Inspiring Islands #1 : Réunion - A hiker's paradise in the middle of nowhere

"Why do you have to travel so far to go hiking? Couldn't you guys just go to the Alps or something?"

That was the reaction of one of my family members after they heard our plan to travel to Réunion, an overseas department of France located in the Indian Ocean. They were wrong, Réunion is worth it and its trekking routes are totally different from the Alps. Let me show you why.

We went there in the off-season (June), which turned out to be a brilliant decision. The 11-hour flight from Paris to Saint-Denis, the island's capital, was unexpectedly enjoyable, as we were one of the few people on the plane. The French government operates this route, which means that they send large planes daily, even when there's no demand for them. In consequence, we spent the night lying on four empty seats that together served well as an improvised bed.

Réunion used to be a favorite spot for surfers, until sharks started to claim the territory around the island, attacking 20 people and killing 8 in last 6 years. This sparked a wave of safety measures restricting the swimming possibilities to lagoons and beaches with shark-proof nets installed. That being said, you can still have a great fun in the ocean, but if you want to spend your whole holiday on the beach, there are more suitable destinations (wait for the next post). If you're really scared of sharks you can still relax by the pool.

However, relaxing by the pool wasn't the reason for our trip, hiking was. We planned a 3-day trek around the Cirque de Mafate, a caldera of an extinct volcano located in the National Park of Réunion. First, we had to surmount an elevation of 1800m by car to get to the starting point of our trek, a parking lot under Col de Boeufs. There were no oxen though, just a thick morning fog. Luckily, after walking for just 20 minutes we arrived at the last place accessible by car and the sky cleared up.

The first leg of our trek amazed us with the wonderful nature. I have never seen mountains located in the tropical climate before and the views of the rock massifs were just breathtaking. Our aim was a small village called La Nouvelle that may not have any streets or paved paths but it has a cool bistro that offers a wide variety of traditional homemade rhum arrangé (http://bit.ly/2qho0R7). There are only two ways to get to La Nouvelle, either on foot or by a helicopter. You can still buy fresh baguettes in the morning in the village’s only boulangerie though.

On the second day, we haven’t met a single person during the journey, only a handful of rather oversized spiders and a pair of cats that somehow got there. It seemed like we had the whole world to ourselves. The highlight was Les Trois Roches, a superb place to enjoy a modest picnic and a refreshing leg bath in the mountain river. There was also a pit cave, but without barriers, so I tried not to go too close to it. This leg ended by a more difficult ascent to Marla (alt. 1630 m), during which I needed to use my hands to climb, so I couldn't really take pictures.

Marla is even smaller than La Nouvelle, there is nothing more than few guest houses, a snack bar run by a really cool guy and a tiny school with a football pitch. Despite that, it will stay in my heart forever. The tranquility of Marla is incomparable with any place I’ve ever been to. Although it did get quite cold when the sun went down, the sky was really dark and full of stars. So remote and so beautiful! I feel like I need to go back ever since.

The last leg of the trek was also the longest one, as we were ascending and descending in a quite difficult terrain. We needed to get to Cilaos before the dark would come, which was around 5:30 PM. Thankfully we avoided that, but at the end of the journey, we experienced our first rain on the island. That meant that the paths were slippery and it became quite hard to bypass people in the narrow sections.

Cilaos is the only actual town in the mountains of Réunion. We stayed there for two nights and relaxed a bit after the trek. Going to the lively Sunday market was definitely one of the highlights, as we got a chance to try a lot of local snacks and just enjoy the atmosphere. There was not many sights in the town itself, but the blue church looked really interesting. Other treks, for example to Piton de Neiges, the highest mountain on the island (alt. 3,096 m) , can be made from Cilaos as well.

Despite the remote location, the food was awesome every time. Afterall, Réunion is a part of France and French know how to cook and eat. The local creole cuisine is a mixture of many influences, notably Indian, Malagasy, Chinese and French. A typical meal would consist of a meat with sauce, island’s unique lentils, rice and piment, which is a dip based on local extremely hot chillies. In a guesthouse in Marla, they had piment mixed with avocado, which was really tasty. If you are a fan of fish and seafood like myself, you can make your dreams come true on the coast, where you can enjoy the freshest and most delicious tuna done in all imaginable ways.

Réunion became one of my favorite islands. The mountains are spectacular and incredibly peaceful. The people are very friendly and helpful. Yet, you can still feel a bit of that typical French charm. If you’re searching for a unique getaway in Africa, but with all the comfort and service of Europe, this inspiring island is what you need.

Have a nice day!