What to do in Piton de la Fournaise

Discover the activities to do at Piton de la Fournaise! The Piton de la Fournaise volcano is a must-see on a trip to Réunion Island. It is an impressive site that is just waiting to be discovered.

Rising to 2,632 m on the border between the districts of Saint-Benoît and Saint-Pierre, the Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, but also one of the most beautiful! It is separated from the Piton des Neiges massif by the Plaines des Palmistes and the Plaines des Cafres, and is located in the south-east of Réunion Island, the least urbanised region of the island. It is still a wild place that can be discovered through activities specific to its environment.

All around the Piton de la Fournaise volcano are lava tunnels formed by eruptions and flows. One of the must-do's is to visit some of them via a caving activity to admire the spectacle of lava stalactites and stalagmites. You can also admire the various marks left by the volcano's lava flows along the coast by following the Route des Laves, between Sainte-Rose and Saint-Philippe. Along the way you will come across the church of Notre-Dame des Laves, famous for having narrowly escaped the magma that flowed around it, as well as the viewpoint of Anse des Cascades, a small bay offering a calm and pleasant setting for a Réunion-style picnic.

The Piton de la Fournaise is renowned for its hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, allowing you to enjoy its exceptional landscapes and the panoramic views it offers over the rest of Réunion Island. Indeed, nowhere else will you find an environment like that of the Plaine des Sables, reminiscent of the red earth of the planet Mars with its reddish rocks and volcanic sand. The Pas de Bellecombe lookout, at the top of the Piton, offers an incredible panoramic view of the entire volcano and its craters, as well as the surrounding area.

A visit to the Piton de la Fournaise is therefore a must in Réunion Island and should not be missed, especially if you are lucky enough to witness the volcano's lava flows!