Happy New Year 2026
On this page: Réunion — Parents: Indischer Ozean — Photography, Technology & Science at the Tenckhoff Photo Archive.
Réunion is a French island in the Indian Ocean, located east of Madagascar. It is an overseas department of France and part of the European Union. Of volcanic origin, the island is dominated by the active volcano Piton de la Fournaise and the extinct Piton des Neiges. With its mountains, craters, waterfalls, and coastlines, Réunion offers spectacular scenery and is a popular destination for hikers and nature photographers.
Early in the morning we left La Nouvelle for Marla (1629 m). We wanted to spend the second night in the Mafate in the secluded mountain village. Again, the path was fantastic. It went up and down, along streams and partly through forests.
A hike through the gorges and over the ridges of the "Cirque de Mafate" is overwhelming. We started in the morning on the north side of the huge caldera of the Piton des Neiges, crossed the Col de Fourche (1,946 m) and finally reached the small mountain town of La Nouvelle (1,450 m) before nightfall, although it was hidden in thick fog.
Reunion is located in the Indian Ocean and belongs to the Overseas Department of France. Until 1794 and after 1848 the island was called Île Bourbon - in between it was called Île Bonaparte under Naples. The black and white photo shows impressions of the Creole population on the beach of St. Gilles les Bains. Creoles denote colonial groups formed by colonialism.