A total change of scenery
Île de la Réunion

Steps

• Day 1: Arrival at the airport

  Your driver will meet you and take you directly to your first hotel, 20 minutes from the airport. 

  In the heart of Saint-Denis, you'll have the opportunity to do some shopping (Monday to Saturday) to prepare for your hike.

  In the afternoon, your agent will come to the hotel to hand out the topographical maps and give you all the information and advice you need for the hike.

  Check-in and overnight at the Juliette Dodu 3* hotel.

  Distance covered: ± 9 km

  Suggested activities :

  Guided tour of St Denis

• Day 2: Salazie

  The transfer will pick you up at the hotel at 7 a.m. (schedule subject to change according to planning). Head for the Salazie road. You'll leave your luggage at the hotel and pick it up again at Le Cilaos.

  You'll start your hike at the Col des Boeufs parking lot to reach the village of La Nouvelle, taking the GRR1 towards the Plaine aux Tamarins. Continue on the track that follows the forest road until you reach a crossroads.

  Leave the downhill track and continue towards the pass and its viewpoint.

  Take a short 10-minute walk to the Col des Bœufs oratory, for a panoramic view of the Mafate and Salazie cirques, with the Piton Maïdo and the town of Le Port in the background. The hike continues with a 45-minute descent, offering views over Mafate and the Plaine des Tamarins. 

  Further on, turn left off the path leading to Col de Fourche and reach the Plaine des Tamarins crossroads.

   

  Continue straight ahead. The path becomes flat, passing through magnificent forest vegetation, dominated by the endemic tamarind. It's a peaceful spot, ideal for a break. 

  Continue until you come to a crossroads at the level of the tamarinds.

  Ignore the left-hand path. 

  Continue straight ahead at the next junction to arrive at La Nouvelle, a peaceful islet nestled at an altitude of 1,450 m, renowned for its gentle way of life.

   

  Check-in and overnight at the gîte de la Nouvelle 

  Distance covered: ± 70km by car

  ± 8 km on foot

  Walking time 2h30

  Ascent 820 m

• Day 3 : La Nouvelle

  Discover the village of La Nouvelle, then head for Marla. You'll take a contour path along the side of a vegetated cliff. It's relatively flat and technically straightforward, but be careful: the precipice is never far away.

  Keep left at the next junction. There are a number of gullies to cross before descending into the Rivière des Galets, where you can either ford the river by turning right at the intersection, or continue towards the footbridge at the Joset Etheve stele. 

  Once you've passed the stele, you'll rejoin the main GR path and fork right, taking you past the La Maison Laclos gîte and across the Kelval ravine. Continue in the direction of Marla, passing the small chapel and perhaps spotting a few curious deer.

  Check-in and overnight at Marla gîte

  Distance covered: ± 5 km on foot 

  Walking time 2h30

  Elevation gain 312 m

• Day 4 : discovering Marla

  Discover the village of Marla, then head towards Trois Roches. From Marla, head for Trois Roches/Roche Plate on the GR R3 trail, which takes you to the north-western end of the Marla plateau and offers a breathtaking view of the birth of the Rivière des Galets riverbed.

  You then enter a vast collapsed area where some blocks can be as large as a hut. After fording the river, the trail continues along the right bank and climbs up the cliff face for around 300 metres, then descends again to the bottom of the river bed as far as Trois Roches. Enjoy this exceptional geological site, witness to the past activity of the Piton des Neiges. Then head for the cirque de Cilaos.

  Head south towards Col du Taïbit on the shared GR R1 and R2. 

  Cross the pastures before tackling the fairly steep path. 

  Exit at Col du Taïbit.

  Enjoy the view of the cirque de Cilaos. 

  Head east downhill to reach Source Ti Louis.

  Continue on the GR, leaving to the left the path leading to the forest below the Trois Salazes. Reach the Ilet des Salazes.

  Start the final descent, where the numerous switchbacks end on the Ilet à Corde road (D242). 

  Cross the road and turn left downhill for a few metres. There's a bus stop for Cilaos ville.

   

  Check-in and overnight at Hôtel le Cilaos 4*.

  (You will find your luggage)

  Distance covered: ± 5 km on foot 

  Walking time 2h30

  Elevation gain 442 m

• Day 5: Welcome to Cilaos!

  Discover the cirque of Cilaos, at the foot of the Piton des Neiges, the island's highest peak (3070m). This day will be devoted to the many walks and hikes in the village, such as the old thermal baths, the chapel, etc. You can also take advantage of the Thermes de Cilaos, a spa renowned for the quality and richness of its water. 

  You can also discover the village's handicrafts, with the Maison de la Broderie, and the Cilaos winery. Or take advantage of the hotel spa.

  Night at the 4* Cilaos hotel.

  Distance covered: ± 0 km

  Suggested activities :

  Guided hike Cilaos
  Chai de Cilaos
  House of embroidery

• Day 6: to Caverne Dufour

  After breakfast, take the 63 bus from Cilaos to the Bloc stop. Leave your luggage at the hotel and pick it up at the Bélouve-Volcan transfer station.

  Turn left onto the GRR1 path shared with the GRR2 path, marked in red and white. Climb steeply and steadily to reach the Plateau du Petit Matarum, where there are covered shelters.

  Continue on the GR® and climb steeply to reach the pass and the junction with the Piton des Neiges trail.

  Opposite, a short descent leads to the Refuge de la Caverne Dufour, the day's stage.

  Check-in and overnight stay at the Caverne Dufour gîte.

  Distance covered: ± 4 km on foot 

  Walking time 4h00

  Ascent 1139 m

• Day 7: off to Piton des Neiges

  Wake up very, very early. Leave the Caverne Dufour gîte by 4 a.m. at the latest to reach the summit before sunrise (around 6 a.m. in autumn). Start climbing by headlamp on the very stony path, partly cut into rough steps. 

