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Access: From Saint-Louis, take the RN5 towards La Rivière and Cilaos. Drive to La Rivière. At the first roundabout, take the first exit. Pass a delicatessen on the right, then take the next left towards the town hall and the swimming pool in La Rivière. Drive to the end of the road, then turn left. Continue along the road until it ends. At the next roundabout, take the second exit. You cannot miss it as there is a sign pointing towards Le Tapage. Drive up to the village. Pass the school on your right. Then take the first road on the right (Chemin Dejean). Go to the end of the track. Then turn left and then right at the next junction. The track is tarmac, and an ONF sign, located at the start of the track, indicates the direction to Les Makes as well as the difficulty of the path. Then ignore the other tarmac track branching off to the left and continue straight ahead. Go to the end of the track. The path starts here.
(S/E) The hike begins on a dirt track. A weathered ONF sign is located at the start to the right of the track, indicating the direction of Les Makes (and therefore the way to go). Take this track, which turns into a path 500 metres after the start.
(1) Continue along the path, which is shaded at the start. After a few hairpin bends, it leads to the edge of the Bras de Cilaos escarpment. The views of the Dimitile, the Grand-Serré and the Chaîne de la Plaine du Bois de Nèfles are spectacular! The path is now completely open! The switchbacks are easy to navigate and allow you to gain altitude quickly. Although we are walking along the edge of the Bras de Cilaos, the path is never vertiginous as the vegetation shields you from the drop. After a 45-minute climb, reaching the Butte Fougère marks the imminent end of the ascent on this path.
(2) From here, there is a magnificent view over the entire southern coast. Further up, the Cirque de Cilaos gradually comes into view! The few sections along the cliff edge are secured by recently restored barriers.
(3) A wayside shrine marks the start of the descent through the cryptomeria forest. The Cirque de Cilaos comes into view one last time before the descent. You’ll encounter plenty of roots as you make your way through this cryptomeria forest.
(4) At the next junction, take the path on the right leading to Piton Cabris. During the climb, which is entirely shaded, the gradient gradually increases. After 30 minutes of climbing over roots (take care), you finally reach the summit of Piton Cabris and its kiosk.
(5) Looking towards La Fenêtre, it’s easy to see that the climb ahead won’t be a walk in the park! Before that, the descent to the Bras Patate viewpoint (north) is steep, with some sections along the cliff edge and magnificent panoramic views over Cilaos. At the end of the descent, a ladder allows you to bypass a technical section (see photo) to reach the viewpoint.
(6) Then head straight along the path that climbs towards La Fenêtre, leaving the Bras Patate path on your left for later. The climb is tough until you reach La Fenêtre.
(7) Return then to the Bras Patate viewpoint.
(6) Then take the path on the right, which follows the famous and beautiful Bras Patate valley. Occasionally, a few papangues can be seen soaring from the rocky faces of Piton Cabris.
(8) At the end of the path, turn left towards Piton Cabris. A short climb of barely 5 minutes is required to reach the cryptomeria forest.
(9) At the junction, ignore the inconspicuous path on the right heading towards Les Canaux, and take the one on the left (east). A final glance back reveals the Les Makes forest road and Camp Montplaisir.
(4) At the next junction, turn right onto the path leading to Le Tapage. From there, simply follow the same route in the opposite direction to return to the starting point (S/E).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Easy 
