Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The smaller of the two mountainous regions lies in the southeast and continues to
evolve. It comprises several extinct volcanic cones and one that is still very much alive,
Piton de la Fournaise (2632m). This rumbling peak still pops its cork relatively frequently
in spectacular fashion. The last major eruption occurred in 2007, when lava flows reached
the sea and added another few square metres to the island. Since 1998 there have been
spectacular eruptions almost every second year - attractions in their own right. No one
lives in the shadow of the volcano, where lava flowing down to the shore has left a re-
markable jumbled slope of cooled black volcanic rock, known as Le Grand Brûlé.
These two mountainous areas are separated by a region of high plains, while the coast
is defined by a gently sloping plain which varies in width. Numerous rivers wind their
way down from the Piton des Neiges range, through the Cirques, cutting deeply into the
coastal plains to form spectacular ravines.
Wildlife
ANIMALS
The mammals which you are likely to see are introduced hares, deer, geckoes, rats and, if
you're lucky, chameleons. Tenrecs (called
tang
in Creole), which resemble hedgehogs, are
a species introduced from Madagascar.
The most interesting creepy crawlies are the giant millipedes - some as long as a hu-
man foot - which loll around beneath rocks in more humid areas. Other oversized
creatures are the yellow-and-black
Nephila
spiders whose massive webs are a common
sight. You'll also find the
Heteropoda venatoria
or huntsman spider, called
babouk
in
Creole.
As far as bird life is concerned, of the original 30 species endemic to the island, only
nine remain. The island's rarest birds are the
merle blanc
, or cuckoo shrike - locals call it
the
tuit tuit
, for obvious reasons - and the black petrel. Probably the best chance of seeing
- or, more likely, hearing - the
tuit tuit
is directly south of St-Denis, near the foot of La
Roche Écrite.
Bulbuls, which resemble blackbirds (with yellow beaks and legs but grey feathers) and
are locally known as
merles,
are also common. Birds native to the highlands include the
tec-tec
or Réunion stonechat, which inhabits the tamarind forests. There's also the
papangue
, or Maillardi buzzard, a protected hawklike bird which begins life as a little
