The finest hikes starting from Cilaos

• Roche Merveilleuse: 1 h 30 round trip from the village, gentle gradient, the best panorama accessible to everyone.
• Sentier de la Chapelle: 2 h, a narrow fault between two walls — avoid in wet weather.
• Bras Rouge waterfall: 2 h 30 round trip, down to the pool then a sustained climb back.

• Col du Taïbit: 5 h round trip, the gateway to Mafate, with views over both cirques from the pass.
• Piton des Neiges: 8–10 h round trip from Le Bloc, or two days with a night at the Caverne Dufour hut.

Cilaos is a major stage on the GR R1 (Piton des Neiges loop) and the GR R2 (the Grande Traversée, from Saint-Denis to Saint-Philippe). From the village you reach Mafate via Col du Taïbit, or Salazie over the summit. These routes demand logistics: a lightened pack, hut bookings, and a car that has to stay somewhere for three to five days.

• Check the mountain forecast the same morning: weather changes fast at altitude.
• Start early — clouds often climb into the cirque in the early afternoon.
• Tell someone your route and expected return time.
• Never leave the waymarked trails: the ravines are extremely treacherous.