Welcome Back to School, Everyone: Message from Connections Réunion

This new season promises to be rich in projects, meetings, and new clients to welcome on our island. Réunion continues to captivate travelers seeking discoveries and emotions, through exceptional landscapes and authentic itineraries.

More than ever in these uncertain geopolitical times, Connections Réunion is pleased to continue this adventure by your side and to build together new stays with a shared aim: to share the riches of a unique destination through carefully conceived and personalized experiences.

Wishing a great start to everyone, and see you soon for new projects!

The self-drive tour as a new way to discover La Réunion

Between freedom, discovery and disconnection, the self-drive tour offers another way to travel in La Réunion.

Hit the road with full autonomy, change the mood as you progress through the stages, and choose your own pace each day: that is the whole point of autotours. This format combines a pre-planned itinerary, booked accommodations, and a rental vehicle, while giving the traveler great freedom in discovering the destination and its activities.

In Réunion, this particularly relevant formula is perfectly suited to couples, families as well as groups.

Everything begins with arrival at the airport, welcomed by an agent from our Field Team at our desk located at the exit of the arrivals hall. The traveler can then collect their rental vehicle from one of our partner rental companies.

The itinerary can begin, for example, in Saint-Denis, in the North of the island, accompanied by an information briefing given by a consultant from the Field Team. Then, depart for the East, with the discovery of the Salazie Circus and the village of Hell-Bourg, ranked among the most beautiful villages in France. In the following days, the traveler can pace the stay to their liking by exploring the wonders of the Wild Southeast, through the towns of Sainte-Anne, Saint-Philippe, the Route des Laves, or the Grand Galet waterfall, or the Piton de la Fournaise.

Following these initial steps rich in discoveries, the autotour lends itself perfectly to exploring the Creole village of L’Entre-Deux, in the Southwest of the island. It will be an opportunity to enjoy a gentle interlude at the foot of the Dimitile massif, a spur of the Cilaos cirque. Indeed, spending a night in L’Entre-Deux means enjoying a peaceful setting, conducive to the art de vivre of the Highlands.

The final stage of a successful autotour is inevitably the West Coast of the island. After mountain roads and volcanic landscapes, it’s time for lagoons, sunsets and a few days of relaxation. Staying on the West Coast, at La Saline-les-Bains or at L’Hermitage, means enjoying direct access to the island’s lagoons and the seaside pleasures offered by our partner providers: transparent kayaking or paddle on the lagoon, sea excursions to observe cetaceans, scuba diving, a morning on a catamaran, jet-ski or even big-game fishing.

The West Coast also offers travelers the opportunity to gain height and see the island’s landscapes from a different angle. The must-see remains the helicopter flight, with several circuits ranging from 15 to 55 minutes, allowing the experience to be tailored to every desire: lagoon, cirques, waterfalls, or the Volcano. For a more intimate experience, the ULM flight offers a moment of pure privilege above the island’s natural wonders. It’s a unique way to survey the grand landscapes of Réunion at a single glance, from the turquoise lagoon of the West to the Piton des Neiges, passing by the Cirque de Mafate.

From the heights of Saint-Leu, paragliding flights rise to fully enjoy the contrast between mountains and ocean. Finally, paraplane completes this palette of aerial experiences, for an original and accessible discovery of Réunion’s landscapes.

It is this alternation of experiences that constitutes the strength of the autotour: the traveler retains the freedom to compose their days according to their desires and the weather, while the organization of the stay remains controlled and serene.

The autotour also represents the opportunity to offer a personalized stay with the support and expertise of Connections Réunion. Indeed, each traveler benefits from constant assistance from our field team. As true go-to contacts throughout the stay, our agents enjoy sharing their best addresses, tips and recommendations, between island must-sees and lesser-known places, to enrich every step of the journey. They also remain available for any information request, assistance needs, or on-demand activity bookings, giving the traveler the chance to adapt their stay as they wish.

In Réunion, the autotour allows telling a destination in all its diversity, bend after bend, making each leg an integral part of the journey.

For a family autotour, contact the Reservations service of Connections Réunion at [email protected]. For a group autotour, contact [email protected].

Only 35 minutes by plane away, Mauritius constitutes a natural extension for travelers wishing to prolong their stay in the Indian Ocean.

The value of such a pairing lies mainly in the complementarity of the two destinations, which show very different faces. If Réunion leans more toward mountains, volcanoes, and cirques, Mauritius shifts the rhythm. Lagoons, fine-sand beaches, water activities and gastronomy invite relaxation. Thus, finishing a trip in Mauritius allows for a true transition between an active stay and a gentler end to the vacation.

For tourism professionals, this pairing of islands opens the door to richer, more memorable and customizable stays. A Mauritius extension of 3 to 4 days can be proposed in addition to a circuit or a 7 to 8-day autotour in La Réunion, allowing the duration and the level of experience to be tailored to each traveler’s expectations.

Réunion and Mauritius do not compete; they complement each other. Two neighboring islands, two strong identities and two ways of experiencing the Indian Ocean. All of it brought together in a single trip. For a combined stay proposal, don’t hesitate to contact our Groups or Reservations services at the addresses above.