Cirque de Salazie & Hell-Bourg
Salazie / Hell-Bourg
The wettest and greenest of the three cirques, with waterfalls cascading down its walls. Hell-Bourg, deep within, is one of France's most beautiful villages and preserves colourful creole villas.
The Salazie cirque lies in the northeast of the island, facing the trade winds. Its rainfall is abundant, and dozens of waterfalls hang from the cliffs. It is the only one of the three cirques with a road that runs straight in from the coast at Saint-André, and the road surface is the best of the three. Deep in the cirque, at about 930 metres, Hell-Bourg was a 19th-century spa resort and is now a village rated as one of France's most beautiful. Its streets are lined with brightly painted creole wooden houses with gardens, colonnades and lace-trimmed eaves. Visit the Maison Folio garden house, the old thermal ruins, and traditional creole restaurants, where the curry and chayote gratin are recommended. From Hell-Bourg you can hike to the Bélouve Forest and the Iron Hole waterfall lookout, a round trip of about 5 to 6 hours, or climb Piton des Neiges. The cirque is also famous for chayote (chouchou), and there is an annual festival in its honour. The drive from Saint-Denis takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, passing the Voile de la Mariée waterfall on the way.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Bélouve Forest
- Voile de la Mariée
- Trou de Fer
- Piton des Neiges
- Cirque de Cilaos
- Cirque de Mafate
- Grand Bassin
- Maïdo Viewpoint