Sainte-Suzanne: "a modern town in the countryside"

Today identified as the city of waterfalls and ponds, Sainte-Suzanne is also known for being home to the only active lighthouse on the island. The image of the light beam appearing in the distance to guide ships is part of the collective imagination. Like all other lighthouses in the world, that of Sainte-Suzanne is equipped with a lens manufactured by Augustin Fresnel , polytechnician and engineer of the Bridges and Roads. In operation since 1846, it bears witness to Reunion’s distant maritime past.

At the time, when ships were trying, at night, to reach the harbor of Saint-Denis, the lighthouse pointed out to them the Marianne and Cousin reefs which are very feared around our coasts. This activity required the presence of a guard who slept on site. The presence of this light in the night was unfortunately not enough to prevent all the shipwrecks, the most impressive of which was that of the ADOUR , a postal courier which sank in 1913 in Bois-Rouge.

The Zelindor Center

In Sainte-Suzanne, traditions gain visibility thanks to a modern environment. The Zelindor Center is a perfect witness to this in the field of moringue. During the time of slavery, the black code prohibited slaves from beating, they invented moringue, a style of combat combining percussion and martial techniques, so that the masters saw it as nothing more than a tribal dance. Today, moringue (and boxing) practitioners have a modern site adapted to their ancestral practice.

For the “country” side, there’s no need to put on your boots! All the waterfalls and pools in the town have access by car! French Quarter workers can access the Cascade Délices in 5 minutes , which is so soothing for their lunch break. During their crossing of the town of Sainte-Suzanne, busy tourists will give 5 minutes of their time for their “souvenir photo” of the famous Niagara Falls . As for Bassin Boeuf , in the Bagatelle district, it is visible from the top of the waterfall after only 5 minutes of walking. To go down and swim there, you will still have to make a little more effort... And to introduce yourself to canyoning, plan on a half-day full of sensations!
 

Piton Fougères
 

Finally, Sainte-Suzanne is overflowing with pride for having welcomed onto its land the young slave Edmond Albius , discoverer of the process of artificial fertilization of vanilla. After visiting La Vanilleraie, go to the stele erected in honor of this young man, at the Bocage, to pay homage to him.