Saint-Pierre is exposed to the sea and the mountain alike. The harbour and beach make the town a genuine seaside resort. South of the town, the visitor will find a beautiful wild coast and other beaches at Grand Anse and Manapany. Mountain slopes are gentler than in Saint-Denis and rise less abruptly towards the lush inland countryside of Le Tampon, Entre-Deux and the hills of Petite-Ile.

The greatest attractions of the South are its wild coast (from Grand Bois to Le Tremblet) and its forests (Saint-Philippe, Mare Longue, Basse Vallée). The scenery in the Heights is splendid, from the flowery slopes of Le Tampon to Saint-Joseph's upper reaches. Petite Ile is a charming, peaceful and flowery district.

Its name derived from the fact that it faces the only (tiny) island off Reunion coast. Grande Anse is a wild beach, quite different from those of the west coast (follow the sign on the right hand-side just after Grand Bois from Saint-Pierre).

Saint-Joseph is an important agricultural district typical of traditional Reunion. At Saint-Philippe the whole coast is one enormous cliff battered by the sea. After the small town of Saint-Philippe, the National Road cuts through Grand Brûlé (Great Burnt Land), whose slopes have been scarred by successive lava flows since the dawn of time. The whole region has a strange atmosphere about it, due perhaps to the fact that no dwelling can be seen for about thirty kilometres.