Reunion is so sheer and lush, it looks as if it has risen dripping wet from the deep blue sea-which it effectively has, being he tip of a massive submerged prehistoric volcano. The island is run as an overseas department of France, making it one of the last colonial possessions in the world. French culture dominates every facet of life, from the coffee and croissant in the morning to the bottle of Evian and the carafe of red wine at the dinner table. However, the French atmosphere of the island has a firmly tropical twist, with subtle traces of lndian, African and even Chinese cultures.

May and June

Hiking the three extraordinary cirques, the active Piton de la Fournaise volcano, and Piton des Neiges-Reunion’s highest peak Soaking up the breathtaking and varied scenery, from austere mountains to intriguing amphitheatres Mixing in with the colourful cultural pot a la Reunionnais of Creoles, Europeans, lndians and Chinese Feasting on the delicious diversity of food, from traditional Creole curries to haute cuisine francaise Strolling down Le Barachois, a seafront park lined with cannons and cafes

Read Catherine Lavaux’s La reunion:” Du Battant des Lames au Sommet des Montagnes

Listen to Compagnie Creole, a Caribbean group originally from reunion but now based in Paris

Eat carri poulpe (octopus curry) and, if you want to spice up your meal, add some rougaile (a spicy tomato, ginger and vegetable chutney)

Drink rhum arrange (a mixture of rum, fruit juice, cane syrup and a blend of herbs and berries) or a bottle French red wine

Bonjour (hello)

Volcanoes; trekking; lush forests; bad beaches; fantastic food; French colony

Early settlers developed a taste for the apical bud of the palmiste palm (unfortunately once the bud is removed, the palm dies); the Plaine-des-Palmistes, a green plateau filled with flowers, was stripped bare in a few generations; there are still people searchring for the treasure of pirate Olivier Levasseur (or ‘La Buse’-the Buzzard) in Mauritius, the Seychelles and Reunion

ln keeping with the French love of perfume, Reunion has long been the garden of the great fragrance houses of Paris. The mainstays of the essential-oil business are geranium, vetiver and the evocative ylang-ylang, which you can often smell in the night air all over the island.