La Reunion - Manapany and the Wild South

Beginning to mid-November 2024

The small village Manapany-les-Bains in the municipality of Saint-Joseph is an ideal starting point to explore the wild south of La Reunion. The beach can be reached in St. Pierre, to the mountains in Cilaos or to the volcanic area on the Piton de la Fournaise.
And after the tour, cool off in the Bassin de Manapany - an absolute dream! The natural swimming pool is located at the end of the small village, is not yet overcrowded, and is a true insider tip. When the wave conditions allowed, we swam here every evening. Otherwise, we enjoyed the sunset with the locals and a beer. Afterwards, we had a snack at Snackbar Chez Jo.

We stayed with Laurence at the Residence Le Malaya, just 100 meters from the natural swimming pool. Very nice apartments, attentive service, and during high waves, cooling off in the in-house saltwater pool. On our last day in Manapany, Laurence brought us baked bananas for breakfast.

Excursions

• Our favorite station for tours: FUN RADIO
• A beautiful excursion goes along the Riviere Langevin up to the Grand Galet Waterfall high in the mountains. The one-way trip takes about 1.5 hours, everywhere you can find locals having a picnic, and the waterfall is the reward and wonderfully cool.
• For a round trip of the southern coast, start at 9 a.m.: from Vincendo, the wild south really begins. To the Cap Mechant, then along the narrow road to Tremblet, there are small restaurants inviting you to stop, various viewpoints, and you can buy vanilla everywhere. Then, the tropical fairy-tale landscape abruptly ends, and the view opens up to the lava fields; shortly after St. Rose, the Route de Lava ends. The rest is in every travel guide .....

Restaurants

• The Creole cuisine is very diverse; in La Reunion, every small region has its own specialties. Very impressive, considering the island is about the same size as Saarland, at 2500 sq km.
• In the evenings, the food trucks open on the streets, intersections, and roundabouts. You must try here, because they are super delicious: samoussas, bonbon pigment, bouchons, nems, all kinds of curry, fried chicken, and of course pizza - all for little money. At very popular stalls, locals are happy to wait half an hour or longer - we did too!

Some practical tips

• Entering La Reunion via Mauritius is very easy; La Reunion is part of the EU and a national ID card is sufficient. If your flight is the next day, the Holiday Inn directly at the airport is a good choice, and breakfast is recommended. For car rental, the German driving license is sufficient.
• Well-known supermarkets are Carrefour and LeClerk, found in at least all large shopping centers. Groceries can be very expensive; here are some examples:
  - Butter 4.50 Euro
  - Small cup of cream 5.80 Euro
  - Bar of chocolate 4.50 Euro
  - 6 organic eggs 4.80 Euro
  - Small packet of smoked salmon or blue marlin from 8.00
  - Toilet paper 6 rolls 7.00 Euro
  It is worth stopping at a discount store like Leader Price. Not everything is cheaper, but quite a bit is.
• About the shopping hours: stores are normally open from Tuesday to Saturday, Sunday until 1 p.m., and in many regions, they open on Monday again only at 1 p.m. Important information, because otherwise, there is no baguette for breakfast on Monday!