Le Piton de la
Fournaise (The Peak of the Furnace), known locally as Le Volcan (The
Volcano), is a major tourist attraction on Réunion Island and a hike to its top
one of the most popular for tourists.

 

The trail starts from the Pas de Bellecombe (2300 m) with a wonderful view over the volcano
and the Enclos Fouché, a caldera 8
kilometers wide. High cliffs known as remparts form the caldera's rim. After
descending from Pas de Bellecombe,
100 m lower into the enclosure, the little nice red crater of Formica Leo is an obvious detour before
crossing the stressing lunar landscape of the lava plain. White paint marks
over rocks delimit a footpath leading to the Rosemont Chapel, a curious rock
overlooking a cave, before going up for a two hours walk to the eastern side of
the Dolomieu Crater at an altitude of 2500 m. The terrain
around the trail consists of twisted and turned basaltic rocks, holes, cracks,
unconsolidated and loose volcanic soil.

 

After reaching the top, a look inside the
Dolomieu Crater is scary and landslides near the rim are a fairly common
occurrence. A walk around the rim is no longer possible due to the latest
eruptions and the return route follows the same path. I was fortunate enough to
have a very nice weather on that day but it can change very quickly, moving
from bright sunlight and heat to dense fog with cold and rain. In dense fog,
straying from the path is very risky.