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A ray of light over the Cirque de Mafate, seen from the Grand Bord at 2,360 m.
The Grand Bord (2,360 m) is one of the finest natural viewpoints on Réunion, with a striking view over the Cirque de Mafate, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This deep volcanic cirque, reachable only on foot or by helicopter, shelters a few inhabited hamlets clinging to the sides of its walls. From this promontory, the eye plunges hundreds of metres down, between dizzying ravines, clouds playing with the light and the silhouettes of great summits like the Gros Morne.
La Réunion
May 8 — May 16
Nine days of total immersion in the intense island: dizzying cirques, an active volcano, wild coasts and Creole villages. From north to south, from the sunny west coast to the green east coast, via the high peaks and the floors of the cirques, this trip takes in all of Réunion's spectacular diversity.
Sainte-Marie, Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul, La Réunion
A first day under the Réunion sun: picking up the car at Roland-Garros, a walk along the Saint-Denis seafront with its historic cannons, then the west coast — the black sand of Saint-Paul, the lively Quai Gilbert market and a Creole lunch at the Jardin de Firmia. In the afternoon, the Route des Plages reveals its volcanic coves before a blazing sunset on the Trois Roches beach.
Sainte-Marie, La Réunion
Collecting the rental car in the rental car park at Roland-Garros airport — 53,229 km on the clock, the Réunion adventure begins under the Sainte-Marie sun.
Saint-Denis, La Réunion
A first stop on the capital's historic seafront: black volcanic pebbles, coconut palms in the wind, the cliffs of La Montagne as a backdrop and old colonial cannons facing the Indian Ocean.
Saint-Paul, La Réunion
The long black-sand beach of Saint-Paul, the bustling Quai Gilbert market under its red parasols, and a relaxed lunch on the terrace of the Jardin de Firmia, feet almost in the grass, facing the ocean.
Saint-Paul, La Réunion
The Route des Plages runs along rocky coves of black basalt, and Cap La Houssaye raises its volcanic cliff like a ledge above the Indian Ocean.
Saint-Paul, La Réunion
At the end of the day, the Trois Roches beach offers a blazing sunset — sailboats at anchor, basalt rocks, golden light and Réunion families gathered for the evening ritual facing the Indian Ocean.
Maïdo, Cirque de Mafate, Boucan-Canot, Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, La Réunion
An intense day between sky and abyss: sunrise at 2,205 m at the Maïdo viewpoint, overlooking the sea of clouds in the Cirque de Mafate, a long hike along the Crête des Orangers and the Grand Bord up to 2,360 m, then down to Boucan-Canot for lunch and ceviche by the beach. An evening on the Roches Noires esplanade in Saint-Gilles.
Saint-Paul, La Réunion
At 2,205 metres, dozens of visitors crowd the edge of the viewpoint to gaze at the Cirque de Mafate drowned in its sea of clouds. The cliffs plunge dizzyingly onto a lunar landscape bathed in golden light at daybreak.
CIRQUE DE MAFATE, LA RÉUNION
From the Maïdo, the Grand Bord trail runs along the walls of the Cirque de Mafate through high moorland and lichen forests. The Vierge des Orangers, panoramas over the peaks of Mafate and views of the west coast follow one another up to the highest point at 2,360 metres — Grand Bord.
Saint-Paul, La Réunion
Back at the Maïdo car park: geology panels, information posts and last looks at the Cirque de Mafate before the clouds swallow the summit.
Boucan-Canot, Saint-Paul, La Réunion
The lively Boucan-Canot esplanade, with its restaurants and palm trees, hosts lunch at Kivala — ceviches from around the world and Creole tasting boards — before enjoying the iconic beach and its surfers.
Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, La Réunion
At the end of the day, the Roches Noires esplanade in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains turns gold — drinks in hand on the terrace of L'Esplanade, facing a sun sinking into the Indian Ocean.
Dos d'Âne, Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, La Réunion
A morning hike from Dos d'Âne to the Roche Verre Bouteille and the Cap Noir kiosk, with dizzying views over the Cirque de Mafate. In the afternoon, a dive into the Réunion Aquarium, then a beach tennis tournament on the Brisants beach, before a sunset over the port of Saint-Gilles.
