Blogs from Cirque Du Salazie, Reunion, Africa

July 9, 2017 - Today was quite the day. Most of the time when I travel, I've done a lot of planning and know what I will do most days. There is some flexibility, but not as much as you might think. Yesterday, when I arrived in Reunion, I thought today I would do a long hike and tomorrow I would do another long hike, to Cirque de Mafate. This is another collapsed volcano, and you can only get there by walking. There are villages there, and there are 100km of walking trails, but no roads and no cars. Supplies are brought in by helicopter, but there are people who live there who have never seen a car. From Hell Bourg, I could walk there and back in about five hours. But after talking to the ... read more

Day 2: Caverne Dufour to Hell-Bourg via Piton des Neiges & Cap Anglais duration: 7hr, 11km, 600m ascent, 2140 descent Back at the Caverne Dufour, the trail to Hell-Bourg (six hours) runs north across the saddle and skirts the rim of the Cirque de Salazie, passing through giant heather forest. It’s a bit of a mud chute, so watch your footing. After 1¼ hours you’ll reach a whitepainted cross at Cap Anglais, from where there are excellent views over the Cirque de Salazie. Take the GR R1 variant straight downhill from here to the southern end of Hell-Bourg (2¾ hours), emerging near the stadium. Instead of getting straight to Hell Bourg from Cap Anglais, die-hards may choose to walk along the Cirque rim through the lush Forêt de Bébour-Bélouve. Just beyond the turn-off, the trail begins ... read more