Reunion Island: Where Fire Meets the Sea
Unlike Madagascar, where there is a profusion of indigenous wildlife, the island gem of La Reunion, its neighbour to the south-west, has very few; one of these is the spectacular Panther chameleon, a mini-kaleidescope-coloured monster which can grow to a length of 50 cms. Lying on the crossroads between Asia and Africa, fluorescent rivers of molten lava occasionally spew out of the earth’s crust and plunge into the crystal waters of the Indian Ocean, searing everything in their path. This island –jewel, similar to Hawaii, insofar as both are located above hotspots in the earth’s crust, is between Madagascar and Mauritius. And is 63 km x 45 km. There are three volcanoes here, one extinct, swathed in forests, where mountains, gorges, and spectacular waterfalls jostle shoulder-to-shoulder, vying for one’s attention.
La Reunion is the southernmost French overseas depart
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