  White markings on the rocks make it easy to spot the path. 

  As you near the summit, in fine weather, the sky clears and turns pink towards the east. A marker indicating the summit can be found at the finish.

   

  Sheltered by rocks, wait for full sunrise and admire the 360° landscape. Red rocks alternate with black ones, and sharp rocks loom all around. At the bottom, to the east, you can see the Indian Ocean, and at the bottom, to the south-west, the town of Cilaos.

  Descend along the same path, discovering a landscape first arid, then sparse vegetation under the morning sun. Towards the south-east, the Piton de la Fournaise and its surrounding craters come into view. We reach the Refuge de la Caverne Dufour for a well-deserved breakfast.

   

  Then on to Bélouve via Cap Anglais. This trail is often very muddy. As you advance towards Bélouve, the vegetation becomes denser, offering magnificent panoramic views. Colored woods and tamarinds are increasingly present.

  Check-in and overnight at the Bélouve gîte.

  Distance covered: ± 30 km on foot 

  Walking time 4h00

  Elevation gain 800 m

• Day 8 : Discovering of Trou de fer

  At the junction with the Trou de Fer path, turn left towards the viewpoint over Salazie. The view is superb in fine weather. Return to the junction with the Trou de Fer path.

  Take this path on the left. It's muddy most of the time, but is occasionally covered by a grating, making it easier to progress. The whole hike takes you through this magnificent Bélouve forest.

  
  Further on, the path veers left and crosses a footbridge. You can stop off at the Bras de Caverne to quench your thirst. The gully is forded. A few metres below the ford is a pool. 200m further on, the path leads to the Piste Forestière de Fleurs Jaunes.

   

  Turn left and follow it for a hundred metres or so before turning right at the next junction. The trail is as muddy as ever, and again crosses a gully. At the end it joins the bridle path.

  Turn left onto the bridle path and follow it to its end. The path through the forest is easy and pleasant. Leave the path leading off to the right towards Reine des Tamarins for later, and continue straight ahead on the track.

  Further up, leave the Trou de Fer path on your left and continue straight ahead on the track. Continue to the end of the bridle path, which becomes a footpath. A hundred metres before its end, a spring very close to the track can be heard on the right.

  A few metres after the end of the bridle path, leave the École Normale path on your right and turn left towards Trou de Fer. 

  A bench is available at this junction. Up to the viewpoint, you'll walk on a duckboard.

  Leave the Trou de Fer path on your left and turn right towards the viewpoint.

  
  After passing 2 fanjans (tree ferns) surrounded by chestnut vines, you're close to the viewpoint. A superb belvedere has recently been built to make the most of the view (which is magnificent, weather permitting) and to accommodate more people.

  Return to the gîte and continue to the barrier. At 3pm (time subject to change), transfer to the Volcano gîte, where you'll find your luggage.

  Settle in and spend the night at the Volcano gîte.

  Distance covered: ± 10 km on foot, 53 km by car

  Duration 3H30 walking

  1H30 by car

  Ascent 257 m

• Day 9 : The piton de la fournaise

  The hike starts at the Pas de Bellecombe parking lot or at the Gîte du Volcan, a little further downstream. Enjoy the first panoramic views from the long belvedere near the parking lot. On the other side, the Piton des Neiges rises above the ramparts surrounding the Fond de la Rivière de l'Est. No difficulty until you reach the metal gate that prohibits access to the enclosure during eruptive periods, despite the many pebbles that roll underfoot. 

  The descent to Formica Leo is short and safe, offering fine panoramic views of the enclosure, Formica Leo and the west face of La Fournaise. A few steep switchbacks, well protected from the void, take less than 15 minutes to reach the foot of the rampart. A path leads off to the left towards Kapor. 

  Another, a little further on, skirts Formica Leo on the right and heads towards the Rivals craters viewpoint. The majority of hikers head straight for the Piton de la Fournaise. Few leave without making the short climb up Formica Leo, a “mound” dating back to 1753, which wears inexorably down with every pass. 

  The path over the lava is very easy, despite a few harmless bumps and hollows, and it's advisable to follow the multitude of white dots regularly painted on the ground. They are very useful in case of fog. 

  Halfway between the two slopes, you can make out the last flow that left a long layer of grey and black gratons. The path, covered by these gratons, has been diverted to the right to avoid them. We reach, as easily as ever, a crossroads of paths. On the right, a passage joins the path to the Cratères Rivals, on the left to the Dolomieu. A steeper slope begins at this junction, with only a few flat stretches to the summit. 

  After a good hour's climb, followed by a short descent and another ascent, we arrive at the edge of the chasm and try to imagine that in 2006 the lava had almost reached the edge of the Dolomieu. Nearly 50 million m3 of lava, covering an area of 1,000 m by 700 m, descended 300 m below, filling the void left by the evacuated lava. 

  Note the faults at the edge of the rampart, which discourage climbing the rocks for photos or selfies. The return journey takes the same route along the white paint patches. For some, the climb back up to the parking lot represents the main difficulty of the day, but takes less than 20 minutes. This hike has become a must for anyone wishing to discover one of the world's most active volcanoes.

   

  At 2:00 p.m., transfer to the west coast, where you can relax and unwind after all that island-hopping.

  Check-in and overnight at Hotel Le Nautile 3*.

   

  Distance covered: ± 13 km on foot, 93 km by car

  Duration 5h00 walking

  2H00 by car

  Elevation gain 500 m

• Day 10 : The West coast

  A relaxing day by the sea before your transfer to the airport. Possibility of activities with transfer included.

  Depending on your flight schedule, transfer and departure.

  Distance covered: ± 55 km