Dos d'Âne, La Possession, La Réunion
From the Cap Noir car park at 1,150 m, the GR R2 trail plunges into dense tropical forest before reaching the Roche Verre Bouteille and the Cap Noir kiosk — a wooden platform clinging to the cliff, with a plunging view over the Cirque de Mafate.
Boucan-Canot, Saint-Paul, La Réunion
A lunch break at Toque Chef, a feet-in-the-sand restaurant facing the Cap Homard lagoon, in the relaxed seaside atmosphere of Réunion's west coast.
Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, La Réunion
The colourful marina of Saint-Gilles and the Réunion Aquarium, with its submerged capsule, hovering rays, lionfish and a shark's jaw on display — a striking window onto the depths of the Indian Ocean.
Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, La Réunion
The Open des Brisants turns the beach into a festive sports arena. An electric atmosphere on the beach tennis courts, before the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean to the applause of locals gathered for their evening ritual.
Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, La Réunion
The Saint-Gilles marina turns gold and pink at dusk — sailboats, catamarans and bougainvillea frame a last sunset over the Indian Ocean.
Cilaos, Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
A day in the heights of the Cirque de Cilaos: reflections in the Mare à Joncs, a dizzying panorama from the Roche Merveilleuse, the botanical trail and the Parc à Bœufs clearing, a colonial church and an authentic Creole village. In the afternoon, down to the turquoise lagoon of Saint-Pierre before reaching the La Cour Mont-Vert guesthouse for a sunset from the terrace.
Cilaos, La Réunion
Cilaos's iconic little lake mirrors the volcanic walls ringing the cirque — a perfect panorama in the calm of the morning.
Cilaos, La Réunion
Perched at 1,435 m at the top of its 78 steps, the viewpoint offers a striking panorama over the walls of the Cilaos cirque — Bonnet de Prêtre, Rempart des Calumets — with the village nestled far below and the Indian Ocean on the horizon.
Cilaos, La Réunion
The botanical loop dives into the endemic high-altitude forest before reaching the Parc à Bœufs clearing, where the walls of the Gros Morne rise above the tamarind trees. Back via the Roche Merveilleuse staircase.
Cilaos, La Réunion
In the heart of the village, the church of Notre-Dame des Neiges raises its white bell tower in front of the cirque walls. Rue du Père Boiteau and the Miroir d'eau square reveal the Creole authenticity of this village hemmed in at 1,200 m.
Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
The Saint-Pierre seafront, under the century-old casuarinas of Boulevard Hubert Delisle, with its turquoise lagoon sheltered by a coral reef — a moment to unwind after the mountains.
Mont-Vert-les-Bas, Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
The La Cour Mont-Vert guesthouse, perched in the hills above Saint-Pierre, offers a terrace with a pool and a panoramic view over the coastal plain. The sunset turns the Creole roofs and surrounding hills gold.
Saint-Joseph, Petite-Île, Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
A day in the wild south: waking up to a panoramic view at La Cour Mont-Vert, the gorges of the Rivière des Remparts from the Belvédère du Serré, a maze in the tea plantations of Grand-Coude, a swim in the volcanic pool of Manapany, then a picnic and a hike on the Piton de Grande Anse facing the vast ocean.
Mont-Vert-les-Bas, Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
The terrace pool at La Cour Mont-Vert in the morning, with a panoramic view over the Saint-Pierre plain and the volcanic walls — the perfect warm-up before a big day in the south.
Grand-Coude, Saint-Joseph, La Réunion
The Belvédère du Serré looks down into the wild gorges of the Rivière des Remparts, then the En-Champ-Thé maze invites you to get lost between hedges of clipped tea bushes — a guided tour on the history of Réunion's Laurina tea below the misty walls of Grand-Coude.
Manapany-les-Bains, Saint-Joseph, La Réunion
The Manapany pool, a natural swimming pool carved into basalt lava and sheltered from the ocean, offers striking turquoise water. A shark warning sign, black pebbles and a fritter stall complete the picture of this authentic spot.
Petite-Île, La Réunion
Grande Anse and its picnic area shaded by coconut palms and casuarinas welcome families and walkers in a truly Réunion atmosphere. The powerful ocean waves crash onto the dark sand — too beautiful to swim in, impossible not to watch.
