Réunion: A tropical version of Iceland

Volcanoes, lava fields, lush green mountains, thousands of varieties of flowers blooming, villages only accessible on foot or by helicopter and waterfalls at every corner. After more than a month in Mauritius, we take a road trip over the French island of Réunion, located in the Indian Ocean, west of Mauritius and east of Madagascar. The unusually beautiful island, which mainly has French tourists, reminds me of

Iceland in many ways: the rugged, difficult to access nature of the interior, the volcanic landscape and the countless waterfalls. Meet the tropical version of Iceland: Réunion!

Beaches and helicopter tours on the west coast

My first destination on this trip is L'Hermitage les Bains on the west coast. The reef forms a natural lagoon of clear blue water around the white beach, so you can float around in peace - without fear of the sharks around the island getting close to you.

It is also the place where helicopters depart for tours to parts of the island that are otherwise inaccessible. At full speed I fly through green valleys where dozens of waterfalls plunge, over

hamlets in extinct craters and over the active volcano Piton de la Fournaise. In 45 minutes I saw the whole island from above, to give you an idea of ??its size.

One morning I'm still in the helicopter, the next I'm hanging from a kite while looking down on the green blanket that rolls out into the blue sea. The west coast is the place for active sports such as paragliding, diving and mountain biking. What a great first impression of Reunion.

Rugged sea, fishing villages and waterfalls on the south coast

From great heights, paradisiacal beaches and spectacular

viewpoints, I continue to the many waterfalls, black lava beaches and colorful villages on the south coast. I stay in the fishing village of Saint-Pierre.

From here you can drive on a spectacular road with more than 400 hairpin bends to Cilaos. Unfortunately a cyclone has just blown over and this road has been closed for a long time by falling rocks. Instead, I drive up to Grand Galet waterfall in the Riviere Langevin gorge. Climbing, jumping and clambering over the large black rocks along the bright blue, icy water, I eventually arrive at the foot of the waterfall, which falls down in about twenty streams.

Along the side of the clear blue natural pools in the river, the locals sit on a picnic with - after all, we are in France - baguettes and croissants, while children splash in the water. A second stop slightly inland from the south coast is Entre Deux, a colorful Creole village between two gigantic plateaus. I walk past traditional houses in pastel blue, yellow, orange, pink and green, with papaya, avocado, grapefruit and lychee trees in the garden. Mountains rise high above the roofs. What a tropical oasis.

The volcanic Martian landscape of the east coast
The road from the south coast to the east is one of the most beautiful routes in Réunion. The Sud Savage, as the rugged southeast coast is called, meanders through a fertile area full of deep ravines, cute Creole villages and a rugged coastline, where meter-high waves crash against the tall basalt cliffs. Slowly the white sandy beaches and bays surrounded by waterfalls give way to the volcanic landscape formed by one of the most active volcanoes in the world: Piton de la Fournaise.

Miles of lava fields full of forests stretch before me. My visit to the east coast is all about the volcano: I hike through a mile of lava tunnels, created during an eruption in 2004, and climb the top of the Piton de la Fournaise. When I trek over the flanks of the volcano, I imagine myself on Mars.

Mist passes over the large gaping red, black and brown cones and lava cones that I pass through. Rainbows form over us. After a tough three-hour climb we reach the top, from where

you look down into the gigantic crater. I sit on the ledge and look down at the plumes of smoke rising far below me.

Blooming extinct craters in the rugged interior
And the reason I wanted to go to Réunion: the cirques. The interior is marked by three huge extinct craters: Cirque de Cilaos, Cirque de Salazie and Cirque de Mafate. A winding road takes me through a deep valley, with waterfalls along and even over the road, to the heart of Salazie: the colorful village of Hell Bourg, once a luxury spa until a huge cyclone ended it.

From here I would start my five-day hike through the three craters, culminating in the 3,060-meter peak of the Piton des Neiges volcano, the highest mountain on the island.

Unfortunately several trails are closed and we have to do a shortened - but no less spectacular - version: a three-day walking tour through Mafate, with villages that are only accessible on foot or by helicopter.

I could have spent weeks in these thriving, hard-to-reach valleys. Well marked hiking trails abound, lovely Creole villages and nature like I've never seen anywhere in the world. Réunion is a must-see destination: the tropical version of popular Iceland.