la reunion, france, africa
Reunion – Europe’s Indian Ocean Outpost
wonderful hiking destinations
It’s a bit of a silly thing: you fly 12 hours south and you’re still in Europe. La Reunion has retained its status as a French colony. And so, as visitors, we also receive the amenities of a European Union. The currency is the euro, the telephone network is the French network and the communication works wonderfully in French. If you are powerful in French…
The Island
After a bumpy journey via Brussels and Paris, La Reunion welcomes us with … rain. This changes rapidly over the next few days and the warmth of the southern hemisphere can prevail. The island is of volcanic origin has a lot of mountain world to offer over two thousand meters. This ensures some pleasant cooling.
And the differences with the Cape Verde on the west side of the continent are quickly recognizable. Better infrastructure, far-right Western influences and a predominantly Western lifestyle lack the originality of the place. Only sometimes it flashes up, the “own”. When a kind of goulash is served at noon on Sunday. And after days you find out that this goulash was a kind of armadillo…
The Circles
In the heart of the island there are three hiking areas, which are designated by so-called hiking circles. Cirque de Cilaos, Cirque de Mafate and the rainy version, Cirque de Salazie. Within the circles one can only dodge by foot from one valley to the other. This makes the area car-free and pushes car traffic around the island in a huge round. And so changing the individual circles becomes a test of patience. Here, too, there is the European version of transport. Too many cars, too little space. And so entire cities on the edges of the island are in a permanent jam. Not to mention the parking possibilities.
Hikes
It is all the more relaxing if you can retreat to the interior of the island. Here, when the journey (by car) has worked, several peaks are waiting on storm. Countless kilometres of hiking trails, lush greenery and tamarind forests make the circles extremely attractive. In addition, a rough south coast also offers enough to see. Photographically, this can be summed up as a “formidable”.
You can find an impression of the fascinating landscapes of La Reunion here in the gallery.
