Reunion & Mayotte

A Morning at Saint-Gilles-les-Bains

When Tom from our BugBitten team pulled into the marina at Saint-Gilles-les-Bains for the first time, the boat still smelled of the overnight passage from Mauritius and his forearms ached from a night on the helm in lumpy cross-swell. Réunion does not ease you in. The island announces itself from twenty miles out as a dark, jagged shape rising improbably from the water — no gentle gradient, no welcoming shelf of beach visible from offshore. Just a volcanic wall, black and steep, with cloud snagging the summit like a flag. He tied off, sat on the dock with a baguette that a marina neighbour pressed on him without being asked, and looked back at the sea he had just crossed. That was about as good as it got, he said later. And then the island made him forget the sea entirely.

This two-territory sailing route — Réunion in the south, Mayotte some 1,400 kilometres to the north — is one of those passages that refuses to be summarised neatly. It is not a relaxed trade-wind milk run like Indian Ocean Crossing routes further east. It is not a flotilla circuit with tidy anchorages every twenty miles. It is a proper offshore commitment with two radically different destinations bracketing it, and it rewards sailors who come prepared rather than those who arrive expecting the Indian Ocean to behave itself.

What Makes This Route Worth Your Time

The short answer is contrast. Réunion and Mayotte occupy the same ocean but feel as though they were designed by different teams working to entirely opposite briefs.

Réunion is volcanic, uncompromising, and still very much alive in the geological sense. Piton de la Fournaise — one of the most active shield volcanoes on earth — erupts several times a year on average, and the lava flows that reach the coast have extended the island's southern shoreline in living memory. There is no barrier reef here, no lagoon, no sheltered anchorage that lets you forget you are on the open Indian Ocean. The swell wraps around the western coast and makes itself known. The marinas at Le Port and Saint-Gilles-les-Bains are functional, French, and do the job, but nobody is pretending this is the Caribbean.

Mayotte is the inversion of all that. A drowned volcanic caldera ringed by one of the world's largest barrier reefs, its lagoon is so improbably flat and turquoise that first-time arrivals have been known to stand at the bow in silence for an embarrassingly long time. The reef keeps the ocean out and the colour in. Inside, you are threading between mangrove channels, coral heads, and a handful of islets — called îlots — that look like they were dropped there by someone with a strong aesthetic agenda. The sailing is short-hop and exploratory; the anchoring is easy; the water is warm enough to get in without a wetsuit any time of year.

Together, the two territories offer an experience that very few sailing routes can match: genuine offshore challenge followed by genuinely sheltered cruising ground. You earn Mayotte's lagoon by getting there.

How the Area Feels

Réunion is thoroughly, unabashedly French — more so, in some ways, than metropolitan France. The boulangeries open early, the supermarkets stock a serious cheese selection, the wine is priced like Paris, and the bureaucracy, when you encounter it, operates entirely in French and at its own pace. The island's population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the French Republic, a legacy of its history as a sugar colony worked by people brought from Madagascar, India, East Africa, and elsewhere. The result is a food culture that is extraordinary even by French standards: a bowl of rougail saucisse in a small restaurant in Saint-Gilles will recalibrate your understanding of what a sausage stew can be.

Mayotte has a different texture altogether. The majority population is of Comorian origin, predominantly Muslim, and the island's Swahili-influenced culture gives it a character that is distinctly East African in flavour even as it operates under French law and uses the euro. The call to prayer drifts across Mamoudzou's waterfront in the evenings. The market near the ferry terminal sells spices, zebu meat, and fabric in colours that have no business being that vivid. French is the official language and widely spoken, but Shimaore — the local Bantu language — is what you hear in the street. Mayotte is France but it is also something else entirely, and that tension is part of what makes it interesting.

For those who want to explore the broader French Indian Ocean territories, the official Explore France (official) website provides a useful orientation to both islands' practical requirements, cultural context, and regional travel documentation.

What to Actually Do Here

On Réunion

The island's interior is its main event, and most sailors make at least one significant foray ashore. The cirques — Cilaos, Mafate, and Salazie — are ancient volcanic calderas now filled with dramatic walking country, villages accessible only on foot or by helicopter, and waterfalls that drop hundreds of metres into green gorges. Cilaos is the easiest to reach from the marina at Saint-Gilles and is famous for its lentils, its wine (yes, wine, from vines planted at altitude), and a network of walking trails that range from an afternoon stroll to a multi-day mountain traverse.

The western coast above Saint-Gilles has black sand beaches and surf breaks that draw French bodyboarders and shortboarders in serious numbers. The sea here is not safe for casual swimming — sharks are genuinely present in these waters and the island has had a sustained shark attack problem over the past fifteen years, which has led to strict bathing restrictions at most open beaches. Swimming within the protected areas of the lagoon pools (piscines naturelles) is the sensible option and the water is clear and shallow.

Diving around Réunion is rewarding but different from tropical reef diving. The walls are dramatic, the fish life is substantial, and the visibility varies considerably depending on recent swell and any volcanic activity runoff. It is not Mayotte's lagoon, but it has its own character.

On Mayotte

The lagoon is the reason you came and it will absorb as many days as you give it. The barrier reef has over a hundred passes, most of which are navigable by dinghy or tender, and the snorkelling on the inner reef flat is consistently excellent. Sea turtles are so common they become unremarkable within a few days, which is a sentence that deserves a moment's appreciation.

