🌋 What to see on Reunion Island: volcano and cirques

In the Indian Ocean lies the volcanic island of Réunion. It is located 800 km east of Madagascar and 180 km southwest of Mauritius (Britannica). Almost its entire area is occupied by two volcanoes and three cirques ringed by sheer cliffs. People come here for the active Piton de la Fournaise and the climb up Piton des Neiges, the highest point in the Indian Ocean.

Below we will explain how the island is laid out, what to see, and how to plan your route without unnecessary backtracking.

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Where Réunion is located

💡 In short:

Réunion is part of the Mascarene Archipelago and is an overseas department of France.
The mountainous center of the island has been protected by UNESCO since 2010.

Réunion is the westernmost island of the Mascarene Archipelago, with an area of 2,512 km² (Encyclopedia Britannica). The capital, Saint-Denis, sits on the northern coast. It is not a separate country but an overseas department of France: you pay in euros and hear French spoken everywhere.

Mountain landscape of Réunion Island with a town and the ocean

The island was born about three million years ago, when Piton des Neiges rose from the ocean (Wikipedia). Later, the shield volcano Piton de la Fournaise grew nearby, and the island took its current shape. The central part is occupied by cirques, circular plateaus ringed by cliffs.

The west of the island is covered with relict forests, with sugarcane and coffee plantations laid out between them. The southeast is occupied by basalt plateaus with no fertile soil. Tropical forests and meadow grasses grow on the flat mountain tops.

The mountain zone together with the cirques became a UNESCO site in 2010. The protected area covers more than 100,000 hectares, about 40% of Réunion's area (UNESCO). So you are not just walking through beautiful mountains, you are walking through a world heritage site.

The three cirques: Cilaos, Mafate, and Salazie

The cirques form the heart of the island. Each lies in a ring of cliffs up to a kilometer high, and each is unlike its neighbor. Choose based on your fitness and time: one cirque can be explored in a day, all three require at least four days.

Mountain landscape of Cirque de Mafate on Réunion

Cilaos

Cilaos sits at the bottom of a cirque reached by a narrow winding road. It is the most accessible of the three: you can get here by car, and there are hotels, a thermal center, and restaurants. Allow one day for the town and another day for the trails around it.

Mafate

Mafate remains the only cirque without roads: you get in on foot or by helicopter (Réunion National Park). Accommodation here is only in mountain huts, so plan to stay overnight. If you want quiet and are willing to carry a backpack, this is your option.

Salazie

Salazie is the greenest and most spacious. The road from Saint-Denis passes waterfalls, and the village of Hell-Bourg has preserved Creole houses from the century before last. Come in the morning: tour buses enter the cirque during the day.

Piton des Neiges: the roof of the Indian Ocean

Piton des Neiges rises to 3,069 m, the highest point in the Indian Ocean (Wikipedia). The volcano went extinct more than 20,000 years ago and is heavily eroded. Three routes lead to the summit: from Cilaos, from Plaine des Cafres, and from the Mafate side (island tourist office).

Piton des Neiges massif with green slopes and summit

The climb to the summit takes from 6.5 to 9 hours, depending on the starting point. Most people choose the two-day option: you spend the night in a hut below the summit, set out before dawn, and watch the sunrise from the top. Bring a warm layer, at night in the mountains it is around freezing.

The one-day option with ascent and descent takes 10-12 hours and is only suitable for the very fit (Réunion tourism website). The route from Cilaos is the shortest, but also the steepest. If you are not ready for a sharp gain in elevation, choose the two-day option with an overnight stay in a hut.

Piton de la Fournaise volcano

In the southeast of the island, the shield volcano Piton de la Fournaise is active. Its Enclos Fouqué caldera reaches 8 km in diameter, and the summit elevation is about 2,632 m (volcano online status). Since the 17th century, more than 150 eruptions of fluid lava have been recorded here.

Volcanic cone of Piton de la Fournaise amid lava fields

In calm periods you drive up to the Pas de Bellecombe viewpoint and descend the stairs into the caldera. In August 2025 a rockfall damaged this staircase, and access is periodically closed (Reunion news). Before heading out, check the status on pitonlive.com.

During an eruption the inner part of the caldera is closed, so lava is viewed from the crater rim or from a helicopter. The sight is worth it, but you won't get close to the vent itself. At other times, hiking routes across the lava fields lead to the crater.

An image of this volcano appears on the unofficial flag of Reunion: the active peak has become a symbol of the island. A ready-made guided route is described in the article about climbing the volcano.

Tours and tickets in Reunion

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Trou de Fer and waterfalls

Trou de Fer is squeezed between the sheer walls of the Salazie cirque. A powerful waterfall drops into the gorge, and you can see it from the air, from a viewpoint, or on a trek along the rim. The descent inside is done on a rope and only with a guide.

Green mountain cirque of Trou de Fer with a waterfall

La Roche Écrite peak stands in the north of the island, near Saint-Denis, offering a panorama of the cirques and craters. Cascade de Bras Rouge waterfall and the Cilaos thermal springs are located in the Cilaos cirque. These are separate routes; you can't combine them with Trou de Fer in a single outing.

What to know before the trip

The island is connected to the world by regular flights to Roland Garros Airport near Saint-Denis; flight schedules are collected on the Reunion tourism website.

The best season for hiking runs from May to November, which is the southern winter.

Public transport is poorly developed, and without a car you'll lose days on transfers. Car rental on Reunion solves the problem: the roads are good, but the switchbacks into the cirques are narrow and long. Book a car in advance for the high season.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to go to Reunion?

The dry season lasts from May to November, which is the best time for trekking to Piton des Neiges and to the volcano. From December to March the southern hemisphere has summer and cyclone season, so trails are often closed due to rain. If you're coming for the climb, plan your trip for August or September.

Can you climb to the crater of Piton de la Fournaise?

In calm periods you descend into the Enclos Fouqué caldera from the Pas de Bellecombe viewpoint. During eruptions and after rockfalls, access is closed; check the status on pitonlive.com. Even if the climb is closed, lava and lava fields are visible from the caldera rim.

Do you need a visa for Reunion and what currency is used there?

Reunion is part of France, but the Schengen visa does not apply here. EU citizens do not need a visa; a passport or ID is sufficient. Everyone else needs a separate French visa for overseas departments. The currency is the euro, the language is French, and English is understood in tourist areas.

How many days do you need on Reunion?

For a minimal itinerary, 5-7 days is enough: a day for the Cilaos cirque, two days for Piton des Neiges, a day for the volcano, and a day for the beaches of the west coast. In two weeks you can add Mafate, Trou de Fer, and the east coast without rushing.

How do you get around the island without a car?

Public transport runs infrequently, but scheduled Car Jaune buses go to the Cilaos and Salazie cirques. There is no road to Mafate at all; you get there on foot or by helicopter.

In short: what to book

Reunion takes time. In three days you'll see one cirque and the volcano, and you simply won't have the energy left for Piton des Neiges. Plan at least 5-7 days if you want both trekking and the ocean.

If you have a couple of days, rent a car and visit Cirque de Cilaos. If you have a week and are ready to hike, add the volcano, a night in a mountain hut, and sunrise on Piton des Neiges. Ready-made excursions and tours on GetYourGuide and hotels on Trip.com will help you put together an itinerary, and car rental will cover getting around.

Reunion: active volcano, cirques and climbing Piton des Neiges