The blog invite you to discover the lava tubes, deep inside our volcano Piton de la Fournaise (“Peak of the Furnace”), one of the world’s most active volcanoes. This original visit will remain in your mind forever.

Inside the veins of the earth

Caverne des Fées, trou de la Plaine des Palmistes, grotte du sentier du Piton Textor, caverne des Quatre Voies, grotte Bernica, caverne Fleurimont… Do you know all these unusual sites?

The lava tubes offer a fun learning experience for explorers of all ages, living unforgettable moments in some stunning underground tunnels. Enjoy the unique atmosphere of the place, in the bowels of the volcano, as you come across unexpected features like the shape of animals.

Sports fans will realize the trip in about 4 hours, sometimes crawling on their hands and knees. For the rest of us, from 7 to 77 years old, a smaller portion is accessible standing on your feet, with sometimes a little walk in a gently undulating fashion, so to say back home that you have to deserve this place !

The discovery of these lava tubes remains in the scientific field of the speleology, requiring a perfect knowledge of the tunnels and their risks. That’s why only professional guides are allowed to take residents and tourists on a strictly official walking tour.

“These reliefs and features come from a well-known phenomenon, says Anthony Finizola, professor in the Geosciences laboratory of La Reunion University. When ribbons of red hot lava drain from a volcano, the edges cool down and thicken into an insulating crust, creating a roof over the still-flowing lava. Eventually the flow gets diverted or stops altogether, leaving the lava tubes”.

The scientific officer at the Volcanological Observatory of the Piton de la Fournaise, Andrea Di Muro, says that “You have to imagine La Reunion as a unique volcanic massif. The telluric activity is still very intense. Every time the volcano wakes up, the overflowing lava shapes new tunnels.”