Things to do in Piton de la Fournaise
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Piton de la Fournaise
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry cool hiking season with the clearest dawns. Eruptions are not seasonal and can occur in any month.
Hot wet summer with cloud, rain and cyclone risk. Roads and trails close more often; build extra days.
Shoulder compromise: drier than summer, quieter than the winter peak, pastures green after rain.
Best things to do in Piton de la Fournaise
Cite du Volcan
The volcanology museum at Bourg-Murat that explains the Fournaise, and the best use of a closure or whiteout day.
Route du Volcan
The 23 km drive in via Nez de Boeuf and Cratere Commerson, ending across the red Plaine des Sables desert.
Pas de Bellecombe
The free rim viewpoint over the Enclos Fouque to the Dolomieu cone, and the legal eruption terrace when closed.
Notre-Dame des Laves
The church the 1977 lava flow surrounded without destroying, with the cooled flow still at its walls.
Anse des Cascades
Waterfalls, palms and a picnic cove by a small harbour, the gentlest stop on the hard lava coast.
Where to stay in Piton de la Fournaise
Bourg-Murat and Plaine des Cafres
default volcano base, dawn summit starts, museum
The high plateau at the start of the Route du Volcan, about an hour from Pas de Bellecombe, with all the beds.
Pas de Bellecombe
one trailhead night for the earliest start
Sleeping at the car park rim removes the dawn drive entirely, at the cost of basic, cold, exposed comfort.
Sainte-Rose and the wild south coast
Grand Brule, lava road and east coast days
A greener coastal base for the coulees and Anse des Cascades, with a longer volcano drive, so pair it with a plateau night.
Le Tampon and Saint-Pierre
more services and restaurants, longer dawn drive
The comfort upgrade below the plateau, 25 to 40 minutes further from the trailhead on hike morning.
Think twice about
- RN2 Grand Brule carriageway during an eruption
No stopping on the road itself for flow viewing. Use signed car parks and obey gendarmerie directions, or the road closes for everyone.
- Inside the Enclos Fouque during a prefecture closure
Closed from Alert 1 upward and enforced. Legal viewing is from the rim, the Plaine des Sables, the RN2 corridor and the air.
Best restaurants in Piton de la Fournaise
Le QG
The best known table in Bourg-Murat, generous French and Creole plates in a warm Creole room.
Les Sens Ciel
The most refined kitchen in the volcano foothills, careful French plates with local produce in Le Tampon.
Restaurant L'Annabella
The Gite du Volcan dining room at the trailhead, the only hot evening meal at Pas de Bellecombe.
Restaurant Le Cap Mechant
A Creole and grill lunch terrace by the black cliffs of Cap Mechant, made for the Grand Brule day.
Chez Guilaine
A no frills Creole canteen on the plateau, daily caris and rougails at local lunch prices.
Resto Self la Fournaise
A fast self service canteen on the RN3, the cheapest hot lunch near the museum and volcano road.
Outdoor things to do in Piton de la Fournaise
Piton de la Fournaise
The summit hike across the Enclos Fouque past Formica Leo to the Dolomieu crater rim at 2632 metres.
Guided volcano hike, Piton de la Fournaise
The Enclos and Dolomieu with a certified guide, who reads weather, gas and prefecture status for the group.
Lava tunnels, Grand Brule
A guided headtorch walk inside lava tubes in the coastal flows, with ropes, skylights and mineral colours.
Grand Brule
The great burned slope where dated coulees cross the RN2 to the sea, including the huge 2007 flow.
Helicopter flight over Piton de la Fournaise
A scenic flight over the Enclos and Dolomieu, and in eruption the best legal view of the active flows.
Best hotels in Piton de la Fournaise
Gite du Volcan
The basic refuge gite at the trailhead, so dawn starts and dusk rim views need no drive at all.
Auberge du Volcan
A simple, good value auberge in Bourg-Murat used by hiking groups, with early breakfasts for volcano days.
Hotel Les Geraniums
The best established small hotel on the plateau, with gardens, a pool and a restaurant at altitude.
Cote Volcan
A well kept guest house near the Cite du Volcan whose hosts are used to dawn volcano departures.
Relais du Volcan
A terrace bed and breakfast with kitchenettes on the plateau, good for groups and two night stays.
Is Piton de la Fournaise expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €60 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €210 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Guided volcano hike, Piton de la Fournaise: a few days ahead
- Lava tunnels, Grand Brule: a few days ahead
- Helicopter flight over Piton de la Fournaise: weeks ahead
- Gite du Volcan: weeks ahead
- Auberge du Volcan: a few days ahead
- Hotel Les Geraniums: a few days ahead
- Cote Volcan: a few days ahead
- Relais du Volcan: a few days ahead
- Book the Gite du Volcan, plateau guest houses, guides, tunnels and helicopter seats ahead in the May to November hiking season.
Is Piton de la Fournaise safe?
- Obey prefecture closures from Alert 1 upward. Stay on marked Enclos trails, respect unfenced edges, and call 112 in an emergency.
Piton de la Fournaise travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Saving the volcano for the last day, arriving at 10:00 for a dawn view, and stopping on the RN2 carriageway to photograph a flow.
Getting around Piton de la Fournaise: public transport and more
- Hire car only. The Route du Volcan runs about 23 km from Bourg-Murat to Pas de Bellecombe, with no fuel or shop on the upper mountain.
Who Piton de la Fournaise suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Piton de la Fournaise your trip
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