L'Heure du Voyage
🇷🇪 Itinerary · Réunion · 30 days

1-month Réunion itinerary 2026: the island in depth

30 days to live the island in full: three cirques, full Mafate, the GR R2, Piton des Neiges, La Fournaise, the Wild South and every lagoon. Budget and stops detailed.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

30 days

Stops

Full loop

Average budget

€3,200-4,800

Total distance

~1,500 km

Profile

Intensive hiking

Season

May-Oct

North 3d · Salazie 3d · Full Mafate 6d · Cilaos & Piton des Neiges 4d · Volcano & Highlands 4d · Wild South 5d · West 5d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Réunion 1-month itinerary map: Saint-Denis, Salazie, full Mafate, Cilaos, Piton de la Fournaise, Wild South, West

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

7 days, day by day

1

~€85/day

Stage 1 · Saint-Denis & north coast (D1-3)

  • D1 Arrival, rental car, exploring the Creole centre of Saint-Denis.
  • D2 North coast road to Sainte-Suzanne, Niagara waterfall, vanilla plantations.
  • D3 Sainte-Marie and the hinterland, climb to Roche Écrite (8h, view over Mafate) to warm up.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Denis · e.g. Le Juliette Dodu (3 nights)·🚗 Rental car·Réunion guide →
2

~€60/day

Stage 2 · Cirque de Salazie (D4-6)

  • D4 Hell-Bourg, Voile de la Mariée, abandoned thermal springs.
  • D5 Bélouve loop and the Trou de Fer lookout (one of the island's finest waterfalls).
  • D6 Trail to Piton d'Anchaing and immersion in Salazie's Creole culture.
🛌 🛌 Hell-Bourg · e.g. Le Relais des Cimes (3 nights)·🚗 Mountain roads
3

~€45/day

Stage 3 · Full Mafate, the great trek (D7-12)

  • D7 Enter via the Col des Bœufs toward La Nouvelle. First road-free hamlet.
  • D8-9 Roche Plate, Îlet à Bourse, Aurère: linking the hamlets on foot, resupplied by helicopter.
  • D10-11 Grand Place, Cayenne, Îlet à Malheur. Staying with locals, slow rhythm.
  • D12 Exit via Marla and the Col du Taïbit toward Cilaos.
🛌 🛌 Mafate Creole lodges (5 nights, half board)·🥾 Full trek, no car access
4

~€55/day

Stage 4 · Cilaos & Piton des Neiges (D13-16)

  • D13 Recovery and Cilaos baths after the trek. AOP lentils.
  • D14 Climb to the Caverne Dufour refuge (5h, 1,400 m of ascent).
  • D15 Summit of Piton des Neiges (3,070 m) at sunrise. Descent to Cilaos.
  • D16 Rest, Bras Rouge, Sentier de la Chapelle (narrow gorge).
🛌 🛌 Cilaos + altitude refuge (4 nights)·🥾 Trek + 🚗 car
5

~€60/day

Stage 5 · Volcano & eastern highlands (D17-20)

  • D17 Plaine des Cafres, Bourg-Murat, Cité du Volcan.
  • D18 Piton de la Fournaise: descend into the caldera and Dolomieu crater (5h, 6am start).
  • D19 Grand Étang and the Plaine des Palmistes waterfalls, the Bébour-Bélouve primary forest.
  • D20 Sainte-Rose, Notre-Dame des Laves (church spared by the 1977 flow).
🛌 🛌 Bourg-Murat & Sainte-Rose (4 nights)·🚗 RF5 forest road
6

~€55/day

Stage 6 · The Wild South in depth (D21-25)

  • D21 Lava flows of the Grand Brûlé, the lava road down to the ocean.
  • D22 Grand Galet waterfall at Langevin, Manapany pools.
  • D23 Saint-Joseph, Saint-Philippe vanilla farm, garden of scents and spices.
  • D24 Saint-Pierre, big Saturday market, Grande Anse beach.
  • D25 Entre-Deux and Le Dimitile, Creole village and lookout over Cilaos.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Pierre · e.g. Le Battant des Lames (5 nights)·🚗 RN2 coast road
7

~€70/day

Stage 7 · West, lagoons & unwinding (D26-30)

