Pick up the well-ahead-booked rental car (you should pay around 40 Euros per day for the car) and drive to Niagara Falls. Checkout the waterfalls and surrounding nature. Then drive to Temple de Bois Rouge and have a look at the temple. Then drive back to Saint Denis to a parking lot at the intersection of streets Rue du Pont and Rue de la Republique. From there walk to the "Grand marche de Saint-Denis". Checkout the souveniers. Then have a 1 hour walk inside the city: get to know the capital. Return to your car and drive to your hotel/homestay "L'auberge du Pave", where you will stay for 3 nights. As you are tired after the long flight take some rest for the rest if the day.
In the morning (the sooner the better as you want to avoid the clouds and fog) drive to a parking place at Cap Noir. Enjoy the most splendid hike in the direction of counter clockwise. If you face a sign "la route est fermée (road is closed)", you can still go on at your own risk: the road is collapsed (washed away) at a few places and forces you to walk with high caution.
In the afternoon/evening drive to Plage de l'Hermitage. Enjoy swimming in the sea and the wonderful sand beach with trees, which provide enough shadow for you to hide from the sun.
In the morning (the sooner the better as you want to avoid the clouds and fog) drive to Le Maido parking place. Spend at least 30 minutes on the lookout path and platforms taking amazing pictures at the Cirque de Mafate. Then walk for about 3 hours to "Le Grand Benare". Don't forget to put your sun-cream on (exposed face / hands) no matter how much shadow/clouds/fog it seems to be or you will get very much burned. Walk back slightly different way via the "Caverne de la Glaciere". The way back will take you approximatelly the same time as it is longer but going downhill. Drive back to your hotel.
Drive to the parking at the end of Route Forestiere des Cryptomerias (the same direction as you drove to Le Maido). Go for a walk through an amazing laurer forest. Take the right way at the beginning making the trip counter clock wise. You will reach a very old tree accompanied by some very old roots. This will be the highlight of your day. Take the short route to the lookout "Les Terrasses" only if there is no fog or low clouds. On the way back checkout the valley of "Ilet Alcide". If you have any lunch snack with you save it for this place.
Drive to "Plage de l Etang-Sale" - a famous beach with black sand. Enjoy the beach and a have a quick swim.
If you still have enough time, drive to the "Route Forestière 11 des Makes" to the lower parking lot. You will see a wonderful maintained garden with many picnic tables. Start your walk there - the clockwise direction. Ascend to the lookout place "The Makes Window (La Fenetre)" (don't take the main road for cars). After you finish taking all pictures of the amazing view, continue back to the parking lot via an amazing forest and view from the top of Piton Cabris.
Drive to "Chemin des Trois Mares / Madeleine Rose" in Cilaos, where you will stay for 5 nights.
Drive to the parking lot very close to the main white church in Cilaos (Rue des Thermes loop). Take the "GR R2" track to the place, where it meets the "GR R1" just under the "Parking de Bras Rouge". Then use the "GR R1" to go back to your car. On the way there enjoy the splendid waterfall "Cascade de Bras Rouge" which you access from the top. On the way back to the car enjoy the amazing crossing of the river "Bras de Cilaos". You will have to cross the main road in a steep ascend (bus stop "Bois Rouge"; Sentier de Fouquet).
Walk from your hotel directly to the beginning of the track to La Chapelle (Chemin de la Chapelle / Departure Trail De La Chapelle). Steep descend to the valley of river "Bras de Cilaos". On the first major crossing turn right. You need to ascend and then descend again to get to the La Chapelle, which is a split rock accommodating the river "Bras de Cialos" between its "split legs". There is a splendid pond, which you can ford, but mind the water level: it's higher than your waist. Unfortunatelly you have to go the same way back.
Get up very early and drive to the parking lot close to the bus stop "Sentier Marla". There are about 10 parking places only and several hikers leave their car there overnight. Ascend to the "Col du Taibit". Descend to Marla. You will be rewarded by an excellent view to the highest mountain Piton des Neiges.
If you are up to it, take the most difficult and exhausting hike to the highest mountain "Piton des Neiges". It is recommended splitting it into 2 day. We have not conquered this hike as the view from the second highest mountain "Le Grand Benare" was enough for us. We did the "The Makes Window" as we were not able to make it on day 4.
Drive to Parking du Centre Commercial de La Ravine Blanche in Saint Pierre. Enjoy the market and buy some souvenirs (Vanilla). Then drive to the parking lot at "Morne Langevin". Walk to "Le Morne Langevin" lookout. Enjoy the great views to the vulcanic area. Drive to your new hotel/homestay L'Arum des Prairies in Bras de Calumets, where you will stay for 4 nights. After you book this place, make sure you ask for their dinner (20 Euro / person). It is the best meal you will have on the whole Island.
Drive to the parking lot at the end of "Route du Volcan". Enjoy the amazing walk to the edge of the crater of the vulcano. On the way there you will see many amazing vulcanic geological items / areas. Mind the weather: we had a very bad rain and about 5 degrees Celsius.
Drive to the "Trou de Fer" parking lot (at the start of Sentier de l'Ecole Normale). Walk to the Trou de Fer counter clockwise thorugh an amazing tropical forest. At the end of the return walk you will arrive to Gite de Belouve. There is an amazing old funicular (cable car). You have to check it out! Mind the mud and puddles during wet weather. If you still have time, go for the "Casse de Takamaka / Basin des Hirondelles" track. Unfortunatelly we did not have enough time and hence did not make it.
Drive to Belvedere de Bois Court. Checkout the view to the Grand Bassin. Drive to the "Chalet des Patres" parking lot. It is at the start of GR R2, which continues to Nez de Boeuf. Walk in counter clockwise direction to Nez de Boeuf (Nose of a cow). A very tricky part is to get back to the car. You need to walk on an unmarked track.
Drive to "Tunnel de lave du Brule de Citron-Galets (Route Nationale 2 Le Tremblet - close to - Route Forestiere du Vieux Port du Tremblet)". Walk through the small lava tunnel. It ends at the main road for cars. If possible, try another lava tunnel: Tunnel de lave de 2004 - Entree / Sortie. Check out the lava area. Drive to Anse des Cascades. Have a look at the many different waterfalls - all on the same hill - close to each other. Walk on the costal track - via Pointe des Cascades. End at Pointe Lacroix, where you turn left to the city "Piton Ste-Rose". There you need to visit the "Notre Dame des Laves" - a church, which survived the vulcanic erruption in 1977. Go back to your car on the main road. Drive to your new home "La Croisee des Sentiers" in Grand Ilet.
Drive to Bord Martin parking lot (not the one at the end of the road). Walk to the second parking lot "Depart de Sentier Scout". Walk in a clockwise direction. Start the "Sentier Scout" track. Descend to Gites d'etape and ascend a little to Aurere. Walk back to your car via the Sentier Augustave. This track is the most beautiful we have ever made in ReUnion.
Drive to Col des Boeufs parking lot. If you leave your car at the end of the road, you will have to pay 5 Euros per day. Steep descend to La Nouvelle via GR R3. If you have time, take the left circuit in the direction of Marla. Do not go to Marla, turn right to GR R1/2. In La Nouvelle you MUST go to the main "point de vue" (lookout point). You will get one of the most beautiful panoramatic views. Steep ascend back to your car.
Drive to Hell-Bourg. Checkout the city, walk to the ancient spa. If you get lucky and the vulcano erupts during your stay, drive to Piton de la Fournaise and watch the erruption. Then drive to the airport, return your car and fly home.
stránky vyrobil Tomáš Ullrich - žonglér a programátor - listopad 2008