Réunion
Réunion in May
🌦️ Shoulder (showers)Warm, a little humid and some showers.
🎒 Pack: sunglasses & hat
Why May scores 9.2What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort8.6
- ✓Warm (28°C highs / 21°C lows)
- !Humid (dew point 18.6°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~96 mm rain)
- Air quality10.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~5 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline8.5
- ·Normal precautions
| May | Jul | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.2 Excellent | 9.6 Excellent |
| Season | 🌦️ Shoulder (showers) | ☀️ Dry season |
| High / low | 28° / 21° | 25° / 18° |
| Rain | 96 mm | 51 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 19° | dew pt 16° |
| PM2.5 | 5 µg/m³ | 7 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Saint-Denis weather-station normals. Rainfall: Saint-Denis weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Pentecost Monday 15–17 May · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Labor Day (1 May) · Ascension Day (6 May) · Victory Day (8 May)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore RéunionEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyRéunion is a volcanic French island in the Indian Ocean, with Saint-Denis as its capital. Visitors come for dramatic hiking in the cirques, an active volcano, and a rich Creole culture mixing African, Indian, Chinese and French influences.
No major events on our calendar for May.
Coming up later
Bastille DayEvery year14 July every year
France's national day, with parades and fireworks.
Why go: A public holiday with evening fireworks in many towns.
Where: Island-wide
Grand Raid (Diagonale des Fous)Date variesUsually October (dates vary)
A famous ultra-trail race crossing the island's mountains.
Why go: Accommodation and some trails get busy; check for trail closures.
Where: Across the island, finishing in Saint-Denis
DipavaliDate variesUsually October or November (follows the Hindu calendar)
The Tamil festival of lights, with parades and illuminations.
Why go: Saint-André's parade is a colourful public event worth planning around.
Where: Mainly Saint-André
Piton de la Fournaise
One of the world's most active volcanoes, with a lunar landscape and a hiking trail to the crater rim.
💡 Start very early before clouds roll in, and check whether access is open, as it closes during eruptions.
Cirque de Mafate
A remote volcanic amphitheatre reachable only on foot or by helicopter, with small hamlets and multi-day hikes.
💡 Book gîte accommodation well ahead and carry enough water.
Cirque de Cilaos
A mountain cirque known for thermal springs, lentils and wine, reached by a famously winding road.
💡 The road has hundreds of bends; take motion sickness precautions.
Cirque de Salazie and Hell-Bourg
The greenest cirque, full of waterfalls, with the Creole village of Hell-Bourg and its colourful houses.
Piton des Neiges
The highest point in the Indian Ocean, climbed overnight to see sunrise from the summit.
💡 Bring warm layers; it can be near freezing at the top.
Cari
The island's everyday curry of chicken, fish or pork cooked with tomato, onion, turmeric and spices, served with rice and beans.
💡 Creole restaurants and roadside snack bars.
Rougail saucisse
Smoked sausages simmered in a spicy tomato sauce.
💡 Family restaurants and take-away shops.
Samoussas and bouchons
Fried triangle pastries and steamed dumplings, popular snacks from Indian and Chinese traditions.
💡 Snack bars and markets across the island.
Rhum arrangé
Rum infused with fruit, vanilla or spices.
💡 Restaurants and bars, often served after meals.
Bourbon vanilla
Fragrant vanilla pods from the island where hand pollination of vanilla was pioneered.
💡 Markets and vanilla plantations in the east of the island.
Rhum arrangé
Bottles of flavoured rum in many fruit and spice varieties.
💡 Markets, supermarkets and gift shops.
Spice mixes
Local curry powders and massalé spice blends.
💡 Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul markets.