St. Denis - Cirque de Salazie - Cirque de Mafate - Plaine des Cafres - Hell-Bourg - Piton de Fournaise - St. Gilles
1st Day: Arrival on Réunion
When arriving at the airport, you will receive your detailed route information, maps and your
rental car for your stay at Réunion. With your rental car, you will go to the Hotel Juliette Dodu,
where you will spend your first night.
Hotel Juliette Dodu
The famous French heroin Juliette Dodu was born in this typical Creole house which
has been converted into a hotel and completely renovated. Rooms/Accommodation: 43 comfortable furnished rooms with air-conditioning,
bathroom, TV, telephone, hairdryer, fax and modem port. The Suites also have a minibar.
The hotel offers a library, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, bar and restaurant. Room service
is available round the clock. Entertainment: Near the hotel is a bank, restaurants, shops, cinemas, casino and
a night club.
Sightseeing or possibility for various trekking tours
Experience the flair of the colonial St. Denis. Good hikers can make a seven hours
trekking tour (from/to the car park of the GR R2 point) to the Roche Ecrite with a
magnificent view of the Cirque de Mafate. For those who prefer an easier hike, we suggest
a drive to Le Brulé and from there take the hike to the Cascade Maniquet (about two
hours back and forth).
2nd Day: St. Denis - Cirque de Salazie - (Cirque Mafate) - Plaine des Cafres
In any case, we recommend a trip to the Cirque de Salazie:
The old town of Hell-Bourg (driving time about one hour) used to be a
recreational spot famous for its pleasant climate and the thermal springs until
the time of the landslide. The visit of the house "Mansion Folio" is especially
worthwhile to get a general idea about the Creole buildings of ancient times.
Moreover, the Cirque offers a variety of paths to the foothills of the Cirque
with beautifully sounding names like apple wood, lemon pool, murky pool of the
water fowl and so on.
Trekking-fans could go by car up to the parking lot at the Col des Boeufs
(driving time from St. Denis about two hours) and then start a trekking tour to
La Nouvelle in the Cirque de Mafate and back (about 4.5 hours)!
In Hell-Bourg you will spend the night in the Hotel Relais des Cimes.
Le Relais Des Cimes
Salazie is the largest and most green Cirque. Due to the harmony of water,
coming from around one hundred waterfalls, the fascinating landscape and the
traditional Creole architecture, this part of the island is especially
interesting. The Relais Des Cimes is the only hotel of the village;
also pets are welcome!
Rooms/Accommodation: The hotel features 17 rooms with 11 being single
rooms and five double with bath, heating and telephone. The premises include a
bar and a restaurant with Creole and Madagscan specalities.
Entertainment: The hotel offers a recreation room as well as a TV- and
video room.
Activities: Apart from tours to the neighborhood and the discovery of
the Creole village, mountainbiking and canyoning is possible.
3rd Day: Hell-Bourg - Volcano
Today you will go to the volcano Piton de Fournaise. Here, you can make short
hiking tours in the evening, whereas we recommend the long ascent to the peak
on the next morning. You will spend the night on the foot of the volcano in the Hotel L'Ecrin in
Bourg Murat.
Hotel L'Ecrin
This little middle-class hotel is situated only a couple of minutes off the
Route du Volcan. The museum Maison du Volcan is only 200 m from the hotel.
Rooms/Accommodation: The hotel offers accommodation for 22 persons in
standard rooms as well as in bungalows. Especially worth mentioning is the hotel
restaurant, which is praised by the guests as well as by the local people.
Activities: In the nearby surroundings are opportunities for
mountainbiking, horse-riding and hiking tours.
4th Day: Volcano - Cilaos
Early in the morning we suggest the 50-minute drive to the parking lot at the
edge of the crater. We highly recommend to get up early in the morning for the
5-hour trekking tour around the edge of the crater, because the peak of the
volcano gets mostly clouded around midday on most days.
Afterwards, you will drive to the south coast and back to the interior to
Cilaos. Here, we recommend one night in the Hotel Les Chenets.
Hotel Les Chenets
This little hotel combines elegance with the typical Creole style and is situated
in the picturesque area of the crater valley of Cilaos. Rooms/Accommodation: Each of the 17 rooms has a view onto the mountains
of Cilaos and features toilet, shower/bath, hairdryer, adjustable heating, telephone,
TV with satellite-channels and mini bar. The hotel comprises of a restaurant with
French and Creole cuisine, two bars, sauna, steam room, heated swimming pool,
library and hairdresser. Babysitter-services available. Activities: Guests of the Les Chenets Hotel can rent mountain bikes,
take part in excursions and use the free transfer to the helicopter airport.
Canyoning, climbing, trekking and tennis are also available.
A trip into the Cirque de Cilaos is one of the most spectacular landscape
experiences that can be offered by the island of Réunion. Also for visitors who
are not interested in hiking or who are already acquainted with the Cirque des
Salazie, this driving up to the top is worthwhile in any case, because the
bottom of the volcano is 100 square kilometers wide and
1,200 m deep and offers an unique outline not to be found elsewhere
on the island. The only access is the N 5, which is 38 km
long and can be reached easily via St. Louis. The village of Cilaos is situated
almost in the center of the basin and offers a phantastic view onto the peaks
of the Piton des Neiges, Le Grand Bénard and die Troi Salazes. Also the thermal
springs are worthwhile visiting.
5th Day: Cilaos - St. Gilles
Today you will be driving back to the coast to La Saline les Bains, where you will spend
two nights in the Hotel Le Nautile.
Hotel Le Nautile
The Hotel Le Nautile consists of 43 rooms and suites with Creole charm and a relaxed
interior design. Le Nautile lies directly on the dreamlike Hermitage Bay, one of the
most beautiful beaches on the island, and the wonderful village La Saline les Baines. Rooms: The rooms are all very tastefully designed and each has a shower/bath,
toilet, mini bar, TV/radio, Fax-Modem and an electronically controlled air conditioning
which has a remote control. The hotel has a 220qm swimming pool, bar, restaurant,
library and whirlpool. Activities: In the village are various shopping possibilities, bars and
restaurants. Every Saturday is a Sega evening in the hotel. And it is a mere ten minute
long taxi ride to the diving station in St. Gilles or St. Leu.
6th Day: Opportunity for a helicopter ride
Helicopter flights can be organized from St. Gilles, which we can pre-book on
your request depending on the
duration of the flight. A 45-minute ride will
take you to the breathtaking waterfalls, you will fly over the Plaine des
Palmistes, the volcano, Cilaos and St. Gilles. The start of the helicopter is
depending on the weather. Moreover, the popular swimming resort offers all sorts
of watersport activities and canyoning excursions.
