Cirque de Cilaos

Cirque de Cilaos is a volcanic amphitheatre in the central interior of Réunion, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean. It is reached by the RD241, a mountain road from Saint-Louis with well over a hundred hairpin bends and several narrow one-lane tunnels cut into the cliff, a drive of about an hour and a quarter that is as much a feature of the visit as the destination. The road ends at the village of Cilaos, a spa town that grew up around thermal springs discovered in the 19th century. The Thermes de Cilaos complex still uses naturally heated mineral water. The cirque is known for lentils, embroidery work called broderie de Cilaos, and wine grown at unusually high altitude for the tropics, with local vineyards producing wines sold in village shops. Visitors spend time wandering the village, tasting lentil dishes and local wine, and visiting the tourist office for trail information. The cirque is also the base for hikes to Piton des Neiges, the island's highest peak, as well as shorter walks to viewpoints such as Bras Rouge, the Roche Merveilleuse lookout and the trailhead for the Grand Bassin descent from Bras Sec. A typical visit lasts from one to three days: a day is enough to drive up, see the village and take one short walk, while hikers usually stay overnight. Mornings give the clearest views, since afternoon cloud builds up and fills the cirque. The road is slowest behind delivery trucks and on market days, and the least busy times are weekday mornings outside school holidays. Drivers unused to mountain hairpins should avoid the road after dark. The Car Jaune bus line 4 also serves the cirque for travellers without a car, at about €5. The tourist office in the village provides maps, trail conditions and accommodation lists for hikers heading into the mountains.