Coasts in Reunion

Coasts

Saint-Gilles-les-BainsThe seaside resort village with most of the island's hotels, Saint Gilles is found on the island's west coast. © Ed Scott - age fotostock

With a 128 mile long coast, Reunion should, logically, offer more swimming and diving possibilities than its neighbour Mauritius, which isn't as big. However, geology decided differently. With a volcano in the sea, the island displays very indented and often very narrow coastlines, which do not leave much space for beaches. The beaches that there are stretch over 18 miles and they are all in the west between Boucan-Canot and l'Etang-Salé-les-Bains. In Boucan-Canot, the sand is white, but the waves are not for inexperienced swimmers, likewise in l'Hermitage-les-Bains and Saline-les-Bains, south from Saint-Gilles-les-Bains. The black sand on L'Etang-Salé-les-Bains and on a part of Saint-Leu is of volcanic origin.