If you were to picture a French village right now, what would you think of? (Go on, right now, I dare ya!) Winding cobblestone alleyways, bunches of lavender and the odd medieval church are probably what springs to mind. It makes sense, after all. But one of the villages on the list of ‘most beautiful French villages‘ isn’t even technically located in France itself, and doesn’t look anything like the stereotypical Beauty-and-the-Beast kind of location which your brain might conjure up at first. This, my friends, is the village of Hell-Bourg- at the top of a mountain in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
On a little island called Réunion. Or Ile de la Réunion, if ya wanna get French about it.
If you haven’t heard of Réunion before- that’s ok! I don’t blame you! As a French Overseas Territory, the majority of visitors to Réunion are French nationals; if I hadn’t have been lucky enough to work on a ship which docked regularly on the island, I would still be blissfully ignorant to its very existence.
I am SO VERY GLAD to have made its acquaintance.
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A brief history of Hell-Bourg
What’s in a name!? The quaint village of Hell-Bourg- in the Salazie region- doesn’t take its name from the fiery pits of hell. Although that would be exciting wouldn’t it? In actual fact it’s named after a former governor: Amiral de Hell.
Locals and slaves had known about the existence of a hot spring in the mountains of Salazie for a while, but it was when European settlers got to know about it in 1830 that things really kicked off. Eager to cash in on this paradise location, a hotel was built near the spring, and the village of Hell-Bourg sprang up around it.
If you’re up for an incredible Réunion mountain-hike: Hiking Cap Noir, Réunion
Although Hell-Bourg was rather tricky to reach- it is 1344m above sea level, after all- news of the healing waters of the spa town spread far and wide. European settlers suffered from all kinds of tropical maladies, and the waters of Hell-Bourg were recommended to just about anyone suffering with anything. Not only did people come from as far away as the main land of Africa, but Réunion plantation owners came to Hell-Bourg for holidays. Several of these plantation owners and other rich fancy-folk built lavish creole-style villas along the well-to-do streets of Hell-Bourg.
Ooh la la.
Then all of a sudden in 1920, the thermal water just stopped being so thermal. Which is pretty awkward when the popularity of Hell-Bourg depended on it. The people of Hell-Bourg attempted to heat it artificially, but all that boiling messed with the quality of the water. Understandably, the spa town lost its appeal.
Finally in 1948, a cyclone/landslide situation fully destroyed the entire spa (and the local casino- two birds with one stone), and that was the nail in the coffin for Hell-Bourg’s healing waters.
Driving to Hell-Bourg
The drive from Le Port to Hell-Bourg was, to put it bluntly, incredible.
Up until then we’d only seen the industrial exterior of Réunion. The volcanic mountains had seemed almost unattainable for a long old time, like the backdrop of the sky in the Truman Show- always present but possibly not real. Finally, driving into them was awe-inspiring.
The only utterances from the four of us, for at least forty minutes of the drive, was- “Oh my god!!” “Look at that!”
“WOAH.”
Thick tropical forest covered the mountains rising to either side of us, with liquid silver threads of water trickling down from the top here and there. Giant leaves and vivid flowers were woven into the mountainside with thick vines looping back and forth. Around every bend in the road was a new surprise. As we skirted along the sides of a deep ravine filled with trees, mountains as far along the road either side as you could see, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a pterodactyl soaring past. Round another sweeping curve, water cascaded over the car from a waterfall which half-splashed on to the tarmac.
Guys. It was ridiculous. I could hardly believe my actual eyeballs.
Hiking paths galore
After a quick mistaken detour (which led steeply up a dirt-track until we realised we were no longer near any form of civilisation), Justin successfully got the car all the way to a viewpoint overlooking the village. I say successfully, because the road is so incredibly steep that there were some seriously hairy moments.
Seriously. So hairy.
These days a lot of people visit Hell-Bourg to hike, and from Point de Vu, we could see why. The colourful rooftops of the village are surrounded on every side with the stunning mountains of Salazie. The dappled shadows of clouds skated across the landscape, managing to bring some texture to the dazzling sunlight. Les Trois Cascades hike is an easy route for people wanting something more relaxed, or alternatively you can go all out with a four hour hike to Piton d’Ainchang and back.
Exporing the village
Hell-Bourg feels completely isolated from the rest of Réunion, and aside from on the Main Street we barely saw another soul. The air all the way up here is a lot cooler than down in Le Port, and tufts of cloud skimmed across the mountains around us, occasionally getting caught for a moment like wool caught on a fence.
Brightly-painted houses with corrugated tin fences line the streets, and every now and again a dog or a cat or a stray chicken would wander out from round a corner, clucking or barking madly. Or in the case of the cat, just staring into space. You know what cats are like. Gossamer spiders webs connected street lamps, trees and the corners of houses. And in this part of the world, these spiders are a sight to behold- most of them were bigger than my hand. I’m not exactly a fan of spiders but I couldn’t help but stop and stare at the sheer monstrous size of them.
Exploring another French island: Is This the Garden of Eden?
