a live, dated search. We don't show stored fares here: check today's price on the booking site.

Showing dates about a month ahead — change them when you search.

Saint-Gilles

Nearest airport: Saint-Denis Search fares · Saint-Denis ↗

Partner links may earn LarkTours a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, availability and terms are set by each partner.