Joyous Réunion

Roughly oval in shape, the overseas French territory of Réunion is lapped by the Indian Ocean on all sides. Here near the westernmost edge of this 970-square-mile isle, wide shelves separate the sandy shoreline from the wave break by as much as a quarter mile, leaving a long, calm stretch of shallows that's great for casual swims and dazzling snorkel sessions alike. Along with its fellow islands in the Mascarene chain, Réunion is one of the world's best places to observe marine life, with many biologists ranking it in the top ten biodiversity hotspots on Earth.