Mauritius - Ste Suzanne

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The colonial houses and flowery gardens of Ste-Suzanne render the atmosphere somewhat more pleasant than is the case in bustling St-André. It is one of the island’s oldest settlements, dating from 1667, and is best known for its lighthouse, at the western end of town.

Nearby Cascade Niagara is signposted from the southern end of town. The short drive takes you through cane fields and you can park right at the foot of the falls. Although far less impressive than its Canadian namesake, it is a pretty waterfall, 30m high.

St-André is a large industrial town with factories galore. It is the centre of Réunion’s Tamil community and therefore the best place to see awe-inspiring Tamil ceremonies and festivals such as fire walking and Cavadee

On the coast, a few kilometres from the centre of St-André among sugarcane fields, is Parc Nautique du Colosse (cycloparc.com). The park features boutiques, eateries, picnic areas and a children’s playground, you can also hire bikes and go-karts here. The park is home to the local tourist office.

About 2km south of St-André is the turning to Salazie and Hell-Bourg (see Chapter 21, The Interior, pages 339–44).

Continuing south along Route Nationale 2 (RN2), you come to Bras-Panon, the centre of the vanilla industry. Worth a visit is Pro Vanille, which explains the production of vanilla (see What to see in Eastern Réunion, pages 296–7). The nearby village of Rivière des Roches is where much of the island’s bichiques are fished, a small sprat-like fish usually served in cari. In the village is a turning to two beautiful natural pools beneath wooded waterfalls: Bassin La Paix and Bassin La Mer. About 3km from the RN2, you come to a track that leads to Bassin La Paix, where you can leave your car. It is a short walk through lush woods to the bassin. A sizeable waterfall plunges into the deep pool, where a quick dip offers welcome respite from the tropical sun. If you continue uphill for another 30 minutes, you’ll arrive at the second pool, Bassin La Mer, arguably even more attractive than the lower one. It’s in this area (the tumbling river between the two pools) that people come to do ‘water hiking’, in other words hiking upstream in the river itself.

Beyond Bras-Panon, on the RN2 to St-Benoît, is a turning to the viewpoint at Takamaka. The road winds gradually upwards for about 15km before reaching Takamaka. From the car park, there is a wonderful view of a semicircle of mountains painted with the thin strips of waterfalls. It is the starting point for a walk of 6.5km to the Electricité de France platform at Bébour.

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Mauritius - Ste Suzanne

Mauritius - Ste Suzanne

Eastern Reunion

Mauritius - Ste Suzanne