Marie-Ange Payet, 48, was born in Saint-Denis, studied in Paris, and returned to Reunion 20 years ago to raise her children and run a gite (mountain lodge) in Cilaos. She's Creole — a mix of French, Malagasy, and Tamil ancestry — and speaks French, Creole, some Tamil, and enough English to argue about politics and food.
They come expecting a beach island. Mauritius is the beach island — it's 200 km that way. Reunion is a mountain island with a volcano. When people show up in bikinis and flip-flops and realize they need hiking boots and a fleece, I know they didn't do their research.
The west coast lagoons — l'Hermitage, Saint-Gilles — have beautiful beaches. But the heart of Reunion is in the cirques and on the volcano. If you're not going to walk, you're missing 80% of the island.
Q: What about the shark situation?
It's real and it's frustrating. Since 2011, we've had serious bull shark attacks on surfers and swimmers. Most beaches outside the lagoon areas now have swimming bans. It devastated the surf tourism industry.
But the response has been measured — shark nets at Boucan Canot, research programs, regulated surf zones. The lagoon beaches on the west coast are completely safe. And frankly, the mountains were always the real attraction. The shark issue redirected attention to where it belonged all along.
Don't be afraid to come because of sharks. Just don't go swimming at unprotected beaches. The flags and signs are clear.
Q: Tell us about Creole culture on Reunion.
Reunion is the most mixed place I've ever known, and I've traveled a lot. French, African, Malagasy, Tamil, Gujarati, Chinese, Comorian — all on an island 60 km across. We celebrate Diwali and Christmas. There's a Hindu temple next to a Catholic church next to a mosque. My grandmother was Tamil, my grandfather was French, and my other grandmother was from Madagascar.
The food reflects this. Cari (curry) comes from India. Bouchons (steamed dumplings) come from China. Rougail comes from the slave cooking traditions of East Africa. Samosas are Indian. Cassoulet shows up from France. And somehow it all works together.
Creole language is the glue. Everyone speaks it — it's the mother tongue. French is the official language, what you use at school and work. But at home, with friends, at the market — it's Creole. If you learn even a few words — "koman i le" (how are you?), "mersi" (thank you) — people light up.
Q: What's the food like at your gite?
I cook what my mother cooked. Cari poulet — chicken simmered with turmeric, thyme, garlic, onion, and tomato, served with rice, red lentils (we grow them here in Cilaos, they have a protected geographic indication), and rougail — that's a condiment of fresh chili, tomato, and ginger.
Rougail saucisse on Tuesdays — smoked pork sausage in a spicy tomato sauce. It's the unofficial national dish. Every Reunionnais has an opinion about whose rougail saucisse is best. Mine is best. Don't argue with me.
Fridays, I sometimes make cari bichiques when the season is right — tiny river fish, incredibly precious, caught during their annual migration up the rivers. Restaurants charge 30-40 EUR for a plate. At my gite, it's included in the 45 EUR dinner-and-bed price.
Breakfast is French: bread, butter, jam, coffee. But I also put out local fruits — mangoes, lychees, passion fruit — and sometimes bonbon piment (fried chili fritters) because that's how mornings should start.
Q: What should visitors not miss?
Piton de la Fournaise. Not the summit hike necessarily — though it's incredible — but at least the drive across the Plaine des Sables. It's the most alien landscape on the island and it takes maybe 30 minutes. If you don't drive through the Plaine des Sables, you haven't seen Reunion.
Mafate. Even if you can't do the multi-day trek, hike from Col des Boeufs to La Nouvelle and back in a day. The descent into the roadless cirque is one of those moments where you understand why people become hikers.
The Sunday market in Saint-Paul. It runs along the seafront for 500 meters. Every spice, every fruit, every prepared Creole dish. Buy vanilla there — it's cheaper than the plantations. Buy rhum arrange from the old men who make it in their garages. The market is where Reunion's cultures show up side by side in the most delicious way.
Q: What annoys you about tourism on Reunion?
The helicopters. I know I'm in the minority, but the helicopter tours over the cirques are incredibly loud, and in Mafate — which is supposed to be this peaceful, car-free paradise — you get 15-20 helicopter passes per day in peak season. For the people living in Mafate, and for the hikers who came for silence, it's disruptive.
I understand the economic argument. I run a tourism business. But there should be limits on the number of daily flights and designated quiet hours. The cirques are a UNESCO World Heritage Site — they deserve protection from noise as well as physical degradation.
Q: What's your favorite time of year?
June to September. The austral winter. The air is crisp and dry, the skies are clear most days, and the hiking conditions are perfect. The volcano is most likely to erupt during the wet season (January-March), but June-September is when the mountains reveal their best faces.
Also: whale season. Humpback whales migrate through Reunion's waters June-October. You can see them from the coast — Saint-Gilles is the best spot — or take a responsible whale-watching boat trip. Seeing a 40-ton whale breach from a small boat is not something you forget.
Q: Any message for visitors?
Learn three words of Creole. Eat at the roulottes and the tables d'hotes, not just the hotels. Drive slowly on the mountain roads — they're beautiful and dangerous. Buy vanilla directly from a producer. Drink rhum arrange. And if you come to my gite in Cilaos, don't complain about the 400 hairpin turns on the road up — I drive them every week. You'll survive.
Reunion is not Mauritius. It's not a relaxation island. It's an adventure island that happens to have French wine and good cheese. That's a combination you won't find anywhere else on Earth.
For the full hiking experience, read our 6-day trail journal. Our FAQ covers 14 essential questions for first-time visitors. And if Marie-Ange's comparison to Mauritius has you curious, it's just a 45-minute flight away.
