Piton de la Fournaise
One of the world's most active shield volcanoes. From the Bellecombe viewpoint, a round-trip hike of about 5 hours takes you down to the rim of Dolomieu crater.
Piton de la Fournaise rises to 2,632 metres and erupts almost every year. Most of its lava flows down the eastern slope into the uninhabited Grand Brûlé zone and out to sea, and during eruptions the volcano becomes a popular viewing spot. The classic route up begins on the volcano road from Plaine des Cafres and climbs past the red-brown Plaine des Sables, which resembles the surface of the Moon, to reach the Pas de Bellecombe–Jacob viewpoint at about 2,300 metres. From there you look down over the vast Enclos Fouqué caldera and the central cone. Hikers descend 527 steps into the caldera and follow white markers to the rim of Dolomieu crater, a round trip of about 5 hours and 12 km. Bring at least 2 litres of water, a windproof warm layer and a hat. Weather changes quickly, and fog often rolls in after midday, so set out early, ideally before 6–7 a.m. Whether the crater trail is open depends on announcements from the Réunion prefecture (Préfecture) and the volcano observatory. Helicopter flights are also available for aerial views. On the way back down, visit the Cité du Volcan museum in Plaine des Cafres. The drive from Saint-Denis takes about 2 hours.
Opening hours
Viewpoint open all day; crater trail open only when there is no eruption alert
Nearby sights
- Plaine des Sables
- Grand Brûlé & Route des Laves
- Cascade de Grand Galet
- Jardin des Parfums et des Épices
- Anse des Cascades
- Cap Méchant
- Cité du Volcan
- Notre-Dame-des-Laves