How to Explore and Photograph Reunion Island

Map of Reunion Island and the Indian Ocean

The Best Ways to Explore and Photograph Reunion Island

  It is good to have a plan when you end up on the other side of the world. No matter where you are coming from, Reunion probably falls into that category of 'other side of the world.' In fact for me coming from Alaska, my flight went straight over the North Pole and back down on the other side instead of heading across North America, the Atlantic, and then Africa. Reunion lies at around 20° South latitude and has a wonderful tropical climate. 

    I'm used to volcanic, tropical islands, about 20° away from the equator because that is exactly where Hawaii lies, just in a different ocean and north of the equator instead of south. It turns out that there are many similarities between the two: both are geologic hotspots with massive shield volcanoes, both have similar climates and ecosystems, some of the same birds can be seen, and the underwater life in very similar in species of turtles, dolphins, and humpback whales. So with the realization that this island will present similar photographic opportunities but with a new twist I would separate my photography focus into three categories; land, sea, and air. 

Rhum Arrange

   Luckily renting a car is quite easy and not too expensive here in Reunion. There is a comprehensive bus system but for going at your own pace and stopping when you need to get the shot, a car is vital. The cars are left side steering and you drive on the right like in the States. This gets a little tricky if you come straight from South Africa where the driving is the opposite. A small car is the way to go as some of these roads and tunnels seemed to be just big enough for me to fit. As far as a home base I would suggest any of the beachside communities on the west coast of the island. My girlfriend and I grabbed an airbnb in Saint Paul for our 10 days. This can be a great way to meet some of the locals if your hosts are as involved as ours were, and it almost gave us the feeling of living there as opposed to staying in a hotel or hostel. Our host Cathy is an English teacher at the local school and she gave us some great tips about beautiful places to go and see that were a bit under the radar from the normal tourists. She even whipped us up some fresh 'Rhum Arrange' which is the favored cocktail of the locals. It`s house or home made rums flavored with fruits, roots and spices that are macerated for a minimum of 1 month – but it´s actually recommended to let it macerate for 6 months or even longer in many recipes.

  Land: The options for taking pictures on land in Reunion Island are endless, as long as you are not afraid to put yourself out there, speak a little french, and do some serious hiking. In fact when you visit the island all the locals will expect that you are there to hike. The rugged interior of the island is all volcanic wilderness that is crisscrossed by well traveled trails. There are sparse settlements inside the ancient calderas which have collapsed creating a geologic formation called cirques.

Entrance to La Chappelle

    Cirque de Mafate is the most famous and the only cirque which cannot be visited by car. There is a small community of people that live inside the cirque, about 800, that have to either hike or helicopter in. It is like living on an island in the middle of an island. The three day hike into Mafate can give you some great picture opportunities but can take a toll on your gear as well. I opted for a day of driving the windy roads in Cirque de Cilaos. The road reminded me of the 'road to Hana' back on Maui with all of its twist and turns and beautiful scenery along the way. There are photo stops marked on the drive in where there is just enough room to pull your little car off the road and jump out for a shot. Seeing the tiny villages and farms on little plateaus was like nothing I've ever seen before. After finally reaching the village of Cilaos we parked our car and hit the less traveled trail to la Chappelle.
    If you want dramatic pictures of Reunion this is the place to go. At the end of the hour and a half trail the river disappears into a beautiful mosaic slot canyon. Giant boulders fill the river creating eddies and waterfalls, great for long exposure shots. Swimming the last bit of the river with your camera bag held above your head is worth the effort as it lets you stroll into the canyon itself. Most likely having it all to yourself.

Wild Chameleon

   Other hot spots for photography are the often active volcano, Piton de la Furnaise, and multiple waterfalls. One that is very nearby yet great for photo opportunities and for a fresh cool dip under the falls is Bassin Cormoran, just of the D10 on the way to St Gilles.  The sunday market in Saint Paul is another great place for land based culture photography. Also keep a sharp eye out for beautiful chameleons, especially at the botanical gardens le Jardin d'Eden.

  Sea: Reunion Island is a hikers paradise, but it's the ocean that brought me here. I had heard about the diving, the whales, and the surfing that Reunion was known for. So I packed my underwater photography setup, a Canon 5d mark ii, 24mm prime lens, 100mm macro lens, Ikelite Underwater Housing, Ikelite DS161 strobe, and all the fittings. It is a lot to travel with but doable and worth it. This does mean that with every dive I have to choose between wide angle, the 24mm lens, or macro with the 100mm. This can be a hard choice in Reunion because there can be great small things and wonderful encounters with big animals on every dive.

Scuba Diving with Turtles in Reunion

  Choosing a dive company is always important, especially when you are going to a remote location where you don't speak the local language. The language here is French which I never made it past the basics back in 9th grade. Luckily we were steered towards the small but wonderul Reunion Plongee dive company. The manager here is named Xavier, who speaks very good English and is like a one man wonder show. He made sure to always give us a briefing in English and make sure we had all the pertinent information but was also amiable to us following the group at a distance which allowed us to go slow and take pictures rather than speed along. The visibility is good, between 10-30 meters at the different spots, we wore 5.5mm wetsuits for the water temp although some people had on shorties and did fine, and we did have a bit of surge from the well known waves above.

Micky Rat: The Last Surf Shop

  Speaking of the waves, a great photo opportunity lies along the coast of Reunion. The west coast especially is well known for incredible surfing waves. However a rash of horrendous shark attacks over the last five years have left the surf lineups eerily empty. The government even banned surfing for a short while. Every other month someone still gets attacked by a shark, even after the government installed shark nets and have spotters hired at the beaches. Now in most places the lifeguards are only there to keep people out of the water. The naturally protected lagoons on the west side provide good places for stand up paddleboarding, swimming, and snorkeling still. Sticking around for sunset is also a definite for this side of the island.

  Even with all the attacks I couldn't help myself to a few world class and uncrowded surfing waves. There are still a few die hard locals that paddle out at the famous left at St Leu and Trois Boisson. The surf culture is in a funky state right now with most of the shops around the island closing but now those surfers who are left rally around one of the last shops still going called Micky Rats in St. Leu across from the break. Warning signs abound on all the beaches.

Rugged interior of Reunion

Air: The last focus for Reunion should be from the air. Whether is is a window seat on your plane ride in and out, a dedicated helicopter ride, or a micro lite plane ride, this island has to be seen from the air to be really understood. The plunging cliffs, volcanic geology, and hidden villages all show themselves when looked at from above. Helicopter rides start around 200Euros for a 15 minute ride. Helilagon is the company to ride with and they often cater to photographers looking for aerial shots of the islands rugged enterior, fiery volcano, or beautiful coastline. One other aspect of this focus on Reunion is the excitement that paragliding has brought to the island. It has become a real paragliding mecca with the constant updrafts from the ocean up the west side of the island creating wonderful conditions for the sport. When you look up expect to see dozens of colorful parachutes riding these air currents on their way eventually to the beach landing zone an hour or so later. 

For a look at more of my Reunion Island photography check out www.daimarsphotos.com or follow me on instagram @daimartamarack.