We had planned to go on a whale tour on Reunion already in advance. We were already very lucky to experience sperm whales very close once on the Lofoten Islands and here on our honeymoon a repetition would fit well. 🙂 We knew that the humpback whales already move on in the fall, but we […]
After a speedy breakfast, we lace up our hiking boots for the last time and head down 6 kilometers and 580 meters of elevation to the bus stop in Basse Vallée. The mostly asphalted path is in strong contrast to all the paths we have taken so far in this vacation. But this easy path […]
Day 13: From the Gîte du Volcan to the Gîte de Basse Vallée
Thirtheen is our lucky number … (not?)
by Elisabeth
Today is day 13 of our tour across the island, and at the same time the second-to-last day of hiking. Actually, the last, because tomorrow we’ll take only the last short part down to the sea. Speaking of down: Today it goes downhill as well, specifically 1600 meters of altitude for a distance of 18 […]
The only 3,000er of the island, the extinct volcano Piton des Neiges we have already climbed a few days ago – today we are at the Piton de la Fournaise, which is with 2,631 m only slightly smaller. With an age of approx. 400,000 – 500,000 years it is clearly younger and in contrast to […]
The vegetation zones of today’s route can be described as follows: From the Lower Austrian “Bucklige Welt” to the tropical rainforest, from there via Scandinavian moors to the Icelandic volcanic desert. And all this in only 7 hours on the Île de la Réunion. But let’s start at the beginning. The first look out of […]
This post is not called part II by chance – who missed the first part: Lustwandler reading recommendation – it is actually about the summit day of the Piton des Neiges, the only 3000 m peak on the island, you can find the article here. Now we are back on today’s route from Refuge de la […]
Traditionally, Piton des Neiges is climbed before daybreak to admire the sunrise over the ocean from the summit. We have a long way to go today, as the actual day’s trek is Refuge de la Caverne Dufour to Bourg-Murat, a long descent from 2,479 m to about 1,600 m, with minor counter ascents and about […]
Day 9: Piton des Neiges (Basecamp)
Short and tough ascent to the Refuge de la Caverne Dufour
by Elisabeth
The next big challenge is the summit tour of Piton des Neiges, the highest mountain on the island and the Indian Ocean. Since, as you know by now, the sight is always best in the early morning hours, today we hike to the base camp, the Refuge de la Caverne Dufour, to climb the summit […]
Day 7 und 8: Cilaos and a resting day in Cilaos
It’s about the journey, not the destination … isn’t it?
by Elisabeth
In the morning, the ascent from Marla (1629 m) to the Col du Taïbit (2081 m) is awaiting us. We start at 8 o’clock, step by step we ascend in serpentines until we reach a beautiful forest with mimosa trees. To our right is the mighty wall of the Rempart de Mafate. After 1 hour […]
From Roche Plate there are two paths that lead to Marla. On the one hand, the GR R3 via Trois Roches and Îlet Plaine des Sables and our GR R2, which leads via La Nouvelle to Marla. While the first one has a gentle 750 meters of altitude and is about 8 km long, the […]