Reunion island offers an exceptional playground for mountain lovers and exotic trekking adventurers.

This small island, with a surface area of 2500km2, is criss-crossed by more than 900kms of marked trails for hikers of all ages. They traverse a very diverse environment of breathtaking beauty.

The Piton des Neiges, which culminates at 3069m altitude, offers a mountainous landscape with a grandiose topography. It’s surrounded by three vast eroded cirques, Mafate, Salazie and Cilaos, a real geological wonder with a dramatic scenery and blissful colors.

What sets the Cirque de Mafate apart is its relative inaccessibility, no roads leading into the cirque, just a good network of walking paths connecting the villages. No cars, no towns, no stress, but soaring mountains, giddily deep ravines and dense rain forests.

Trekking in the majestic Piton de la Fournaise, the most active volcano in the world, offers fascinating lunar landscapes, along its ramparts, craters and its volcanic peaks at 2632m above sea level.

The Fédération Française de randonnée pédestre (French hiking Federation) has endorsed three long distance hiking trails. The GRR1 (60kms) takes a route around Piton des Neiges and past the three cirques. The GRR2 (130kms) traverses the island from north to south, from the coastline to the highest summits (Piton des Neiges and Piton de la Fournaise). The R3 (38kms) crosses the Mafate crater.

From half-hour walks for families (the famous “sentiers marmailles“) to long hiking trails, La Reunion island is a paradise for nature lovers.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet some of the inhabitants of the islets, the authentic villages that are scattered across the interior of the National Park. Enjoy a meal or even a night in one of the typical French-Reunion gîte dotted along the walking trails, well deserved after a day’s trekking !