Not a full-on trip report, but just a quick share about my four nights on Réunion.
This small island is a department of France, and it feels French, but also tropical, and also colonial, as it has a colonial past. It has a history tied to sugar cane plantations and slavery, and sugar cane fields still cover much of the island.
Réunion is a much younger island than Mauritius, which I previously shared about (https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/five-nights-in-mauritius). Mauritius is 8 million years old, Réunion is around 3 million. It still has an active volcano that has erupted spectacularly twice this year. (Not while I was there, though.) The highest point on Mauritius is about 820 meters; on Réunion, over 3,000 meters. That makes the scenery spectacular. Some of the most beautiful vistas I've enjoyed on all my travels. Also great food (it is France, after all). And it's very expensive. But worth it!
I took three tours to three different areas of the island. Each was stunning, sometimes breathtaking. There's also a ton of great hiking, which I didn't have time to do much of. And lots of waterfalls, though this is dry season, so some of them were underwhelming.
I stayed in Saint-Denis, the capital and main city, on the north coast, which is very attractive and walkable. But a lot of people who stay longer will move to different parts of the island so they can do their explorations without a long round trip. That's what I'd do if I get back there.
Here are my photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BVZpvJYnZyd8MGni9
I arrived in Madagascar yesterday. Hope to see lots of lemurs. There are 115 species. I'll be happy if I see 15. This is winter, so not the best time of year for them to be active. There are just three people in my tour group. We're all singles, all male. Should make for an interesting tour without a lot of jockeying for the best photo ops.