Petite-Île, La Réunion
The Piton de Grande Anse loop climbs to 85 m through coastal forest, runs along ochre-red basalt cliffs at the Jaune and La Loi capes, then offers from the viewpoint a plunging view over the wild bay and the vast blue of the Indian Ocean.
Mont-Vert-les-Bas, Saint-Pierre, La Réunion
The end of the day in the pool at La Cour Mont-Vert, under a fiery sky that bathes the hills above Saint-Pierre in golden light.
Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion
The big volcano day: the forest road across the Plaine des Sables, the Pas de Bellecombe viewpoint facing the lunar vastness of the Enclos Fouqué, exploring the Piton Partage at 2,359 m, then the climb via Formica Léo and the Chapelle de Rosemont to the Balcon de Dolomieu — hanging at 2,485 m above the void of the crater, above the clouds.
Saint-Joseph / Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
The Route Forestière du Volcan crosses the high moorland at the Commerson Crater before tipping over into the Pas des Sables — suddenly the world changes colour and the desert of volcanic ash stretches as far as the eye can see under a blinding sun.
Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
The Pas de Bellecombe viewpoint opens onto the lunar spectacle of the Enclos Fouqué. A first descent into the caldera, exploring towards Formica Léo, then the climb to the Piton Partage (2,359 m), where the sea of clouds floods the whole landscape below.
Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion
On the way to the summit, the Formica Léo crater raises its ochre-red funnel among the black lava. The Chapelle de Rosemont marks the entrance to the lunar zone of recent flows, where vegetation disappears completely and the walls of the Dolomieu tower over the hikers.
Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion
At 2,485 metres, the Balcon de Dolomieu offers absolute vertigo: the layered walls of the crater plunge into an abyss of black lava, while below, the clouds hide the rest of the island. A moment suspended between two worlds, on the edge of the void of the world's most active volcano.
Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
From the summit, a last look at the Dolomieu crater and the Piton des Neiges on the horizon, then a long descent via Formica Léo and the 540 steps of the Pas de Bellecombe back to the cloud-bathed car park.
Saint-Joseph, Le Tampon, Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
A day of contrasts: the waterfalls and emerald pools of the Rivière Langevin, then immersion at the Cité du Volcan in Bourg-Murat. In the afternoon, the east coast reveals its treasures — the colonial bridge over the Rivière de l'Est, the coconut palms and waterfalls of the Anse des Cascades, the black lava rocks of La Marine. A night at the La Cayenne farm inn in Ravine-Glissante.
Saint-Joseph, La Réunion
The Grand Galet waterfall pours its veils of water over basalt columns into a spectacular turquoise pool, while canyoners get ready to abseil down. The Bassin Jar, tucked higher up the valley, offers an unforgettable swim in a setting of tropical vegetation.
Bourg-Murat, Le Tampon, La Réunion
The Piton de la Fournaise museum in Bourg-Murat — metallic crystal architecture, models, a rock library, immersive displays and a 4D cinema take visitors into the bowels of the Earth and the island's geological history.
Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
The historic suspension bridge over the Rivière de l'Est (1894) and its pylons of cut black basalt — a jewel of Réunion's colonial heritage, listed as a historic monument.
Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
Streams of water tumble down basalt cliffs carpeted with tropical vegetation and fall straight into the Indian Ocean. A black lava bay nestled between forest and sea, reached by a paved alley of coconut palms.
Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
The wild coastline of La Marine — basalt rocks polished by the ocean, the Corbett Monument with its old colonial cannon, a lone figure facing the vastness and a sunset over the small, authentic fishing harbour.
Ravine-Glissante, Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
La Cayenne, a Creole farm inn in Ravine-Glissante — a room decorated with rose petals, a pool lit up in purple, an ocean view from the terrace and an evening of journal writing, cocktail in hand.
Salazie, Sainte-Rose, Saint-Philippe, La Réunion
A long day between natural and volcanic heritage: a morning in the Cirque de Salazie — the Voile de la Mariée, Hell-Bourg and its listed Creole houses, the Trois Cascades trail and lunch at the Villa Marthe. In the afternoon, the miraculous church of Notre-Dame des Laves and the Grand Brûlé road, where the lava flow of the February 2026 eruption reshaped the coastline.
