La Possession

On the northwestern coast of Reunion, a French overseas department adrift in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mauritius, La Possession guards the entrance to one of the most spectacular natural amphitheatres on Earth. The town takes its name from the act of possession performed here in 1649, when the French East India Company claimed this volcanic island for the crown — a colonial gesture whose consequences still ripple through the island's extraordinary cultural mosaic of French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Malagasy heritage. Today La Possession is the cruise port gateway to an island that packs more geological drama per square kilometre than almost anywhere else on the planet.

Reunion is dominated by two volcanic massifs: the dormant Piton des Neiges, at 3,070 metres the highest point in the Indian Ocean, and the ferociously active Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most frequently erupting volcanoes on Earth, whose lava flows periodically reshape the island's southeastern coast. Between these two giants, three immense calderas — the cirques of Cilaos, Mafate, and Salazie — plunge hundreds of metres below the surrounding ridgelines, their floors carpeted with tropical vegetation and dotted with tiny Creole villages accessible only by helicopter or multi-hour hiking trails. Mafate, in particular, is one of the last roadless communities in France, its residents supplied by mule train and chopper, living a life of rustic self-sufficiency that seems impossibly remote for a European territory.

The culinary culture of Reunion is a Creole fusion unlike any other. Cari — the island's signature dish — is a slow-simmered curry of chicken, pork, or seafood perfumed with turmeric, ginger, and thyme, served over rice with a fiery rougail of tomatoes and chili peppers on the side. The markets of Saint-Denis, the island capital a short drive from La Possession, overflow with tropical produce — lychees, vanilla pods from the island's own plantations, palm hearts, and the fragrant geranium essential oil that has been a Reunionese export for over a century. Rum, distilled from the island's sugarcane fields, is aged in oak barrels to produce rhum arrange — infused with vanilla, pineapple, or local spices — that rivals anything from the Caribbean.

Excursion possibilities from La Possession span the entire island. The Route des Laves, a road that crosses fresh lava fields on the southeastern flank of Piton de la Fournaise, offers an otherworldly driving experience through landscapes of frozen black basalt. The Trou de Fer, a 300-metre waterfall plunging into a jungle gorge in the Salazie cirque, is one of the most vertigo-inducing viewpoints in the Indian Ocean. The coral lagoon at Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, on the western coast near La Possession, provides warm, sheltered waters for snorkelling among tropical fish and sea turtles — a gentle counterpoint to the volcanic violence of the interior.

La Possession is visited by MSC Cruises on Indian Ocean itineraries connecting Reunion with Mauritius, Madagascar, and the Seychelles. The most pleasant visiting season runs from May through November, when the Southern Hemisphere winter delivers warm, dry weather with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius. The cyclone season from December through March brings heavy rainfall to the eastern coast, though the western side where La Possession sits remains relatively sheltered.