Hiking in the Mafate cirque

Description

Every Tuesday and Saturday, I propose you to go hiking in the heart of the rugged relief of the magnificent cirque of Mafate, to immerse yourself in the historic magic of the area.

Mafate is one of the three big natural cirques of the Reunion Island, as well as Salazie and Cilaos. Surrounded by a particularly steep relief, Mafate is difficult to reach. Thus, no road serves the interior of the cirque that can be visited only on foot, which makes it a world apart. Here there is no hotel, no infrastructure, and the largest village ("La Nouvelle") has only one school and a few shops. All this makes this place different, far from the agitation of the world, where nature is king and offers exceptional landscapes, made of ravines, waterfalls, forests, peaks, etc. A dense network of trails allows life in the cirque and makes it a Mecca for hiking in Reunion.

This route in the mountains of Reunion Island lasts about 6 hours for a distance of 12 kilometers and a positive and negative difference in altitude of 550 meters.

A good understanding of French is required to take part in this group hike.

If I am not available, a colleague from the Bureau Montagne Réunion will be in charge of the supervision.

 

If you want to continue to discover Reunion Island during beautiful day outings, I propose you to hike in the cirque of Cilaos, in the heart of Belouve forest and Trou de Fer, on the trails of the Piton de la Fournaise but also in off-trail version on this volcano.

Program

• Departure every Tuesday and Thursday.
• Departure is confirmed from the first registered person.
• Meet at 6.30am, 7.30am or 8.30am at the parking lot of the Galets river.
• After 30 minutes of 4WD vehicle track in the bed of the "rivière des Galets", the trail starts with a succession of fords and then quickly rises to reach the Cayenne islet.
• Return via the footbridge which offers a 360 degree panorama overlooking waterfalls and pools.
• Be careful, this hike often requires participants to walk in the water! (water height under the knees)
• Back to the parking lot at 3.30pm, 4.30pm ou 5.30pm.
• This route has a few fords and has a quite important difference in altitude for children. The minimum age recommended is 8 years.
• NOTE: in case of closure of the 4WD track, I will propose an alternative hike around Mafate.

The price includes

• Supervision by the mountain leader.
• A snack with local drinks.

The price does not include

• Transport to and from the parking lot of the Galets river.
• Picnic lunch.
• Drinks.
• Tranfer with the 4WD taxi: 26€ per person.
• Anything not mentioned in "The price includes".

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