Rodrigues, Mauritius & Reunion - Mascarene Magic

Drive in your hire car to scenic Cirque de Salazie, the most tropical of Reunion's scenically impressive natural amphitheatres.

Stay for two nights in the comfortable Sarana Hotel & Spa, with dinner and breakfast included.

Depart after breakfast on a drive southwards over the island to the coastal city of St-Pierre, where you stay overnight at Exsel Victoria Hotel, with dinner and breakfast included.

On the way, you could visit Pas de Bellecombe and do the (demanding) walk into the crater of Piton de la Fournaise.

We position you in St-Pierre for a night as there's a helicopter pad from where, in the following morning, wonderful helicopter excursions can be arranged. (Please book well in advance).

Wake up early for one of the trip's most memorable highlights; drive to the helipad and check in for your 55-minute helicopter excursion over Reunion.

Seeing the island in this way is a thrilling experience, allowing you to truly appreciate the incredibly rugged topography and many of its major geological features. These include the active Piton-de-la-Fournaise volcano, the Indian Ocean's highest mountain - Piton des Neiges - and the remote Cirque de Mafate. As the latter is not accessible by road, the residents of its remote mountain hamlets depend on having medical supplies dropped by helicopter every so often.

After your helicopter flip, drive back inland to the largest of the three Cirques, Cirque de Cilaos, where you enjoy a two-night stay at one of our perennial favourite properties - Le Vieux Cep - with dinner and breakfast included.

Drive down the famed, winding mountain pass (with its 200 hairpin bends) from Cilaos town to the coastal N1 Highway. Continue to Roland Garros Airport to return the keys of your hire car and check in for the afternoon Air Mauritius flight to Rodrigues. (The flight may go via Mauritius).

On arrival into Rodrigues, you'll be met by a representative and transferred by private car to C Rodrigues Mourouk Hotel to stay three nights in a Prestige Garden-View Room, with dinner and breakfast included.

This afternoon, take one of the daily Air Mauritius flights (90 minutes in duration) back to Mauritius, where you'll be met on arrival and transferred to Tamassa Hotel* for a three-night stay, with breakfast included.

*Please note that there's a number of hotels which we work with in Mauritius. So, if you prefer other properties, we'll be happy to quote accordingly.

Enjoy rest and relaxation time in Mauritius. Or, go exploring. We include a visit to the delightful offshore reserve island of Île aux Aigrettes during one of your mornings here.

Île aux Aigrettes excursions:

You'll be transferred from your hotel to Pointe Jérôme, from where the boat to the island takes about ten minutes (the excursion lasts about an hour-and-a-half, with an additional ten minutes each way for the boat crossing). Then you'll be able to explore with an expert local guide, observing endemic plants, rare birds and reptiles. Some of them are seriously threatened, such as pink pigeon, Mauritius kestrel, Mauritius fody and Mauritius olive white-eye.

Visit the native plant nursery, where - aside from endemic birds - you can see endangered skinks and, of course, the giant tortoises. Visiting the island affords you the chance to enjoy scenic landscapes of southeast Mauritius and enjoy a glimpse of the early history of the island. Then you'll discover rare endemic trees that include boxwood, pipewood, ratwood and bottle palm. After exploring Île aux Aigrettes, return to Pointe Jérôme by motorboat.

You're then transferred back to your hotel.

Enjoy your last day in Mauritius. This evening, you'll be transferred by private car back to Mauritius Airport to check in for the overnight Air Mauritius flight back home.

Arrive back home into the UK after a wonderful holiday!