Réunion Island Cultural Tours: Top 5 Insightful Experiences

So, you’re thinking about Réunion Island? Good pick! It’s not just a pretty place; it has really amazing culture too, like, this combination of French, African, Indian, and Chinese influences that you almost have to witness firsthand to believe. Finding what to do can seem a little much with so many options, that is, so I’ve put together a list of what I think are the top 5 cultural tours you just can’t miss. These tours give you, like your regular touristy experiences, access to the authentic heart of the island, it is almost about its past, its present, and very special local traditions. Now, I did some diggin’ and found some choices to suit all interests and travel styles. Let’s get to it!

1. Creole Cooking Class & Market Tour

If you enjoy food, you almost have to go for this one! It usually starts with a visit to a local market. Like, I’m talking a spot that’s filled to the brim with colorful fruits, exciting spices, and all kinds of other local ingredients you’ve likely never even seen before. After you do a lap or two, learning more about the origins of the ingredients, the tour will usually shift to some cute little kitchen where a local chef shares tips and tricks on how to make delicious Creole cuisine, almost teaching some traditional dishes, such as rougail saucisse (that’s sausage stew) or cari poulet (chicken curry). Best of all, too, is that once the lesson is complete, you will, of course, sit down and taste what you’ve made!

Read our full review: Réunion Island Creole Cooking Full Review and Details

2. Exploring Saint-Denis: A Walk Through History

Saint-Denis, like the capital city, offers a different vibe, sort of with colonial architecture that provides more than just pretty views but also a lot about the history of the island. Anyway, that is what this walk touches on. A great local guide typically leads it, that, it will likely tell you loads of great stories, walking by key spots such as the State Garden, the Cathedrale of Saint-Denis and the charming old villas. In fact, the old buildings aren’t just there to look nice; they represent all eras of Réunion’s rich past, so too it’s almost what makes them truly special. Like I have already touched on, your tour guide should fill you in on some stories from the past, of course!

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3. The Saga du Rhum Distillery Tour

You probably thought I wasn’t going to mention the rum, like there’s no way I was missing out on this! The Saga du Rhum (that is, “Rum Saga”) provides not only tastings of Réunion’s really awesome local spirit but so too it’s almost more information about the history and method used to make it, too, in a super neat and interesting museum. So too it’s almost after you check out all of the exhibits, learning about the history and all that, you can taste various rums crafted onsite, I am talking aged, spiced, and flavored. You can sample away, or just keep an eye out for something interesting to take back home as a gift.

Read our full review: Réunion Island Rum Tour Full Review and Details

4. Exploring Le Maïdo & Cirque de Mafate

Here, you get a two-for-one deal: you experience jaw-dropping natural views coupled with historical understanding. So, too it’s almost the tour heads up to Le Maïdo, offering those classic viewpoints over Cirque de Mafate, that remote caldera only accessed by foot or helicopter. While looking at these beautiful sites, you will find out a thing or two regarding the history behind the runaway slaves (called “Marrons”), who were brave enough to make this isolated spot a secret hideout. Tours often will take guests through the local forests. I have to tell you that this tour usually packs tons of beauty alongside heaps of insights into the human history that really happened on Réunion.

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5. Vanilla Plantation Visit

You see, vanilla is a major deal on Réunion Island, so too it’s almost if you are able to do it, seeing a vanilla plantation would definitely be one of the most interesting parts of the visit. Very many tours can take visitors on journeys into working plantations to find out all the facts of vanilla agriculture, that’s including from the time that they pollinate plants, that’s the super-skilled manual step, to the curing phase, that is something requiring some expert skill to manage it right! You get to wander around the green gardens. Just remember to have your camera ready!

Read our full review: Réunion Island Vanilla Plantation Tour Full Review and Details