June 5, 2025, 8:19 am | Read time: 4 minutes

The French island of La Réunion is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, and is perfect for hiking. It features high mountains, deep gorges, lava-spewing volcanoes, tropical rainforests, barren lunar landscapes, magnificent waterfalls, tranquil mountain lakes, and white palm beaches for relaxation. TRAVELBOOK offers the best tips for hiking enthusiasts.

Hiking in the Heart of La Réunion

Since 2010, Réunion National Park has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage. It covers about 1,000 square kilometers in the island’s interior, occupying nearly 40 percent of its area. Several tours take hikers through the park’s impressive landscapes.

1,000 Kilometers of Long-Distance Trails

Three long-distance trails with a total of 1,000 kilometers of marked paths lead to various parts of the island:

• The GR1 route explores the three cirques around the Piton des Neiges.
• The GR2 route allows for a crossing of the island from north to south.
• The third route, GR3, is somewhat more challenging and leads through the Mafate caldera.

Climbing the Piton de Neiges

Plan for two days to climb the island’s highest mountain. There is a hut station on the mountain. To experience the sunrise early in the morning, you can stay overnight in the hut and then climb to the summit in the early morning. If the weather is clear, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the island.

Volcano Piton de la Fournaise

The Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The area around the crater is strictly monitored, as eruptions occur on average every two to three years. When this happens, glowing lava flows down the more than 2,000-meter-high slopes to the sea. About a week before a new eruption is expected, locals and tourists are warned, and the hiking trails are closed.

Hiking Through the Rainforest

Don’t miss a hike through the Forêt de Bébour. The forest is remarkable for its rich flora and fauna. Tree-high ferns, tamarind trees, moss, and exotic flowers like orchids make the hike through the “fairy-tale forest” a special experience. A path leads to the Trou de Fer with a 300-meter-deep gorge. The waterfalls there are very impressive.

Guided Hikes Through Mountains and Valleys

Several tour operators offer guided hiking tours on La Réunion. The selection includes both the duration of the hiking tours, ranging from a few days to two weeks, and the skill level of climbers and hikers. There are both climbing tours and hikes of varying difficulty levels. If desired, you can hire a mountain guide for hiking on La Réunion.

The Best Time to Hike on La Réunion

Here you will find content from third-party providers

To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.

Activate

In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

On La Réunion, the weather promises not only sunshine. It rains significantly more on the tropical island in the Indian Ocean than on the neighboring island of Mauritius. Especially during the monsoon months from December to March, expect more rainy than sunny days on La Réunion.

The tropical island is like a mini-continent, with tropical warm water on the west coast, high humidity in the rainforest, and much rain on the east coast. Fog and frost await visitors even in the summer months in the higher mountain regions.

In April, the likelihood of rain decreases. The driest months are June and September to November. Daytime high temperatures in the coastal regions are around 25 degrees Celsius. These are pleasant temperatures for hiking. However, at night, it can even snow in the mountains. During the dry season between September and October, many hotels are fully booked. It is therefore advisable to reserve rooms and rental cars well in advance for the peak season.

More on the topic

Overview Guadeloupe: The Most Beautiful Destinations and Best Tips

Selected by National Geographic The 25 Coolest Travel Experiences Worldwide

In Europe This Mountain Range Is as Beautiful as the Alps—Only Cheaper and Less Crowded!

Location of the Island on the Map

Here you will find content from third-party providers

To interact with or display third-party content, we need your consent.

Activate

In order to display embedded content, your consent to the processing of personal data, which can be revoked at any time (via the switch or via “Revoke tracking and cookies” at the bottom of the page), is required. Data may be transferred to third countries such as the USA (Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). By switching to “on” you agree. You can find more information here.

Text contribution: Marianne Rittner