  • D26 Maïdo lookout at dawn, sweeping view over Mafate.
  • D27 Boat trip at Saint-Gilles: dolphins, whales from June to October.
  • D28 Ermitage lagoon, snorkeling, Mascarin botanical garden at Saint-Leu.
  • D29 Surf or lazing in Saint-Leu, sunset over the bay.
  • D30 Return the car, flight back to Paris.
🛌 🛌 Saint-Gilles · e.g. Le Récif (5 nights)·🚗 Route des Tamarins + ⛵ boat

How much

Itinerary budget (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€3,200

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €750
  • 🏨 Lodges & guesthouses: €35/night
  • 🍛 Cari & food trucks: €14/day
  • 🚗 Shared car: €25/day
  • 🎫 Mafate lodges & activities: €350
Recommended

Comfort

€4,200

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €850
  • 🏨 3★ hotels: €95/night
  • 🍽️ Creole tables: €28/day
  • 🚗 Own car: €38/day
  • 🎫 Trips & guides: €300

Premium

€7,200

per person

  • ✈️ Premium flight: €1,700
  • 🏨 Lodges & 4★: €190/night
  • 🍽️ Fine dining: €60/day
  • 🚁 Mafate & Fournaise helicopter flights: €560
  • 🎫 Private hiking guide: €500

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

1 week

1 week

The accessible cirques + the volcano + the lagoon.

2 weeks

2 weeks

The full loop: cirques, Mafate trek and lagoons.

You're here

1 month

1 month

The island in depth, full Mafate and every side.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

Over a month, the rental car stays the base (~1,500 km total, in short legs), with two big walking interludes: full Mafate (6 days) and Piton des Neiges. The car waits at the car park during the treks.

🚗

Rental car (1 month)

~€28/day monthly · book very early · narrow roads

🥾

Full Mafate (6 days)

Every hamlet on foot · lodges to book months ahead

🥾

Piton des Neiges

Night in an altitude refuge · summit at 3,070 m at sunrise

🚁

Helicopter (option)

€280/flight · cirques & lava flows

⛵

Boat trip (West)

€40-60/pers · dolphins · whales June-October

Adapt by season

Set the month on austral winter

For a full month, travel from May to October: it's the safest window to string together Mafate, Piton des Neiges and the GR R2 without afternoon rain. In austral summer, the full Mafate crossing becomes risky (storms, slippery trails): keep hiking for the morning then enjoy the lagoons when the sky clouds over.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In July 2025 I took 6 full days for Mafate instead of 3: Roche Plate, Aurère, Grand Place, hamlets nobody sees on a quick pass. The evening with locals at Îlet à Malheur is still my best memory of the island.
  • • Booking the car monthly rather than weekly: ~€28/day instead of €38, a big gap over 30 days.
  • • Keeping Cilaos right after Mafate for the baths: the legs want more.
  • • Timing Piton des Neiges on a full-moon night: the night climb is almost headlamp-free.
  • • Roche Écrite on D3 as a warm-up before the big treks: you test your acclimatisation gently.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Cut the Wild South to 4 days if the weather is bad and shift to the West.
  • • Add a wild bivouac night in Mafate (Trois Roches) rather than a lodge, for the silence.
  • • Avoid finishing in the North: the West and its lagoon are closer to the airport and more restful for the end.
  • • Swap Salazie and Mafate if the Mafate lodges are only free in the second week.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Isn't a month too much for such a small island? +
No. Réunion packs a rare density of landscapes: to do full Mafate (6 days), Piton des Neiges, the GR R2 and explore every side without rushing, a month fills up easily. It's the ideal format for hikers.
Should you keep the car during the treks? +
Yes. A monthly rental works out to ~€28/day and the car waits at the car park (Col des Bœufs, Maïdo, Cilaos) during Mafate and Piton des Neiges. It's simpler and cheaper than one-off transfers.
What's the best season for a full month? +
May to October (austral winter): the only reliable window to string the long treks together without afternoon rain or cyclone risk. Austral summer is still possible by hiking in the morning only.
Is the full Mafate trek hard? +
It demands good fitness: 4 to 6h of walking per day, lots of ups and downs, over 6 straight days. The trails are well marked and the lodges comfortable, but you need to be self-sufficient and carry your pack.
Can you do this month partly without hiking? +
Yes, by replacing full Mafate and Piton des Neiges with gentler days (lagoons, markets, gardens, 4x4 tours). You then keep the island loop without the big elevation gains.
What budget for a month? +
Count €3,200 in hiker mode (lodges, shared car, food trucks), €4,200 in comfort (3★ hotels, own car), flight from mainland France included. The Mafate lodges and the long-term rental are the key costs.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

Profile →