Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n September 2025 is one of the most adventurous months I have had in years!<\/strong> My long-awaited trip to Mauritius, R\u00e9union, and Madagascar took place \u2014 and this trip had the highest highs and lowest lows of the whole year.<\/p>\n This is a BIG monthly recap and quite a bit happened, so get ready for a lengthy read!<\/p>\n Good times in Prague. <\/strong>My friend Mike, one of my oldest friends from the world of travel blogging, came to stay with us in Prague for a few days, and we got to show him the absolute best that Prague has to offer.<\/p>\n Altogether, there were meats at Kant\u00fdna, a wine festival on the edge of Prague Castle, a burger festival, a brewery stop, and just enjoying the incredible place that is Prague in the month of September. And OF COURSE Charlie and Mike got along like a house on fire!<\/p>\n Finishing 75 Hard.<\/strong> I haven\u2019t mentioned anything about it on the blog yet, but from June 24 through September 6, I completed 75 Hard \u2014 a fitness and mental toughness program.<\/p>\n Each day, you must do two workouts of at least 45 minutes each; follow a diet of your choice (I did no sugar and no junk food); read 10 pages of a personal development book; drink absolutely zero alcohol; drink one gallon (3.8 liters) of water per day; take a progress photo; and ZERO CHEATS WHATSOEVER. If you miss anything, you start over.<\/p>\n I wrote about it in a post on the Adventurous Kate Facebook page<\/a>, and won\u2019t reiterate what I said there. Here\u2019s a quote about why 75 days is so much more transformational than 30:<\/p>\n 30 days is not enough for a challenge to be transformative. I\u2019ve done a LOT of 30-day challenges over the years: Whole30s, sober challenges, fitness tune-ups. 30 days sounds like a lot when you\u2019re getting started. It is not.\u00a0<\/p>\n This time, I didn\u2019t actually hit my groove until 40+ days in. I didn\u2019t start looking different to my friends until the 50s. And 75 days of social engagements gives you a lot more practice not drinking around drinkers, which you need.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Overall, this has been a tough year for fitness for me in part due to my hip injury in March, but 75 Hard helped me turbo-charge my health and get back into quite decent shape.<\/p>\n Also, the guy who created 75 Hard, Andy Frisella, is a homophobic and transphobic right-wing nut job, so I made sure to donate $75 in his name to the Metro Trans Umbrella Group<\/a> in his hometown of St. Louis.<\/p>\n The challenge may be over now, but I\u2019m sticking to 90 minutes of working out per day, sticking to the same diet 90% of the time, and I haven\u2019t had a single alcoholic drink since. I plan on only drinking on special occasions going forward.<\/p>\n A taste of Mauritius. <\/strong>For my trip to Madagascar, I had just enough extra time to do a few days each in both Mauritius and R\u00e9union. They are each about the size of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US. While three days isn\u2019t enough for either destination, I thought it would be enough time to get a taster and see if I wanted to go back for more.<\/p>\n Mauritius is an interesting place \u2014 an island in the Indian Ocean that was uninhabited until 1638 (!!), and today has a population descended largely from Indian guest workers and enslaved Africans (not unlike Guyana<\/a>, minus their Indigenous population). The island is a lush paradise, with waterfalls, craggy mountains, and pretty beaches.<\/p>\n I enjoyed traveling around the island and seeing the sights \u2014 I especially loved the waterfalls, the giant tortoises, a fascinating Hindu temple on a sacred lake, and the bustling market in Port-Louis. The beach in Flic en Flac was lovely.<\/p>\n Mauritius is ideally explored by car, but because they drive on the left side of the road and I was flying overnight (i.e. a sleepless night), I didn\u2019t think I would be a safe driver under those conditions. But I was able to find taxi drivers for 83 euros that would take you on tours for around six hours or so. I did that on two days.<\/p>\n That said \u2014 Mauritius and I didn\u2019t really vibe. It felt a bit shabby overall, public spaces were poorly cared for, most attractions were a bit underwhelming, and I found the Indian-influenced food pretty bland despite begging everyone to make it spicy, local spicy.<\/p>\n I\u2019m happy I visited Mauritius, and enjoyed what I saw, but I don\u2019t have the need to return. I consider my visit a success. Not every destination has to be a home run.<\/p>\n A whirlwind visit to R\u00e9union.<\/strong> R\u00e9union Island, technically part of France, absolutely blew me away. I found the island spectacular in its natural beauty, exceedingly well maintained (the roads were LIKE BUTTER), covered with fresh flowers, and full of friendly people who thoughtfully helped me find the right French word instead of rolling their eyes and switching to English like the typical Parisian.<\/p>\n And frankly, I barely saw a fraction of what the island had to offer. My big day trip was a private tour to Cilaos, an almost unspeakably beautiful little village set amongst the mountains. <\/p>\n The scenery was so stunning, it nearly made me cry. (And well worth costing four times what I paid for a day trip in Mauritius \u2014 yikes!! You are very much in France here!)<\/p>\n So yes, I am quite eager to return to R\u00e9union and see MUCH MORE! The active volcano and the other cirques of Salazie and Ma\u00efdo are at the top of my list. I\u2019d also love to spend several days in Cilaos and use it as a base for hiking.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be writing more about my time in R\u00e9union, so stay tuned for a bigger post!<\/p>\n The adventure of a lifetime in Madagascar.