Which hikes should we prioritize in Réunion?

Hello, I’m heading to Réunion in early October with my girlfriend for two weeks. Out of the 15 days, we’d like to do about 5 days of hiking—maybe a 3-day/2-night trek and two day hikes.

I’ve seen tons of hiking options online, but I’m a bit overwhelmed when it comes to choosing. Hikes like the Tour de Mafate trek, Piton des Neiges, Piton de la Fournaise… we’d love to do those too.

We’ll have a rental car if needed. No problem walking for 6 hours a day (we’re pretty active).

Which hikes would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there, It’s a tough question given the huge number of possible hikes in Réunion!

Still, I think Mafate is a must-do. Three days and two nights is great (and you might regret not staying longer).

I haven’t climbed Piton des Neiges. I was told it’s mainly good for the physical challenge but doesn’t offer the island’s best panorama.

Piton de la Fournaise is probably one of the most popular hikes, but personally, I didn’t love it. The view from Pas de Bellecombe is stunning (not to mention the road leading there). The descent to Formica Leo and the walk at the bottom are really nice. After that, I didn’t enjoy the climb up to the Dolomieu crater much—the path isn’t great, and it feels endless since you’re circling the volcano.

A great hike is the one from Maïdo to Grand Bénare. The whole way, you overlook the Mafate cirque, and when you reach Grand Bénare, you get an amazing view of Cilaos and Piton des Neiges. Try to do it when the sky is clear!

Other classics include the Chapelle trail in Cilaos.

A bit more athletic is the descent to Grand Bassin from the Bois Court viewpoint—especially since you have to climb back up afterward.

One last little one for the road: the climb to the Bélouve gîte from Hell-Bourg (Salazie), then continuing to the viewpoint over the Trou de Fer.

There are hundreds more, and I’ve only scratched the surface! Happy planning! !

In addition to the hikes already mentioned, the Trou de Fer.

Oldplatypus already mentioned the "Trou de Fer"... starting from Salazie and passing through the Belouve gîte.

Hi there, My favorites: From Sans Soucis to Îlet des Orangers via the Orangers canal. From Salazie to Îlet à Malheur via the Scout trail. From Salazie to La Nouvelle via the Col des Boeufs. The trail to the chapel starting from Cilaos.

A small correction to my previous message.

For the hike to La Nouvelle (Mafate), the starting point isn’t Salazie but Grand Îlet or better yet Casabois (You can stay there It’s in the Salazie cirque). There’s a secure guarded parking lot nearby just before the Col des Boeufs. (The owner of a guesthouse in Casabois, "Chez Nou," can take you there if you don’t have a car.) Two hiking options: - A moderate hike (5–6 hours, 15 km, 820 m elevation gain), but it’s an out-and-back: Col des Boeufs / La Nouvelle / Col des Boeufs. - For a longer loop (8 hours, 1,100 m elevation gain), do the loop: Col des Boeufs / La Nouvelle / Îlet Georges / Col des Boeufs.

Over 2 or even 3 days (taking it easy), you can do Col des Boeufs / La Nouvelle / Marla / Col des Boeufs. For multi-day hikes, it’s worth knowing whether you’re renting a car—sometimes it’s better not to if the hike won’t bring you back to the starting point. In that case, you can use public transport... and rent a car later for day trips or shorter hikes.

Another 2- or 3-day hike example: Start from Sans Souci toward L’Îlet des Orangers, following La Canalisation des Orangers. This trail is spectacular if you’re not afraid of heights (breathtaking views of the Rivière des Galets). It’s out-and-back only, and while the elevation gain isn’t steep (almost flat), the distance is 2x15 km = 30 km! So it’s better to do a one-way trip and spend the night at L’Îlet des Orangers or L’Îlet des Lataniers, then return the next day via the Rivière des Galets to Dos d’Âne (5–6 hours, 11 km, 700 m). Sans Souci and Dos d’Âne are served by local transport. There are tons of 2-day options—check out multi-day hikes on Randopitons.

There are also lots of short, easy half-day walks (2–3 hours max) to different waterfalls... If you’re interested, I can give you more details. PS: A great site for hikes in Réunion: Randopitons: https://randopitons.re/

I previously mentioned Salazie to Îlet à Malheur via le sentier scout—it’s a gorgeous hike. One of the most beautiful on Réunion. You need to start from Le Belier (in the Salazie cirque). Stay at Le Belier or Casabois ("Chez Nou").

Over 2 or 3 days (more relaxed), you can do Le Belier (depart from the sentier scout parking lot)/Îlet à Malheur/Aurère via the sentier scout and return to Le Belier (Bord Martin/Le Belier) via the sentier Augustave.

Thanks so much to the three of you for your advice and all these suggestions—it’s awesome! I’ll plot all of this on a map and decide.

