General & Geography
According to abbreviationfinder, La Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean and, together with the neighboring Mauritius and Rodrigues, belongs to the Mascarene archipelago. Madagascar, the second largest island nation in the world, is located around 720 kilometers west of Réunion.
Politically, La Réunion is a so-called overseas department of France, the island is part of the European Union, the official currency is the euro.
Around 850,000 inhabitants are at home on almost 2500 square kilometers, the main town and economic center of Réunion is Saint-Denis in the north of the island.
La Réunion is of volcanic origin and is crossed by an imposing volcanic chain, which also includes the active Piton de la Fournaise and the island’s highest peak (Piton des Neiges) at 3,070 meters.
Due to its extraordinary natural beauty and spectacular landscapes, La Réunion is particularly popular with active holidaymakers. But in addition to fantastic hiking routes along crystal clear waterfalls through tropical rainforests, there are also paradisiacal sandy beaches and fantastic coral reefs on the island.
Climate on Reunion Island
La Réunion has a tropical climate with pronounced summer humidity, although there can be large regional differences. While the west side of the island has a rather dry steppe climate, the east coast of Réunion in particular is extremely humid and rainy.
There are no typical seasons, but in general they are exactly the opposite of the weather in Germany. Summer on Réunion is between November and the beginning of April, especially between January and March there can be very heavy rainfall. Then there is also the risk of cyclones.
Winter on Reunion Island is from May to August, whereby the temperatures of around 25 degrees during the day and night values of 17 to 18 degrees remain pleasantly mild. In addition, precipitation is very rare. The warmer dry season, which is considered the main season on La Réunion, then runs from September to the end of November.
When is the best time to travel to Reunion Island?
In general, Réunion can be visited all year round, but the summer months from mid- December to the end of March are associated with some restrictions. Sometimes torrential rains can make hiking trails and roads on the island impassable during this travel time, and the air is often muggy and hot.
From April the weather calms down quickly and offers mostly very pleasant conditions until the end of the year. For active vacationers, the entire period from April to mid-December is the best time to travel, while bathing vacationers and families prefer the main season in the travel time from mid-September to early December.
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Saint Denis (La Réunion)
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 30 ° C | 30 ° C | 29 ° C | 28 ° C | 27 ° C | 26 ° C | 25 ° C | 25 ° C | 25 ° C | 26 ° C | 27 ° C | 29 ° C |
| Night temperature | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 21 ° C | 20 ° C | 18 ° C | 17 ° C | 17 ° C | 18 ° C | 19 ° C | 20 ° C | 22 ° C |
| Water temperature | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 27 ° C | 26 ° C | 25 ° C | 24 ° C | 23 ° C | 23 ° C | 24 ° C | 25 ° C | 26 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 296 | 232 | 304 | 169 | 92 | 71 | 77 | 61 | 46 | 38 | 88 | 158 |
| Rainy days | 16 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| Hours of sunshine | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Sunrise | 5:50 | 6:10 | 6:20 | 6:30 | 6:40 | 6:50 | 6:55 | 6:40 | 6:15 | 5:45 | 5:30 | 5:30 |
| Sunset | 19:05 | 18:55 | 18:35 | 18:05 | 17:50 | 17:45 | 17:55 | 18:05 | 18:10 | 18:20 | 18:35 | 18:55 |
Temperatures
The average annual temperature in Saint Denis is 23.6 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is January (26.4 ° C), coldest month of August, with mean values of 20.9 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Saint Denis is 27 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 1632 mm on 125 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of January, February and March are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, around 832 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Saint Denis.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, January is the sunniest month with an average of 7.7 hours of sunshine per day. The average annual sunshine is 7.3 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Reunion Island weather in March, April and May
Daily temperatures averaging 27 to 29 ° C can be expected over the next three months. The temperatures hardly fluctuate during this time.
Do you want to go on a beach holiday? The water temperatures are in March, April and May 26-27 ° C. This is great weather for a great time on the beach and in the water.
You can expect around 14 days of rainfall in March, around 11 days in April and around 9 days in May.
In the period from March to May, the sun shines an average of 7 to 8 hours a day. The sunniest weather is in May in Saint Denis, but with a little less sun you will have to get along in March.