The soundtrack was silence, speckled with the song of a brightly coloured bird every now and again. As we passed a wooden creole cottage we could hear the sound of a waterfall not far away and decided to follow our ears to the source. Just a casual massive waterfall in the middle of a village, no biggie.
The waterfall wasn’t sign-posted because I s’pose stunning tropical waterfalls can be found wherever you turn around here. No need to make a big deal out of it.
Nearby, someone was busy cooking some kind of delicious Creole treat inside their house. The smells wafting out of that window were downright incredible.
Our senses were basically being bombarded with treats from all directions. MENTAL.
Things to do in Hell-Bourg
On the Main Street of Hell-Bourg, a few more visitors were mingling. I’ve got a feeling it was because a group tour was on the scene; it quietened down quickly.
Along this central road are a handful of gift shops and restaurants housed in pastel-coloured buildings, and more pretty Creole houses. Kind of like a tropical mountain fairytale village, if you will. A little wooden shop, painted turquoise, had its shutters open and bowls of local produce on display. As well as tropical fruits I recognised like passion fruit and papaya, a mysterious green thing called a chou chou sat in one of the bowls. These are grown in their masses around Hell-Bourg, and are consumed all over the island.
Naturally it became our quest to consume a chou chou, on the double. That’s just what you’ve gotta do when you’re somewhere new and intriguing, isn’t it?
More Indian Ocean escapades: Hiking Le Morne, Mauritius
Maison Folio, a 19th century Creole mansion, sits in a beautiful garden filled with tropical plants galore. We could see the garden from the street, and hearing that the owner herself- good old 93 year old Mme. Folio- is often around, we were very much up for checking it out. Alas, pals. We got there a couple of hours late, as Maison Folio is only open in the mornings.
The Musee des Musiques et Instruments de L’ocean Indien is a museum which does exactly what it says on the tin. This little museum houses an extensive collection of instruments from across the Indian Ocean- from Africa to the Middle-East and Asia.
In front of the town hall is a little public garden crammed to the corners with incredible tropical flowers and ferns- which makes quite a surreal spot overshadowed by mountains and clouds. A statue of a lady- L’Âme de la France- stands triumphantly in front of the building, probably glad to be finally stood in one piece. When she first arrived in the commune of Salazie, the local priest took almighty objection to her toplessness and ordered her to be torn down on the double, but the only thing which worked to topple the topless lass was dynamite. She was kept in pieces behind a hair salon until she could be stuck back together again.
She’s like the OG Humpty Dumpty, for goodness’ sake.
In terms of official ‘activities’ in Hell-Bourg, these are few and far between. But you don’t really need any round these parts, the place is so blooming’ STUNNING. Hell-Bourg is the ideal spot for either using as a base to explore the mountains and rainforests, or for just exploring in your own time and soaking in the atmosphere.
Where to eat in Hell-Bourg
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from along the Main Street, but there are no fancy-schmancy places to be found here, pals! The little collection of cafes and restaurants have hand-drawn signs and home cooked meals with mouthwatering Creole spices drifting out into the atmosphere.
We went for Chez Alice, and sat at a table outside, where cats slunk around the outskirts mewing for scraps. Although it’s technically a French territory, and there are some clear French influences here and there, Réunionnaise food is unique- and heavy.
We got chou chou aux gratin- and discovered that cooked chou chou is a bit like marrow- and some kind of blood sausage typical to Réunion. I won’t beat around the bush here pals, blood sausage is not my kinda dish, but I gave it a go in the spirit of trying new things. Carry chicken with rice was our main meal- which was deliciously spicy and sticky. But by then I’d had a mild fainting fit (happens sometimes. So awkward when you’re in the middle of a restaurant up a mountain) and was struggling to continue.
But: NEVER FEAR!! I was fine in time for pudding.
Banana flambé.
A more ‘French’ French village: Wine Tasting and Tall Towers in Saint-Émilion
Hell-Bourg is an all-round dazzling location, and although it’s not a quintessentially ‘French’ village, I can understand why it’s included on the list of France’s most beautiful villages. This quaint and surreal little spot is a must-see on the island of Réunion.
Don’t forget to sign up, for more off-the-beaten path locations like Hell-Bourg…
LOGISTICAL STATISTICALS
- Like pretty much everywhere you go in France, English will not get you far. So beware- if you’re expecting English-speakers, they are few and far between. Particularly in this isolated village.
- Currency in Réunion is euros. There is only one ATM in Hell-Bourg, so it would be very wise to stock up on physical cash before you arrive. Just in case.
- Driving is definitely the best way to get to Hell-Bourg. BUT there is a bus service on Réunion, providing a route running through the village.
- The best thing to do in Réunion is, without a doubt, to explore its abundance of nature. However, if you’re wanting to visit an actual official ‘attraction,’ it’s definitely worth double checking the opening times in advance.
Such an interesting post! I’ve never heard of Réunion before, looks absolutely gorgeous (apart from the spiders 😂)
Thanks for reading! Yes it’s an incredible island although I could definitely do without the spiders too!
I have never heard about Réunion but it seems so interesting. The photos from Hell Bourg are also amazing and make me want to visit the place!