Saint-Gilles is a village located along the west coast of the island of

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

, in the commune of Saint-Paul. It is the site of the island's most popular

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

Beaches

Boucan and Roches Noires are popular surfing spots. Hermitage Beach is protected by a

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...

and is part of the protected area of the marine park of Réunion.

other attractions

* the Casino of Saint-Gilles * The ''Garden of Eden'' - a botanical garden * the sea

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

inside of the port of Saint-Gilles * the waterfalls of Saint-Gilles river at Bassin Cormorans and Aigrettes *

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. ...

targeting especially for

Humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

s, organized by the OMAR (Observatoire Marin de la Réunion) and Globice (Groupe local d'observation et d'identification des cétacés) * the ''Grand Boucan'' - a carnival-like popular party that takes place in June.Grand Boucan 2011
/ref> * Grotte de l’Autel, a cave discovered in 1980. Known for its subfossil remains of extinct birds. File:Saint-Gilles port.jpg, Port of Saint-Gilles File:CoucheSoleilSaintGilles.jpeg, Sunset at Roches Noires Beach File:L'Ermitage beach, Réunion.jpg, Beach of Hermitage File:Boucan.Canot-plage.jpg, Beach of Boucan File:St.Gillles-bassin.aigrettes.JPG, Waterfall at Bassin Aigrettes File:984-Baleines St Gilles le 250911 HD11 copyright.jpg File:Baleine Hotel 01.jpg File:Humpback whale 2009-11-25.jpg File:Michaël Rard.jpg

External links

References

Populated places in Réunion Surfing locations in Réunion {{Reunion-geo-stub