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Panorama of Boucan Canot beach seen from Cap Homard"Panorama - Cap Boucan Canot vue du cap Homard" by Dval027, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Country

Réunion

Réunion runs two seasons and two coasts: the dry west side around Saint-Gilles and Saint-Leu rides the ESE-SE trade winds from May through November, with Trou d'Eau's lagoon at La Saline-les-Bains giving flat water while Saint-Leu's La Gauche and Pointe au Sel deliver selective reef waves for experienced riders.

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Saint-Pierre, further south, adds La Gendarmerie and La Ravine Blanche, mixing a tight lagoon with open-ocean wave access. Boucan Canot is the exception, working the opposite austral-summer months of December to March. Of the island's seven spots, most reward confident, wave-comfortable riders rather than beginners.

SeasonMay to Marchsomewhere in the country
How we count
Places
1 town and 1 single spot
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan31
  2. Feb9
  3. Mar10
  4. Apr, no figure—
  5. May5
  6. Jun17
  7. Jul8
  8. Aug6
  9. Sep2
  10. Oct29
  11. Nov18
  12. Dec13

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Saint-Gilles / West Coast, 31% of days in January, from the Boucan Canot series.

No place here is in season in April, so those months carry no figure rather than a zero.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Saint-Gilles / West Coast6 spots · 2 schools · May to Marchlagoon waves advanced quiet mid to high

Standalone spots

Single spots with no town of their own

La Gendarmerie, Saint-Pierre1 spot · May to Novemberadvanced

Destinations

All 2 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

Saint-Gilles / West CoastLa Gendarmerie, Saint-Pierre

Visa & entry

EU passportFree entry as Réunion is an overseas department/region of France and part of the EU; EU citizens can travel with just a national ID card, no stay limit. Important nuance: Réunion is EU territory but NOT part of the Schengen Area (see contradictions).
US passportVisa-free entry for up to 90 days under France's overseas-territory visa-waiver regime, a legally separate regime from the mainland Schengen waiver, though the practical effect for most visa-exempt nationalities is similar. Unconfirmed for US passports specifically.
UK passportNo visa needed for visits up to 90 days for tourism or business; passport must be valid 3+ months beyond planned departure. Longer stays, work or study require applying through the French visa system (2026).
Tax residency daysStandard French tax-residency concepts apply broadly (commonly 183 days), but Réunion has its own overseas fiscal specifics, unconfirmed.
NotesIMPORTANT NUANCE: Réunion is an EU outermost region but sits OUTSIDE the Schengen Area. A Schengen visa alone does not automatically guarantee entry to Réunion for non-EU/non-visa-exempt nationals - a separate French overseas-territory ('DOM') visa may be required for nationalities that are not visa-exempt.For EU, US and UK passports the practical outcome is visa-free entry, but this should be confirmed at a French consulate for any other nationality.

Money

CurrencyEuro (EUR)
Card acceptanceGood in the main towns (Saint-Denis, Saint-Gilles-les-Bains); rural and smaller surf and kite spots reportedly lean more cash-based.
Paying by phoneFrance-wide apps like Lydia and Paylib exist but typically require a French bank account; usability for foreign tourists is unclear.
TippingNot obligatory (French service-compris custom); rounding up is appreciated, not expected.
Cash tipsSmall cash tips are welcomed for kite instructors and informal services.

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • Orange Réunion
  • SFR Réunion
  • Free Réunion
  • Zeop
eSIM optionsOrange/SFR local eSIMs; note that some international eSIM brands' 'France' plans exclude French overseas departments (DOM) like Réunion.
ID needed for a SIMYes - ID required to register a French SIM (standard French/EU requirement).

Insurance

Is kiting covered?Yes: kitesurfing is typically excluded from generic travel policies as an extreme or hazardous sport, so take specialist watersports cover.
RecommendedSpecialist kite/watersports travel insurance.
Healthcare and evacuationFor EU/UK visitors, GHIC/EHIC covers medically necessary state healthcare in Réunion since it is French/EU territory, but does not cover private care or repatriation; separate travel insurance is recommended.

Health

VaccinesNone routinely mandatory; check national travel health advice or your consulate 8 weeks before travel.
Mosquito-borne diseasesChikungunya and dengue are both present health risks; mosquito activity is typically higher in the hot, rainy season (roughly December-April).
Tap waterAssumed safe in the main developed areas, given French infrastructure standards.
Emergency numbers112 (gov.uk).
Hospital standardGood, with emergency services available.
Pharmacy notesFrench pharmacy system, widely available in main towns.

Driving

International driving permitFrench driving rules apply; check with local authorities or car-hire companies whether an IDP is required in addition to a home licence, since there is no firm yes or no.
Road safetyFrench road standards on the coast; the mountainous volcanic interior roads are reportedly harder work.
4x4 contextsUseful for interior roads toward Piton de la Fournaise volcano; not required for coastal kite access at Saint-Gilles - general inference.
Police stopsStandard French policing and seatbelt-law enforcement.

Regulation

Drone rulesFrench/EU EASA drone rules apply: registration required for drones ≥250g or with a camera; Réunion's protected interior (Réunion National Park, UNESCO) likely carries additional drone restrictions, though that is unclear.
Protected areasThe Réserve Naturelle Marine de La Réunion covers a long stretch of the west coast reef, including Saint-Gilles, with rules protecting the coral and regulating water-based activity; the detail is unconfirmed.
OtherSHARK RISK is the dominant water-safety and regulatory issue for Réunion: the UK government's travel advice warns that there have been shark attacks in Réunion, and that visitors should follow advice from local authorities or their tour operator about which beaches are safe.Since 2011 there have been long-standing restrictions and bans on surfing and open-water swimming in many spots outside reef-protected lagoons, which is why kiting on the island concentrates in the reef-protected Saint-Gilles lagoon area; the exact current ban boundaries are unclear.

Calendar & costs

Holidays that move prices
  • French national holidays
  • Abolition of Slavery Day (Fête Kaf), 20 December - major local holiday
  • French mainland Zone A/B/C school holiday rotations influence visitor volume, though Réunion's own DOM academic calendar differs from mainland France
School holidaysRéunion's school calendar, shaped by the southern-hemisphere seasons, differs from mainland France's zones; the current dates are not published.
CurrencyEURSee Money

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Réunion

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Réunion:Air Austral / Air France (Réunion routes)

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Where records disagree

  • Réunion is legally part of the EU (as a French overseas department) but is explicitly OUTSIDE the Schengen Area - a fact frequently glossed over in casual travel advice, which often assumes 'EU/French territory' automatically means standard Schengen 90/180 rules apply. For the passport types checked this session (EU/US/UK) the practical visa-free outcome is the same, but the underlying legal basis differs and should be re-checked for any other nationality.

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 5 open questions
  • What do a beer, a meal, a coffee and rent cost on Réunion in 2026?
  • Do international eSIM France plans cover Réunion?
  • Where exactly do the shark-ban boundaries and marine reserve rules run at Saint-Gilles?
  • Do non-EU licence holders need an IDP on Réunion?
  • What do Air Austral and Air France charge for a kite bag?

Last updated September 2026