To discover Reunion Island, renting a vehicle can quickly become a must with well maintained road infrastructures. Reunion Island has a network of 5 main roads going all around the island and across the plateaus from St. Benoît to St. Pierre as well as the road to Cilaos. The country road network is fairly dense in the less mountainous areas. The steep topography and the cyclonic swell are constraints. The "route nationale 2" (the "lava road") is regularly cut by lava flows from the volcano Piton de la Fournaise.
In 2009, a new highway, "la route des Tamarins", was inaugurated in the west of the island, linking St. Paul to Etang Salé. It has become very interesting to consider renting a vehicle in Reunion to discover places at one's own pace.
The car rental in Reunion island is certainly the most convenient way to visit the island. You can access all the interesting sights by the road network of the island. All roads are paved over, so no need to rent a 4x4 to get around, except for the pleasure of driving on some dirt roads of Reunion island.
Visit our section Car rental
Four-wheel-driving fans will find information on the page Off-road renters in Reunion island
A significant number of vehicles travel on roads that can be very busy at peak hours (7:00/9:00-16:00/18:00), especially on the coast (RN1 and RN2), causing some traffic jams like around St Denis and St Joseph. That's why it is better to check with locals before undertaking a long journey in a rental car !
Also visit the Departmental Public Works Directorate's website to get the traffic situation online in Reunion island
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