Hikers' Island

Reunion Island is renowned as a hiker's paradise, and I was able to confirm. The Piton de la Fournaise, this still-active volcano with its evocative name, is well known, but less the three volcanic cirques that complete the Reunion National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are three cirques, all spectacular and geologically unique. They are deep depressions in the heart of this volcanic massif. Some pockets have resisted and rise up amidst this vertiginous landscape: these are the islets, relatively flat. Runaway slaves were their first inhabitants, as they were then inaccessible.

Today, two of the three cirques are accessible by car, including Cilaos, after a seemingly endless series of over 400 hairpin bends. It is the most enclosed. Salazie is home to Hell-Bourg, the only overseas village to hold the "Most Beautiful Villages of France" label.

The Mafate cirque is only accessible on foot or by helicopter. All the villages are inhabited and offer countless hiking trails for all levels. The terrain presents challenges even to the most experienced hikers. I was able to venture there, respecting my limits…