Roche Plate - Marla

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Second day of the hike in the Cirque de Mafate.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Cirque de Mafate

Details

n°9852
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.06 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 817 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 295 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,635 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,113 m
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Photos

Marla school
Lunar landscape
It's uphill!
3 Roches

Description of the walk

(S/E) At the water point near the school, head towards La Nouvelle.

(1) At the first crossroads, turn left onto the GRR3 towards Trois Roches - Marla - La Nouvelle.
Continue south, climbing and descending a series of steps throughout this section. Cross several dry ravines. You will reach Ravine Chevaquine

(2) Follow it downhill on its left bank to reach Trois Roches on the edge of the Rivière des Galets. Be careful, the slabs are slippery.

(3) Take care here as the Rivière des Galets flows into an impressive fault.

(4) Ford the river to rejoin theGR® trail. Continue straight ahead towards Marla. After a mostly flat walk through a rocky environment, you will reach a beautiful viewpoint.

(5) Head south through the forest to reach the village of Marla (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 1,113 m - Roche Plate
  2. 1 : km 0.36 - alt. 1,119 m - GRR3 crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.96 - alt. 1,263 m - Ravine Chevaquine
  4. 3 : km 3.85 - alt. 1,250 m - Trois Roches
  5. 4 : km 4.1 - alt. 1,235 m - Fork the river. - Cascade des Trois Roches
  6. 5 : km 6.16 - alt. 1,395 m - Viewpoint
  7. E : km 8.06 - alt. 1,632 m - Marla

Notes

Bring plenty of water.
After 3 Roches, the hike is in full sun. There is no shade and the ground retains heat.
There are no lodges at 3 Roches.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 8189494

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Philippe Chargy
Philippe Chargy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike where the landscapes follow one another but are never the same. A stop at Three Rocks is a must to enjoy this magnificent spot. Then the climb up the pebble riverbed. Imagine when it's full! A landslide blocked the path a few hundred metres after the Three Rocks. Return to the riverbed and cut across the large pebbles as soon as possible to get back on the path. Finally, enjoy the beautiful climb up to Marlat, where you'll arrive at a super-friendly snack bar.

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Cepillo
Cepillo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike, special mention for the work done by the ONF to maintain the trail!!!!

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Aurélie G4.
Aurélie G4.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike with increasingly beautiful and varied panoramic views. The Three Rocks site is superb, ideal for a lunch break before tackling the climb up to Marla. There are a few slightly tricky sections, particularly crossing the river before climbing up to Marla, but nothing insurmountable.

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arbano
arbano

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I was enchanted by the scenery , and by the entire route, even though some sections were quite unpleasant due to the poor quality of the terrain.

I may do it again in a while, now that I know what to expect.

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arbano
arbano

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Not done yet, I'll do it next Monday but in the other direction. It helped me to better visualise my route in areas I don't know (3 rocks at Roche Plate) and the travel times. It matches what I had estimated.
I'm going to do it over two days:
Day 1: Taïbit-Marla-3 Rocks-Roche Plate
Day 2: Roche Plate - Le Bronchard - La Nouvelle - Marla (via Laclos lodge) - Taïbit
To be continued...

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.