Jungle Trek in Reunion

A few weeks ago, some friends of mine and I went on a hike to see a waterfall, called the Trou de Fer, here in Reunion. Rebecca and Patrick Childress from the blog WhereIsBrickHouse.com and another couple on the boat next to them, Keith and Mildred Brauer.

We got up at 5:30 a.m. and started driving towards the trailhead. It took us a couple hours to get there. The point of entry is from the road on the way up, but it took a few attempts to find this spot. I speak French, but don’t always get all of the French signs and directions, and it was just a little confusing where we were supposed to park and start the hike.

Our group hiked up the road and found a little area where you could camp and a cafeteria where they were serving breakfast to a bunch of Spanish tourists. I grabbed a quick cup of coffee to help with my energy level. Also, there was this little gondola that used to take two people at a time all the way across the valley to the other side, but it only worked when there was a load of wood on the opposite side. It looked like something fun to try, but it didn’t appear to be in working order. (See the shot I took of it for a better understanding.

From there we started hiking along the trail towards the waterfall lookout. This was about two hours of hiking, and the trail was quite nice, with lots of hills and valleys and twisted, gnarly roots. There were a few muddy places as well, which you can see in one of the shots where Rebecca is laughing at Mildred for not wanting to get her shoes dirty.

Finally, after descending again down a long wooden staircase, passing many people ascending, we came to a platform and saw what we had been hiking for–a beautiful waterfall across the valley. Definitely well worth the hike! I recommend it if you come to Reunion. On the hike back, we decided to split up which is almost always trepidatious. We almost lost Keith on the way, but we were eventually reunited again in Reunion!

Ever the prepared people, Keith and Mildred had brought pulled-pork with them in a thermos that finished cooking in the car while we were hiking. We stopped and had pulled-pork sandwiches for lunch on the way back down the mountain, and we ate like we’d been hiking for 5 hours! A very nice day with great friends and a beautiful hike.

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On the Road

Rebecca & Patrick from WhereIsBrickHouse.com

The Gondola

Must Keep Shoes Clean!

The Finale

The Grand Finale