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🇷🇪 Itinerary · Réunion · 7 days

1-week Réunion itinerary 2026: cirques and volcano

7 well-paced days: Salazie, Cilaos, Piton de la Fournaise and the western lagoon. The ideal format for a first visit, with budget and stops.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

7 days

Stops

4 zones

Average budget

€1,000-1,600

Total distance

~500 km

Profile

First visit

Season

May-Nov

Saint-Denis 1d · Salazie 1d · Cilaos 2d · Volcano 1d · West 2d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Réunion 1-week itinerary map: Saint-Denis, Salazie, Cilaos, Piton de la Fournaise, Saint-Gilles

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

7 days, day by day

1

~€80/pers

Saint-Denis · Arrival & Creole north

  • Morning Arrival at Roland Garros. Pick up the rental car.
  • Afternoon Saint-Denis centre: rue de Paris, Creole houses, covered market.
  • Evening Cari chicken and rougail on the Barachois seafront.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Denis · e.g. Le Juliette Dodu (1 night)·🚗 Car essential·Réunion guide →
2

~€55

Cirque de Salazie · Hell-Bourg & waterfalls

  • 9am Drive to Salazie (1h). Voile de la Mariée, the waterfall down the cliff.
  • Noon Lunch in Hell-Bourg, colourful Creole houses.
  • Afternoon Short Bélouve loop, tamarind forest and viewpoint.
🛌 🛌 Hell-Bourg · e.g. Le Relais des Cimes (1 night)·🚗 Mountain road
3

~€65

Cirque de Cilaos · Road of 400 bends

  • Morning Drive down then up the RN5 toward Cilaos (1,200 m).
  • Noon Lunch of Cilaos lentils, a local AOP product.
  • Afternoon Cilaos thermal baths and a walk to Roche Merveilleuse.
🛌 🛌 Cilaos · e.g. Hôtel des Neiges (2 nights)·🚗 400 bends, take motion-sickness pills
4

~€40

Cilaos · Day hike

  • Morning Hike to the Bras Rouge waterfall or the Sentier de la Chapelle (narrow gorge, 4h).
  • Afternoon Return and relax at the baths, embroidery craft market.
5

~€70

Piton de la Fournaise · Active volcano

  • Morning Drive to Bourg-Murat and Pas de Bellecombe (early start, 2h30 from Cilaos).
  • Noon Crater lookout then the Plaine des Sables, lunar landscape.
  • Afternoon Cité du Volcan interactive museum, before descending west.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Gilles · e.g. Le Récif (2 nights)·🚗 RF5 forest road
6

~€75

West · Lagoon & boat trip

  • Morning Boat trip from Saint-Gilles: dolphins, whales from June to October.
  • Afternoon Snorkeling in the Ermitage lagoon. Sunset at Saint-Leu.
⛵ Boat + 🚗 car
7

Flight

Saint-Gilles → France · Return

  • Morning Last swim in the lagoon, buy vanilla and arranged rum.
  • Afternoon Return the car at Roland Garros. Return flight to Paris.
🚗 + ✈️

How much

Itinerary budget (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€1,000

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €700
  • 🏨 Lodges & guesthouses: €35/night
  • 🍛 Cari & food trucks: €12/day
  • 🚗 Shared car: €25/day
  • 🎫 Activities: €80
Recommended

Comfort

€1,350

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €800
  • 🏨 3★ hotels: €90/night
  • 🍽️ Creole tables: €25/day
  • 🚗 Own car: €38/day
  • 🎫 Whale trip: €60

Premium

€2,600

per person

  • ✈️ Premium flight: €1,700
  • 🏨 4★: €180/night
  • 🍽️ Fine dining: €55/day
  • 🚁 Helicopter flight over the cirques: €280
  • 🎫 Private guide: €150

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

You're here

1 week

1 week

The accessible cirques + the volcano + the lagoon.

2 weeks

2 weeks

The full loop: cirques, Mafate trek and lagoons.

1 month

1 month

The island in depth: full Mafate, the GR R2 and a deeper Wild South.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

A rental car links everything in one week, over ~500 km. The legs are short but slow (cirque roads). No long trek here: you stay on day hikes.

🚗

Rental car

€30-40/day · book ahead · narrow roads

🥾

Day hikes

Bras Rouge, Bélouve, crater · 3 to 5h each

⛵

Boat trip (West)

€40-60/pers · dolphins · whales June-October

🛣️

Route des Tamarins

Western expressway · time saver

Adapt by season

Austral winter for the summits

From May to November the sky clears early over the cirques and the volcano: aim to hike in the morning. In austral summer (December-March), keep Cilaos and La Fournaise for dawn and the western lagoon for the afternoon, when the clouds rise.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In September 2025 I did La Fournaise on a Tuesday at 6am from Cilaos: empty road, fully clear crater, the crowd only arrived around 10am. Starting early changes everything on this island.
  • • Keeping 2 nights in Cilaos rather than one: the road of 400 bends deserves settling in.
  • • The morning dolphin trip from Saint-Gilles, calmer sea than midday.
  • • The cari from the food truck rather than the restaurant: cheaper and more local.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Add a day if you want to attempt the Piton des Neiges refuge.
  • • Skip Salazie if you'd rather have more lagoon time.
  • • Swap the Cité du Volcan for an extra hike if the sky is clear.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is one week enough to discover Réunion? +
Yes for a first visit: this itinerary covers two accessible cirques, the volcano and the lagoon. It leaves out the Mafate trek and the Wild South, best saved for a 2-week stay.
Do you need a rental car? +
Strongly recommended. The Car Jaune bus network serves the cirques and the volcano poorly. Book your car ahead, especially in high season.
What's the best time? +
May to November (austral winter) for clear summits. Austral summer (December-March) is warmer but cloudy in the highlands in the afternoon.
Can you climb Piton des Neiges in one week? +
It's doable by adding a night at the Caverne Dufour refuge, but this itinerary stays on day hikes to avoid overloading. Piton des Neiges is included in the 2-week version.
Is the volcano accessible year-round? +
Yes outside eruptions. During an eruption the caldera closes and you watch the lava from outside viewpoints. Check access status before you go.
What budget for one week? +
Count €1,000 in hiker mode, €1,350 in comfort, flight from mainland France included. The rental car is the most variable cost.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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