- Cala lily in La Forêt de Bébour
The only thing the cows do not eat, so there are plenty of cala lilies everywhere. - La Dodo
The local beer. La dodo. - Heliconia
The whole ilsland is like a botanical garden. - Heliconia rostrata
- Alpinia purpurata, red ginger
- Vierge au parasol
The umbrella protects Virgin Mary from lava. So far, successful :-) - Coulee de la lave
Well, since Piton is one the most active volcanoes, no wonder that roads get closed occasionally. - Saint Pierre
For the last few days we rented the car and drove around the island a bit. - B&B at Grande Anse
We never booked accommodation in advance. We walked past this B&B, liked it and stayed for two nights. It was the right choice. Wonderful place! - Grande Anse
As I kid I used to draw pictures like this :-) - Grande Anse
Heaven. - Grande Anse
IMHO the only beach on La Réunion really worth visiting. - Palms on Grande Anse
- A palm tree
- Plumeria, Frangipani
Wonderful and so pure. - Formica Leo (2218 m), Piton de la Fournaise
View from Pas de Bellecombe (2311 m), from where stairs take you into the caldera. - Piton de la Fournaise
One really has to stay on the track. Even there you can hear the echoes below your feet indicating that the ground is far from being solid. - Plaine des Sables, Piton de la Fournaise (2632 m)
Piton is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It erupts almost once a year. - Piton de la Fournaise (2632 m)
One of the world's most active volcanoes. - Piton de la Fournaise
With Piton des Neiges (3071 m) in the background. - Piton des Neiges (3071 m)
Freezing in the middle of the Indian Ocean. - Sunrise at Piton des Neiges (3071 m)
We got up at 3:15 (the stars!!!) and were the first to start walking up the Piton, followed by a stream of headlamps. Without the backpacks (we left them in the tent) we were so quick that we had to wait ages for the sunrise. - Le Coteau Kerveguen
Crossing the Coteau was looong. Very humid but no water to be found. Luckily we carried enough but this meant heavier backpacks... When we reached the valley, we only had 6 km on paved roads to reach the tourist information office. They booked some accommodation - mais nous étions a pied! Got to the hut at 18:15, after 15 hours! - Piton des Neiges (3071 m)
Descent in the daytime was so much prettier than ascent in pitch darkness. We returned to the hut at around 9 AM, packed our stuff and walked towards Bourg Mourat, only six hours away! They said. - Le Cimendef (2228 m), Roche Écrite and Salazie below it
As seen from Piton des Neiges. - Sunrise at Piton des Neiges (3071 m)
- Caverne Dufour
A mysterious peak somewhere there... - View of Cilaos
We couldn't sit still in the afternoon, so we made a lovely afternoon stroll around the hut. Cilaos is down there :-) - Caverne Dufour
A short and rather steep walk (from 1200m to 2500 m :-) from Cilaos to Caverne Dufour through Forêt du Grand Matarum. For the first time we saw another tent! - La Dodo
Local beer. - Caverne Dufour (2479 m)
We even managed to find a fairly flat square meter to pitch the tent. - Col du Taïbit (2142 m)
View of Marla and Cirque de Mafate. A 800 m descend followed and we reached Cilaos. - Cilaos
Wonderful architecture. - Flowers at Marla
Towards Col du Taïbit (2142 m). - Mafate
We spent the night literally in the middle of nowhere. Got up at 4:50, walked to Marla and continued towards Col du Taïbit (2142 m). - Cilaos
A lovely and vibrant town. With no camping place, so we stayed in a B&B. - Cayenne from Roche Plate
What a magnificent place. - Ilet des Lataniers
The path that we wanted to take was impassable so we made quite a long detour, walking down and up again. - Ilet des Orangers
Down and up again, you know it by now. - Ti Col
From Cayenne to Roche Plate, passing Ti Col. Another pass with spectacular views. - Mafate
Just wonderful. - Cayenne
Probably my favourite place on the island. - Riviere des Galets
We even swam in the stream before the last climb to Cayenne. - Dos d'Âne towards Deux Bras
This should be a warning for all the hikers: 2 hours for 3,450 km! The day started with a 1000 m descent to Deux Bras. Wonderful path with great views. - Giant spider! Nephila inaurata
Over 10 cm long, probably 12-14 cm. Its webs are so strong, they catch birds. - Deux Bras, Piton Cabris, Piton Tortue
Down here and up again. You get used to it ... - Piton des Calumets (1616 m), Mafate
Yes, it is really so steep. - Trekking in Mafate
- Cayenne
The "camping place" was about 100 m below the hut. Luckily there were some beds available. Heaven. - View from Roche Écrite, Mafate
We got up at 5:30 in dense fog and walked up Roche Écrite (2277 m). Once we reached the top, the clouds cleared :-) - Towards Dos d'Âne
Up and down and up and down ... - Village weaver in Dos d'Âne
Bellier, also called Zwazo Belye. - Mafate
- Something green :-)
At Roche Écrite. - View from Roche Écrite, Mafate
Steep valleys, green mountains and tiny villages. Mafate. - Barbe de Saint-Antoine
Also called barbe de Jupiter, usnea barbata, old man's beard ... a lichen, anyway. On Plaine des Chicots. - Barbe de Saint-Antoine
Also called barbe de Jupiter, usnea barbata, old man's beard ... a lichen, anyway. On Plaine des Chicots. - Camping at Plaine des Chicots
We camped at Gîte de la Roche Écrite. No food available at the hut (unless booked in advance), no other long-distance trekkers and, of course, no other tents. Magnificent! - Fanjan
A tree fern, Cyathea. - Réserve naturelle de la Roche Écrite
- Réserve naturelle de la Roche Écrite
Walking through the jungle. - Fanjan
A tree fern, Cyathea. On the way from Le Brûlé towards Plaine des Chicots. - Hindu Temple, Saint-Denis
- Sunset in Saint-Denis
At 6 pm.