A Creole village listed among the most beautiful in France
At a glance
- Category
- Towns and villages
- Area
- Salazie cirque
- Time needed
- 2–3 h
- Places to stay nearby
- 24 places to stay within 1 km
A village in the Salazie cirque: colourful Creole houses with gardens and lacework trim, the ruins of 19th-century thermal baths, the Maison Folio house museum and a cemetery with picturesque tombs. Stay overnight — in the evening and morning it is quiet, with no tour buses.
On the map
Orange dots: places to stay nearby. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Coordinates are approximate.
Where to stay nearby: Hell-Bourg
All places to stay in the area →
Distance from the sight as the crow flies: Gîte Madeleine — 50 m; Gîte Parisot — 50 m; Gite du Piton d'Anchaing — 100 m; La Mandoze — 100 m.
Tours nearby
All tours on the island →
Canyons and thrills
Canyoning in Cilaos and SalazieWaterfall descents, from beginner canyons to sporting ones
Half a day to a full dayMay — November≈ 9.4 km
Guided hikes
Overnight trek into the Mafate cirqueA cirque without roads: on foot from hamlet to hamlet, with a night in a gîte
2–3 daysMay — November≈ 9.5 km
Rum, wine, vanilla
Vanilla in the east and rum distilleriesBourbon vanilla plantations and a rum museum in an old distillery
2–4 hAll year≈ 21 kmMore to see nearby
Nature
Voile de la Mariée waterfall
A tiered waterfall right beside the road to Salazie≈ 4.7 km
Hike
Into Mafate: Col des Bœufs → La Nouvelle
The shortest way into the roadless cirque, and a night in an îlet≈ 5.2 km
Hike
Piton des Neiges from Cilaos
The highest point in the Indian Ocean: a climb with an overnight stay and sunrise above the clouds≈ 5.7 km
Hike
Trou de Fer lookout from Bélouve
A chasm with waterfalls hundreds of metres high — the most photographed view on the island≈ 6.1 kmOpening hours, prices and rules are a rough guide: check official websites before you go.