The must-do hike in reunion island!

If you like the great outdoors and unspoilt countryside, this trek is for you! Spoiler alert: I was amazed by the magnificence of the scenery and variety of landscapes. Jungles with lush vegetation, volcanic and lunar landscapes, dense pine forests, lush plains, dozens of streams and waterfalls, all on an amazing scale. In a word, awesome!
And is it hard? Well, it's roughly a 160 km trek - not counting possible variants - with 10,000 m of cumulative ascents and descents, so it's a test of endurance. The challenge lies in the number of steps (by which I mean thousands), typical of Reunion trails. And they're all different sizes which made it more fun. I'll tell you more about it later...
There were also huge numbers of roots and stones, and cliff paths so you had to be constantly vigilant about where to put your feet. People say that some sections are very muddy but it was very dry when we were there so I can't confirm that.
But unlike the GR20, to cite just one example, there were fewer vertiginous sections where you had to use your hands or climb with a rope. Which, in my opinion, made it less difficult.
Another thing to be aware of: the altitude, particularly if you do the variants (up to 3,000 m+), so you'll need to take nice, warm clothes.
Finally, the Reunion weather can come as a surprise. We were extremely lucky in this regard but it can quickly become overcast, sometimes as early as 10 or 11 am. So one word of advice: start walking early! The good news is that the sun rises at roughly 5.30 am.
So there you have it; you've been warned.

10KM // 200 D+ / 900 D- // 2 HRS 45

And yet, it wasn't one of the best nights. We woke up very early so we could reach the Roche Écrite summit - a stage not included in the GR trail but which is well worth the trip - before breakfast. The good thing is that we could leave our bags at the gîte and walk unencumbered. 5.30 am, we climbed for a good hour through a vast, rocky, surprisingly arid plain. You really need to pay attention to spot the trail which is marked in white. Throughout the climb, we had a fantastic, clear view of the sea with a few clouds in the distance.
The summit, some 2,200 metres above sea level, left us speechless. There, stretching out before us was the Cirque de Salazie, with not a cloud on the horizon. In the background, we could see part of the Mafate Cirque and the 2 pitons - Piton des Neiges and the Piton de la Fournaise. It was spectacular, the steep green peaks and villages below. We spent a while admiring the amazing view and then walked back down. At 8 am sharp, we sat down for our breakfast which we devoured without even saying grace!

In the meantime, everyone had left the gîte and it was our turn to hit the road and follow the GR towards Dos d’Âne, one of the entry points to the Mafate Cirque. A short stage but what a stage! Certainly one of the most beautiful. First, we again walked through a dense forest, regularly lowering our heads to avoid branches and tree trunks. Soon, through the vegetation, we could make out the Cirque de Mafate on our left. It was a stunning view which remained visible as we walked all along the ridge trail. A feast for the eyes...and a workout for the legs. The guide promised us a stage that was all downhill. It lied: It was all raised mounds which we climbed up and then immediately down - a special treat.
After a final superb, but steep, ridge, we reached the village of Dos d’Âne, high up in the clouds. We came across the only restaurant in the area where we feasted on "rougail saucisses," a spicy sausage stew. When we reached the refuge, we spent a while chatting to other hikers. The evening was fun and, our host had lots of advice to share about the next day.

22.5KM // 1200 D+ / 1300 D- // 7 HRS 15

I slept better and at 7.15 am, we set off on our way, ready to do battle with Mafate. As it was the big day: the day of our long awaited encounter with the famous cirque. And also a day of aches and pains.
At the start of the trail, we came face to face with dozens of trail runners, competing in a race. It was nice (we were happy to encourage them) but also a bit annoying as the path descended sharply along a narrow, quite steep trail with a few "ladders" or stairs so we had to let them pass as they made their way up. That made us lose a bit of time.
Eventually, after a 2 hour descent, we reached Mafate. We stood on a plateau, surrounded by impressive mountains and traversed by the Rivière des Galets. It was superb; we felt tiny when faced with the vastness of nature. I apologize but it's difficult to describe just how beautiful it was. We crossed the river several times, taking the opportunity to cool down - which felt great in the heat of the blazing sun.
Further along we reached a forest; we were very grateful for the shade so we could tackle the challenging and impressive flight of steps that would eventually - after some 15 km and 800 d+ elevation gain - lead us to Aurère. But the reward was worth it: Aurère is cuteness personified. A tiny village, in the depths of the mountains, with a grass path running through it, colourful, well-maintained houses and a lovely bar (well, ok, it was closed but it was Sunday) where we stopped off and had a sandwich. An oasis of calm that cast its spell over us.

