The most fundamental and most often broken rule. Whatever you bring, you take back with you. No waste left behind, even in an overflowing public bin. The zero-waste rule also applies to cigarette butts, bottle caps and food packaging.

Réunion’s rivers, natural pools and lagoons are fragile ecosystems. Conventional chemical products destroy corals, kill fish and pollute groundwater.

Night-time silence is a fundamental mark of respect, both for other campers and for local wildlife (endemic birds, petrels that nest at altitude at night). Music and loud conversations before 10pm only. Generators are strictly forbidden on free camping spots.

Wild fires are strictly forbidden in Réunion. The island has suffered devastating wildfires that destroyed thousands of hectares of endemic vegetation. Fire risk is particularly high in the dry season (May to November).

Réunion is home to hundreds of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. Picking plants, capturing animals and destroying vegetation are forbidden in the National Park and very severely punished.

Don’t pick flowers, don’t approach bird nests, observe sea turtles from a distance, don’t capture endemic lizards or insects, and don’t walk off marked trails in the National Park.

Your van weighs between 2 and 3 tonnes. On soft or vegetated ground, it can irreversibly damage vegetation and compact the soil. In Réunion, some habitats are extremely fragile — high-altitude wetlands, vegetated lava formations, cirque meadows.

In Réunion, there’s no grey-water collection system. Dishwashing and shower water flows into nature — which makes the use of 100% biodegradable products absolutely essential. Stay at least 50 metres from any waterway before washing yourself or doing the dishes.

Switch off your headlights as soon as you’re parked. Use a red headlamp rather than white for moving around at night (less aggressive for wildlife). Réunion has one of the most beautiful starry skies in the southern hemisphere — enjoy it!

Réunion is an island with a rich and unique Creole culture. Its people are warm and welcoming — but expect in return a sincere respect for their way of life, their land and their traditions. Always greet the locals, ask permission before parking near private property, and take an interest in Creole cuisine and local markets.

This is the ultimate principle of responsible camping, adopted by the global vanlife community under the name “Leave No Trace”. In Réunion, we go even further: leave the place better than you found it. If you see waste left by others, pick it up. Report degraded spots on Park4night. Share these rules with the van travellers you meet.