Mauritius - St Paul

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St-Paul, the original Réunionnais capital and the site where the first settlers were abandoned, is a favoured weekend escape for residents of St-Denis, as it has the nearest beach to the capital. It’s also the centre of Réunion’s yachting fraternity, and international yachting events are regularly hosted here.

Of note is the seaside cemetery, or Cimetière Marin, which has become an unlikely tourist attraction. Signposts guide visitors around the tombs of the famous and infamous occupants. One of these is the notorious pirate, Olivier Levasseur, or La Buse, who was hanged in 1730. His tomb features a skull and crossbones. People delving into witchcraft still leave bottles of rum and cigarettes on his grave at night. Some apparently do this in order to communicate with his spirit and find out where he hid his treasure. The late and legendary treasure-hunter Bibique, who was an expert on pirate history, was positive that Levasseur’s treasure is buried in Réunion somewhere. St-Paul-born poet Leconte de Lisle (1818–94) is also buried here. Across the road from the cemetery and to the south of town is the Grotte des Premiers Français, the cave in which the island’s first settlers lived. They were 12 French rebels exiled from Madagascar in 1646.

There are some lovely old colonial mansions (now government offices) along the coastal road, Quai Gilbert. Look out for the small park with its old French cannons, set up to protect St-Paul but never utilised. There’s also a war memorial for the Réunionnais soldiers who were killed in both world wars.

The most important attraction St-Paul holds for visitors is the vibrant street market, which residents proudly claim is the island’s best. It operates on Friday and Saturday mornings. As well as souvenirs, there is plenty in the way of exotic food and the market is surrounded on three sides by snack bars.

St-Paul is also the gateway to the picturesque Maïdo area in the so-called ‘Western Heights’, overlooking the west coast. Piton Maïdo (2,190m) affords breathtaking views of the Cirque de Mafate. From the coast, you take winding rural roads through cane fields and vegetable plots, after which you pass by the famed geranium fields and finally, much higher up, forests. There are several distilleries along this road, where you can buy essential oils.

The forests signal a change in climate, as you enter the cool, green, high-lying area on the lip of the Cirque de Mafate. The serene Forêt de Tévelave makes a great spot for a picnic. On the winding RF8 road, halfway between Le Guillaume and Piton Maïdo, is Petite-France, an area where fields of geraniums (actually a pelargonium plant native to South Africa) are cultivated for their essential oil. Réunion’s geranium oil is of the highest quality and so is much sought after in the pharmaceutical/essential oils industry.

It’s a slow drive of 30km, but worth it. It’s best to reach the viewpoint in the early morning before the clouds roll in. The peaks that you see are Le Gros Morne (2,991m) and Piton-des-Nieges (3,069m). The villages below are Roche Plate, La Nouvelle and Ilet des Orangers, whose combined inhabitants number some 600. It is a mind-boggling sight – a miniature world of isolated communities cupped in a deep crater, untainted by electricity pylons, roads and large buildings. The development of Réunion has passed them by, except for an unreliable water supply that was laid on in 1982. Many of the residents have never seen a car – incredible when you think that just 12km away as the crow flies, people are sitting in a traffic jam on their way to the office.

Further north on the west coast is Le Port, Réunion’s main harbour, an uninspiring industrial town outside of which is the Nelson Mandela Stadium, where international sporting events are held. Tourists tend to pass through Le Port and La Possession on the way to St-Paul or St-Gilles. However, the coast road is impressive, wedged between sheer cliffs and the sea.

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Mauritius - St Paul

Mauritius - St Paul

Western Reunion

Mauritius - St Paul