You can also get an idea by checking out *rando pitons* (my first hikes were inspired by this site). They highlight the ones that are most popular with hikers.

Don't forget: For all hikes that are (mostly) at high altitude, you should start early in the morning. Otherwise, you risk ending up in the clouds if you arrive too late at the ridges and viewpoints.

hi there

I’ve already booked the Piton des Neiges hike with an overnight stay at the gîte.

I’m looking into a 3-day/2-night circuit, knowing our base is Saint-Gilles-les-Hauts (we have a rental car or can be dropped off, so different start/end points).

I’ve checked out a possible itinerary:

Day 1 Maïdo parking – La Brèche – Roche Plate – Rivière des Galets – La Nouvelle (overnight) = based on my calculations, about 6 hours, +1000 m, -1600 m

Day 2 La Nouvelle – Col de Boeuf – Scout – La Plaine des Cafres – Îlet à Bourse (overnight) = 7 hours, +1700 m, -700 m

Day 3 (I’m not sure about the exit difficulty here) Îlet à Bourse – Grand Place – Cayenne – Lataniers, then the Orangers canal to Sans Souci (parking, where we’ll be picked up) = 8 hours?, +1000 m? Finishing at Sans Souci avoids a lot of elevation gain toward Les Orangers, La Brèche if I understand correctly.

Does this circuit sound interesting with some nice spots? Or is there a better option starting from Maïdo or Sans Souci?

Good evening, This route looks really great! Is your partner a good hiker? Just a suggestion: From Îlet à Bourse, I wouldn’t head toward Grand Place but would leave the GR2 to take a right toward the Plateau de Gousse—I think there’s less elevation gain overall. Then rejoin the GR2 toward Îlet des Lataniers and the Canalisation des Orangers.

PS: In Réunion, trails can sometimes be closed due to landslides, etc., especially after a storm or cyclone. So check the *Eaux et Forêts* website for the list of closed trails.

One day, a local told me, "If we only used the trails that are open, we wouldn’t do anything." I’ve taken trails marked as closed before and didn’t run into major issues… but of course, it’s up to each person to take responsibility, and don’t hesitate to turn back if you feel it’s beyond your abilities or too dangerous.

Have a great trip and happy hiking!

PS: I don’t remember the elevation gain for each section, but the last one shouldn’t exceed 1000m.

One thing I missed: between the Col des Boeufs and the start of the Scout trail toward Îlet à Bourse, are you planning to follow the road? That’s quite a stretch on the tarmac, isn’t it?... Maybe not as long as I thought, actually. If someone drops you off at Maïdo, I think you should be able to get back from Sans Souci to Saint-Gilles by bus.

thanks for your tips, I’ll check the map again

and if Day 2, I finish the Plaine des Palmistes to Îlet à Malheur (overnight) and Day 3 Îlet à Malheur, Aurère, Deux Bras, Dos d’Âne finish

is it prettier and more suitable? or is my first suggestion (with your variation) better?

yeah, my girlfriend is sporty; we like walking and hiking (we’re not expert hikers either)

et J3 ilet a malheure, aurere, deux bras, dos d'ane fin

Is it prettier and more suitable? Or is my first suggestion (with your variant) better?

I don’t know all the trails on the island either! Especially the "Îlet à Malheur" to Dos d'Âne. Nor the Rivière des Galets. I mentioned the "chemin de la canalisation des orangers" because I really liked it... It’s quite possible that the one you’re considering toward Dos d'Âne is just as interesting. I’d advise you to compare the distance but especially the elevation gain... I tried with my favorite app, but it’s not well-adapted to Réunion! It’s only very approximate, so it’s up to you to decide... Try not to underestimate these factors (elevation gain and slope) because you have to account for the sometimes steep slopes, humidity, and heat, which can make the hike harder than you might imagine.

hi, if you exit the cirque via Dos d'Âne, be aware that you’ll end up with a pretty steep climb (around 700 m of elevation gain over 4.5 km), including one or two very steep sections (ladders), unlike the exit via La Canalisation, which is almost flat.

As for the "most beautiful" part—no worries, wherever you are in Mafate, it’ll be gorgeous ;)

To calculate distances and elevation gain and download your GPX tracks, you can use OpenRunner for free.

and the least tiring option will be to take a 4x4 from Deux Bras, which will drop you off (after 12 km of bumpy roads and crossing several fords) not too far from the Rivière des Galets church. It’s a nice option too!

thanks Sophie and Jean Michel again for these details. So I think I’ll stick with the end of Lataniers to Sans Soucis via the Canal des Orangers (I think this section should take about 4 to 4.5 hours of walking—13 km?—without going through the orange groves, even though I can’t find the exact info).

yes, about 13 km, check the profile on randopitons: a small steep climb up to the cana, then a false flat, and the last part is a steeper slope, especially the shortcuts