Ravine-Glissante, Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
A last image of La Cayenne in the morning — the pool and the Creole inner courtyard before hitting the road to the Cirque de Salazie.
Salazie, La Réunion
From the D48 road, the Voile de la Mariée waterfall unrolls its many veils of water down the green cliff of the Cirque de Salazie — an impressionist painting as a gateway into the cirque.
Hell-Bourg, Salazie, La Réunion
The Point du Jour viewpoint overlooks the peaks and walls of the cirque, then the village of Hell-Bourg reveals its sloping lanes and colourful Creole houses with flower-filled verandas — one of the most beautiful villages in France, nestled at 1,000 m.
Hell-Bourg, Salazie, La Réunion
A sunken path dives into a giant bamboo grove before reaching the oratory of the blue Virgin and the waterfalls tumbling between ferns, pink busy lizzies and mosses in the cool of the ravine.
Hell-Bourg, Salazie, La Réunion
The Bellevue viewpoint looks down on Hell-Bourg and the Piton d'Anchaing, then the Maison Folio — a 19th-century Creole house listed as a historic monument — precedes a tasty Creole lunch at the Villa Marthe under a pergola overrun with bougainvillea.
Salazie, La Réunion
Leaving the cirque, the Voile de la Mariée waterfall is in full spate after the afternoon rain — its many falls raging, seen from the Petit Sable viewpoint.
Piton Sainte-Rose, Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
The church of Notre-Dame des Laves, miraculously spared by the 1977 lava flow that stopped at its walls. Inside, the luminous fresco of Christ and the colourful stained glass complete this extraordinary place of devotion, ringed by black volcanic rock.
Saint-Philippe / Sainte-Rose, La Réunion
The RN2 crosses the historic 2002 flows and runs into the break made by the 13 February 2026 flow, where diggers are still clearing the buried road. On the platform of fresh lava, toppled trees, collapsed shafts and brand-new black rock bear witness to the constant power of the Piton de la Fournaise.
Saint-Benoît, Saint-André, Sainte-Suzanne, Sainte-Marie, La Réunion
A last day of discovery along the east coast: the wild beach of Bassin Bleu, the baroque church of Sainte-Anne, the pebbles of Le Butor, the dizzying gorges of Takamaka, the Tamil temple of Le Colosse, the Niagara waterfall and the Bel-Air lighthouse. A last look at the Indian Ocean from Sainte-Marie before heading to Roland-Garros airport for the flight home.
Saint-Benoît, La Réunion
The wild beach of Bassin Bleu, with black pebbles and wind-whipped screw pines, comes before the discovery of Sainte-Anne church and its astonishing neo-baroque façade — covered with stucco carvings and colourful tiles, a unique historic monument on the east coast.
Saint-Benoît, La Réunion
The black basalt pebble beach of Le Butor, on the windward side — fishermen brave the powerful waves of the Indian Ocean under a heavy sky, in a raw, uncompromising mineral setting.
Saint-Benoît, La Réunion
Perched at 800 m at the end of the D53 road, the Takamaka viewpoint looks down into the dizzying gorges of the Rivière des Marsouins — waterfalls hidden in the depths of the canyon, tropical forest clinging to the rock and a hydroelectric plant invisible far below.
Saint-André, La Réunion
The Le Colosse district brings together two symbols of Réunion's history: the red-brick chimney of the old sugar factory and the multicoloured gopuram of the Tamil temple. The nearby leisure park welcomes families and children around its fountains, its tropical skating rink and its guardian elephant.
Sainte-Suzanne, La Réunion
The Niagara waterfall and its dark-water pool, hemmed in by basalt cliffs that can top 50 metres — daring swimmers, climbers and spectacular reflections of the volcanic rock in the still water.
Sainte-Suzanne, La Réunion
The island's only lighthouse — built in 1845 and listed as a historic monument — raises its red-and-white striped tower on the Pointe de Bel-Air. From the shore below, black volcanic pebbles and breaking waves frame its silhouette in the trade wind.
Sainte-Marie, La Réunion
A last stop on the Place de la Marine in Sainte-Marie before heading to Roland-Garros airport, whose façade lit up at dusk marks the end of nine intense days on the volcanic island.
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