<\/strong> And then came the BIG event \u2014 my Madagascar trip with Rock My Adventure<\/a>. The most adventurous trip I\u2019ve had in years, and one of my favorite trips EVER.<\/p>\n Madagascar has been high on my list for years \u2014 but it\u2019s a bit of a rough destination with limited infrastructure, even by African standards, so I always knew I wanted to visit Madagascar on a group tour. And as soon as I saw the itinerary covered ALL the places I wanted to visit in Madagascar<\/a>, I knew I had to do it!<\/p>\n Yes, Madagascar is very much a challenging place to visit, but it\u2019s also full of stunning natural beauty and wildlife, and home to some of the warmest, most wonderful people ever. Additionally, there is zero overtourism here, which is refreshing.<\/p>\n So what were my favorite parts?<\/p>\n A three-day journey down the Tsiribihina River.<\/strong> This was very rough \u2014 we camped, our boat did not have a toilet, we went days without showering, and when we needed to pee, we pulled over to shore to pee behind a bush (and sometimes MORE THAN PEE). But this was such a fun adventure. We swam in waterfalls, sang songs around the fire, and stopped in towns along the way.<\/p>\n Hiking in the Grand Tsingy. <\/strong>The Grand Tsingy is an intimidating rock forest, and exploring it was one of the most intense hikes I\u2019ve ever done. This is the first time I\u2019ve done a Via Ferrata-style hike where you wear a harness and clip in to cables throughout the route. Despite that, it actually wasn\u2019t scary at all!<\/p>\n Experiencing the wildlife.<\/strong> We got to see SO many lemurs! And in Kirindy, we got to see some unusual animals like the foussa, mouse lemurs, and some cool chameleons.<\/p>\n Island time in Nosy Be.<\/strong> We finished our trip with time in Madagascar\u2019s most touristy area: the northern islands. We got to snorkel with enormous sea turtles, and lemurs actually crawled on our heads! <\/p>\n And the people of Madagascar were an absolute highlight.<\/strong> The warmest, most welcoming people. The kids were fantastic and adorable, always wanting to hold our hands. We randomly stopped in a village and the women introduced us to a baby who had been born only a few hours ago!!<\/p>\n But this tour was SO great, and I can\u2019t recommend it more highly.<\/strong> The next Madagascar tour is taking place in October 2026, and you can learn about it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay tuned for much more about Madagascar. I can\u2019t wait to write about it.<\/p>\n![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-Baobab-1024x782.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-Baobab-1024x782.jpg\")
Destinations Visited<\/h2>\n
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![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-friends-at-wine-festival-in-Prague-1024x768.jpeg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-friends-at-wine-festival-in-Prague-1024x768.jpeg\")
Highlights<\/h2>\n
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![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-in-Mauritius-Flic-en-Fla-1024x768.jpeg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-in-Mauritius-Flic-en-Fla-1024x768.jpeg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Chamarel-Waterfall-Mauritius-1024x768.jpeg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Chamarel-Waterfall-Mauritius-1024x768.jpeg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Flic-en-Flac-Beach-Mauritius-1024x768.jpeg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Flic-en-Flac-Beach-Mauritius-1024x768.jpeg\")
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Port-Louis-Market-Mauritius-1024x724.jpeg\"\/)
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Port-Louis-Market-Mauritius-1024x724.jpeg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cilaos-from-above-Reunion-1024x750.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cilaos-from-above-Reunion-1024x750.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cilaos-lake-and-flowers-Reunion-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Cilaos-lake-and-flowers-Reunion-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Angry](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Reunion-cliffs-and-rainbow-1024x706.jpeg\"\/)
![\"Angry](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Reunion-cliffs-and-rainbow-1024x706.jpeg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Langevin-Waterfall-Reunion-1024x762.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Langevin-Waterfall-Reunion-1024x762.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-friends-on-Rock-My-Adventure-Madagascar-Boat-Trip-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-friends-on-Rock-My-Adventure-Madagascar-Boat-Trip-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-in-Grand-Tsingy-Madagascar-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-in-Grand-Tsingy-Madagascar-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-with-Lemur-Nosy-Komba-750x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-with-Lemur-Nosy-Komba-750x1024.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Canoe-Ride-Madagascar-Kate-and-Kim-768x1024.jpeg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Canoe-Ride-Madagascar-Kate-and-Kim-768x1024.jpeg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-Pousse-Pousse-Driver-Madagascar-888x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-Pousse-Pousse-Driver-Madagascar-888x1024.jpg\")
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-Helen-in-masks-after-tear-gas-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kate-and-Helen-in-masks-after-tear-gas-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Green-Madagascar-Countryside-1024x768.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventurouskate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Green-Madagascar-Countryside-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n