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Blood, sweat and tears... well mainly just the sweat.
Today I completed the difficult but rewarding hike around the Cirque of Mafate. The hike took us about 9hours (with breaks) but it was definitely worth it!
Reunion was formed a couple of million years ago over a volcanic hotspot. There are two volcanos on the island, one very active volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise and the other, Piton de Neiges is an extinct volcano. On this side of the island, Piton de Neiges is surrounded by three cirques; Cirque de Mafate, Cirque de Cilaos, and Cirque de Salazie, and they are all dotted with Creole villages. The Cirque de Mafate is unique in that the entire cirque, which includes more than 140 kilometres of hiking trails, has no roads and is accessible only by foot and helicopter. The cirque is surrounded by unbelievably high walls, or ramparts, and offers some of the most beautiful hiking scenery on earth. It is possible to hike for several days, even a couple of weeks, in Mafate alone and some routes require more fitness and hiking experience than others. But today I completed a shorter hike, which took about 9hours including breaks. It was a circular walk from the carpark in Salazie to Aurère and back.
I'd be lying if I thought the hike was easy; it was long, tiring and at times quite treacherous. The path was sometimes thin and slippery and due to issues finding the carpark in the morning, we started the hike later than intended and the last hour was completed in darkness. Nevertheless it was a fun hike, with a nice combination of different terrains; coniferous forests, running streams, noisy waterfalls and breathtaking mountain sceneries. Definitely a hike I'd recommend but make sure you do it with friends, have suitable walking gear and please do it early! Maybe even pay for a gîte (a hiking hostel) to stay the night in order to cut your hike into two parts.
