The small Indian Ocean island of Reunion has a population of 840 974 (as of January 2013), and has the makings of heaven on earth.
To get there is only a four-hour flight from Johannesburg – and no visa is required! How about a trip, then?
And while you plan your holiday, feast your eyes on the brand-new Reunion Island blog, developed by Flow Communications.
The aim of the blog, says Flow Cape Town manager Roy Barford, is “to provide all the reasons why South Africans (and other visitors from around the world) should visit the island, as well as useful travel information for those that do decide to go”.
This project is a partnership between Flow Communications and Destinate, the specialised destination marketing and tourism agency started by former Cape Town Tourism CEO Mariette du Toit-Helmbold.
Roy had the opportunity to explore the island with Natalie Roos of Destinate, and although they could only manage about five French phrases between the two of them, their week-long adventure trip was a fantastic one.
Roy lists his top reasons why you should consider visiting the island:
- There is a live volcano there, which has just erupted again. This is just one of the amazing and rare natural aspects of the island
- There is a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities from which to choose. Reunion is known for being one of the best places in the world for paragliding, and watersports like kite-surfing are also very popular in the west coast lagoons. I went canyoning and microlighting, and both experiences were fantastic in different ways
- The climate is fantastic. We were there in the middle of winter, but it was around 26°C every day. We swam in the lagoon at 8am, and the water was pretty much as warm as the air
- It's a great cultural experience. There is amazing cultural diversity in Reunion, and learning the history of the island was very interesting. I prepared shisa nyama with some roadside vendors and we had great banter, even though they only spoke Creole
- I'm into hiking and camping, and both these activities are free on Reunion. I'd love to go back some day when I have the time to explore the outdoors
Natalie’s highlights are:
- It's easy to be spontaneous. The fact that you don't need a visa and that the flight is just four hours, means that you can be spontaneous and book a week or 10 days at the drop of the hat. You don't have to worry about long flights or long layovers eating into your holiday time, so you can leave home in the morning and start your first day of holiday on the same day
- There's so much to do. I like variety when I travel – food, sun, sea, but also other activities to keep me busy. On Reunion, you can spend the morning swimming in the crystal clear waters of the lagoon and the afternoon hiking through a beautiful forest. You can also see a volcano or jump off a 6m-high cliff into a canyon. It's the perfect place to experience many different things in a short time
- It's a little piece of Europe on a tropical island. The island is quintessentially French. It's like a little piece of Europe in the gorgeous Indian Ocean. Not to mention the French pastries! The local culture is a melting pot of European, African and Asian, and it makes for a truly unique place
Design studio manager Lorraine Gumede gives insight into the blog’s aesthetic appeal: “Reunion Island has the most remarkable images, which it makes it an absolute pleasure for a designer to capture the core essence of the island. The highly visual design style established is clean and user friendly, making it easily navigable. The incorporation of bright colours reinforces brand identity and makes the website fresh, vibrant and inviting.”
Indian Ocean and Asian markets manager for Reunion Tourism Stéphane Bonneau is very happy with Flow’s work, saying: “Thanks all for a great job. I love it!”
Fast facts on Reunion Island:
- The island is 63km long and 45km wide
- It is similar to the Island of Hawaii, as both are located above hotspots in the Earth's crust
- The Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has erupted more than 170 times since the mid-17th century
Visit the Reunion Island blog here.