23KM // 2200 D+ / 1000 D- // 8.5 HRS

It was an incredible night, the most comfortable that I've ever spent in a tent! And the view when you woke up. Wow!
I was slight dreading this day because the 2 stages we'd planned were long - and our legs were already pretty tired from the previous days - and we had to arrive before nightfall which was 6.30pm. So we set off without delay. We left Mafate early in the morning, after hiking across the entire Cirque, but not before a lovely climb up to the col du Taïbit pass. In the cool weather it wasn't too difficult. And the view that awaited us at the top, made us forget all our aches and pains: an amazing view of Marla and the surrounding area. Once again, I have no words to describe it.
A break to contemplate the view and then it was time for the (interminable) descent towardsCilaos. The scenery on the other side of the mountain pass was just as breath-taking: we were facing the cirque de Cilaos which stretched out majestically before us. Cilaos was a far cry from the previous villages we'd visited and very obviously a town with a proper road leading to it.
The hike down, through a lovely forest, was long but relatively easy. We crossed the river once again. We stopped off at a tea room in the middle of nowhere for a lovely iced tea which really perked us up. We traversed the natural pools - which are very popular with tourists - at the bottom of Cilaos, before heading up towards the town. 4 hours and 45 minutes of walking and we'd arrived. We ate in a snack bar and did some shopping for the evening as we were staying the night in a bivouac.

We rolled up our sleeves to tackle the 2nd stage of the day: the trail's main climb, leading to the Piton des Neiges refuge (commonly known as Caverne Dufour). We'd been told it was epic and with 1,400 d+ elevation gain, we expected nothing less. I'll let you imagine the constant twists and bends, the insane number of increasingly steep steps, taking us right up into the clouds so...there was no view. Seb nearly lost one of his poles and I'd hit rock bottom because there was no end in sight but, eventually, we made good progress. And as proof, we reached the summit in 2 hours 15 minutes instead of the advertised 3.5 hours. Phew! So, finally, the day was shorter than expected although, between you and me, 8.5 hours of effort was quite enough.
The view from the top is breathtaking: a sea of clouds at our feet with a few peaks peaking out here and there. The refuge was just behind, in a dry, rocky landscape. We pitched our tent a bit further down, on one of the few available spots, facing this extraordinary landscape. We were 2,400 m above sea level and it gets cold quickly. We ate our sandwich quickly before slipping into our sleeping bags.

20KM // 350 D+ / 1000 D- // 6 HRS 10

We set the alarm to get up during the night. Objective: to watch the sun rise from the Piton des Neiges. But to do so we had to start climbing at 4 o'clock in the morning. Fortunately, the climb up wasn't difficult. It's always fun to see all the head torches above and below you, all moving in the same direction. Towards the end of the climb, we saw the first glimmer of daylight; it was a magical spectacle. The starlit sky took on an orange and red hue. It looked like a kaleidoscope - it was a real treat. 1.5 hours later and we reached the top, more that 3,000 m above sea level. It was pretty cold with the wind. There were quite a few sheltered camping pitches for keen campers. Any takers?
The 360° view of the island was incredible: Mafate, Cilaos, the Roche Écrite, la Fournaise etc. The peaks and ridges stood out clearly against the still dark sky. Within fifteen minutes, the sun has risen and gradually lit up the surrounding peaks; it was really extraordinary. The only drawback: there were a tad too many people around.
It was hot going down. We were amazed by our early morning experience but also starving so we had a good breakfast back at the refuge.

23KM // 250 D+ / 2400 D- // 7 HRS 10

I'd prefer to be honest: I lied. We completed these last two stages in two days. But in fact it can largely be done in one day, it's just that we had lots of time.
Anyway, we started the day watching the sun rise above the volcano. It was so quiet. We packed our bags and had breakfast at the snack bar (pastries - heavenly!)

It was the day of our descent down to the sea! Let's call it: "the descent from hell." And you'll understand why.
But first, we spent a while walking along the vast crater of the volcano. It was great but also really windy and we were a bit chilly. The landscape is rather barren so it gets boring. Maybe we weren't paying attention or perhaps fatigue was setting in but, in any event, we all took a fall and got a few scratches.
However, the hardest part was still to come: the descent, which I'll tell you about. It was incredibly technical, super steep; there were sharp pebbles everywhere that kept rolling under our feet and roots galore; then we reached the jungle. We could see the sea in the distance which was beautiful. As for the rest, it was hard and required total concentration. The trail seemed interminable especially since there was little variation in landscape. I told you it was tough.
The jungle gradually gave way to forest and we finally arrived at the gîte de Basse Vallée refuge. A quiet gîte with a leafy garden and charming terrace - great place for an aperitif - as well as a nice, hot shower. A short siesta before dinner - just the once wouldn't hurt - where this time we indulged in a delicious taro gratin (a relative of the potato). We shared it with some very nice hikers who we had a good laugh with. It was our last meal surrounded by nature so we really relished it.