Humpback whales arrive in the lagoon between July and August to breed and calve. These are not distant spouts on the horizon; they are whales that come close to the boat and stay. Tom's notes from his visit in August describe a mother and calf surfacing alongside the hull at anchor — close enough to hear the exhale — and then sliding back under without urgency. It is the sort of thing that makes you put down your book and not pick it up again for a while.

Mamoudzou is worth a morning ashore for the market and the ferry crossing to Petite-Terre, where the prefecture is located and where the streets are narrow, the bougainvillea is rampant, and the pace is considerably lower than the main island. You can also explore more places in Indian Ocean beyond these two territories if you are planning a longer circuit through the region — the logistical thinking transfers well.

When to Go (and When Not To)

The window is May through October, full stop, and within that window the sweet spot is June through September. The southeast trade winds blow steadily at 15 to 25 knots during these months, the swell on the passage north is predictable and manageable, and the weather in Mayotte's lagoon is settled and clear.

July and August are peak whale season in Mayotte and are worth targeting specifically if that is a priority — and for most people who have done this passage, it becomes a priority after their first sighting.

May can be used for the southbound positioning if you are coming from elsewhere in the region, but the seas around Réunion in May still carry some of the Southern Ocean's winter energy and the island's western anchorages are noticeably rolly. June onwards the conditions smooth out.

Avoid November through April without significant qualification. This is cyclone season for the southwest Indian Ocean, and while Réunion has some storm infrastructure and Mayotte's lagoon offers a degree of shelter, neither is a sensible place to be riding out a tropical system on a yacht. The charter operators close up or significantly scale back operations, and for good reason. This is also the season when the northwest monsoon can make the passage between the two territories genuinely unpleasant. Those planning a longer Indian Ocean circuit — onwards to the Seychelles (Outer Islands), for example — should factor this seasonal timing into their broader itinerary planning, as the Seychelles passage windows align well with departing Mayotte in October.

How to Get There & Nearby Stops

Getting to Réunion: Roland Garros Airport in Saint-Denis is well connected to Paris (roughly ten hours), with Air France operating multiple weekly services. Connections from Australia go via Dubai, Singapore, or Paris depending on the routing. Shipping a yacht to Réunion is possible via the cargo port at Le Port; several operators run this service for boats coming out of the Red Sea or from South Africa.

Charter logistics: Bareboat charter in Réunion is limited. Le Port is the main hub and most arrangements are through skippered or crewed charter. The fleet is smaller than comparable French territory destinations and booking well ahead — several months minimum — is essential for the May to October peak. Mayotte's charter scene has grown around Mamoudzou over the past decade but remains boutique; expect fewer options and longer waiting lists than the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

Provisioning: Réunion is excellent — French supermarkets, fresh produce markets, and a decent marine chandlery at Le Port, though spares for specific equipment should be brought from home or sourced in mainland France before departure. Mayotte provisions adequately from the main market and a handful of supermarkets, but selection is narrower and supply chains can be unpredictable. Fuel is available at the main marina in Mamoudzou.

Passage planning: The overnight run from Saint-Gilles to Mayotte's Passe en S is typically 36 to 48 hours depending on conditions. Departing Saint-Gilles mid-afternoon puts you at the pass around first light, which is when you want to be there — coral navigation in the dark is not the plan. The pass is well-marked and manageable in settled conditions, but get a current chart and do not rely on older paper charts for the lagoon interior.

For those researching the broader archipelago context before arrival, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau provides useful background on French overseas territory documentation requirements that can save time at customs on both islands.

The Not-So-Good Bits

Be honest with yourself about a few things before you commit.

The shark risk at Réunion is real and affects the sailing experience more than most guides admit upfront. Swimming off the boat on the western coast is strongly discouraged and in some zones actively prohibited. If part of your plan involves daily swims off the stern, Réunion will frustrate you. The shark population in these waters is sizeable and the attacks in recent years have been serious. The lagoon piscines naturelles are safe and clearly signed, but they are the exception.

Réunion's anchorages are genuinely uncomfortable in any swell with southerly component, which is most of the sailing window. Le Port and Saint-Gilles are marinas, not anchorages, and marina fees are French-price. If you are budget sailing, this will sting.

The passage north to Mayotte is an open-ocean offshore leg, not an afternoon jaunt. 1,400 kilometres in trade-wind conditions is manageable but not trivial, and the swell on the beam for much of the run can be tiring. Anyone prone to seasickness should have their pharmaceutical strategy sorted before departure.

Mayotte's infrastructure is under strain. The island is France's poorest department and has experienced significant social pressure from migration in recent years. Provisions and services that were available on one visit may not be on the next. Go with flexibility and patience built into your expectations.

Final Word From the BugBitten Team

This is not a route for sailors who want everything arranged and predictable. The marinas are functional rather than luxurious, the passage is long, the shark situation at Réunion is a genuine constraint on the experience, and Mayotte's logistics require patience and adaptability. All of that is true.

It is also true that threading Passe en S at first light with the lagoon opening up in front of you in the low morning sun is one of the better things a sailor can do with a week in the Indian Ocean. That a humpback whale might choose to investigate your boat at anchor in August while the outlines of mangrove-lined îlots are visible across the water. That the rougail at a plastic-tabled restaurant in Saint-Gilles will be better than most things you have eaten in a long time. That two French territories in the same ocean can feel so entirely unlike each other that the passage between them is itself part of the experience rather than just the travel between destinations.

The BugBitten team's position: come in July, come prepared, come with a reasonable tolerance for the unexpected, and leave longer than you think you need. Réunion and Mayotte will use the time.