‘TAKING A HIKE’ GAINS AN ENTIRELY NEW DIMENSION ON REUNION ISLAND
(Posted 07th April 2015)
Vacations on tropical islands are often singularly understood to be beach holidays, lazing at sun drenched beaches and enjoying the exotic food, perhaps nursing a sun burn but mainly occupying sunbeds and having fun.
Reunion Island of course is very different from those perceptions. Naturally does the island offer the comfort of five star beach side resorts but coming all the way to Reunion it would be a wasted opportunity to maroon oneself at such resorts and not venture out or rather ‘adventure out’.
A wide range of adventure activities are on offer from white water rafting to paragliding, from diving to deep sea fishing and on to watching whales and dolphins and from abseiling to canyoning and more.
The rugged interior of the island offers some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable and deep canyons and valleys criss cross the island with little hamlets visible from high above, when taking a helicopter tour to explore from the air what later on should be discovered on the ground.
The island has nearly1.000 kilometres of trails and some 900 of those are actually marked for hikers to follow with relative ease. Some offer easy going and largely found on the western side of the island where the trails meander through sugar cane plantations and some are as tough as they come, descending into the deep gorges and then ascending again on the other side or traversing the rain forests on the eastern side of Reunion.
A large part of the island was five years ago declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the island’s administration does what it takes to conserve the protected part of Reunion.
Hikes on the wild side are possible from simple multi hour walks to the more challenging multi day trails and guest houses enroute make the logistics of bed and board easy.
Others may opt to go explore the island by mountain bike and again a number of cycling trails have been mapped out, some fit for beginners and others posing a challenge for the world’s top mountain bikers who come to the island to participate in organized races and measure their skills and endurance against each other as they vie for trophies and titles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d33yEfh2ok
More information about the island’s wide range of adventure activities, but also its beach resorts, can be found by clicking on www.reunion.fr
