The route
The start is at the Bellevue car park in Hell-Bourg, at about 970 m: from the D48, go through the village and turn left towards the Champ de Foire. Estival bus 83 serves Hell-Bourg from the Saint-André bus station; on Sundays it stops at the Salazie town hall.
The first hour and a half climbs the rampart on the Bélouve path: steps, steep stretches fitted with cables, then shady shelves up to the viewpoint of the Bélouve lodge, at 1,505 m. From there the GR R1 heads for Cap Anglais. A track first leads to the shelter and the masts, then the path dives into the wet primary forest, over roots and mud. You pass the junction with the Tamarinaie path, closed by prefectoral order, and keep straight on. The slope steepens, and the highland tamarinds give way to branle heath and old man's beard lichen, on wooden steps and boardwalks.
After a small ravine crossed on a wooden bridge and a ladder, you reach the large cross of Cap Anglais, at 2,158 m. The path that drops straight back to Hell-Bourg via Terre Plate leaves from here. Carry on towards the Caverne Dufour, on a stonier path past the Mussard cave, beyond which loose lava stones roll underfoot. The Caverne Dufour refuge, at 2,480 m, is a little under 3 km from Cap Anglais. From the Bélouve lodge to the refuge, allow four and a half hours.
The next morning, the climb to the summit takes a good hour, on the scoria and lapilli of the cone, marked with white paint. Leave by head torch to see the sun rise over the whole island. The way back is the same to Hell-Bourg, a long, muddy descent.
Staying overnight
The Caverne Dufour refuge is the classic night on this route, and the only one near the summit: camping around it is strictly forbidden. Book on +262 262 90 78 78 or on reunion.fr. In 2026, expect €20 to €21 a night in a dormitory, €27 for dinner and €7 for breakfast, booked with the night at least 48 hours ahead. The refuge has no running water and no power sockets. You can also sleep at the Bélouve lodge the night before, but the second day then becomes very long.
Good to know
There is no free drinking water on the route, and the refuge sells bottled water: carry water for two days. The Cap Anglais path is very often muddy and turns into a stream in the rain. At the summit it freezes for much of the year: hat, gloves, windproof and a warm sleeping bag. Leave Hell-Bourg around 7 am, before the midday clouds and rain. RandoMafate keeps the map and the climb offline up to the summit, shows the ONF trail closures and the forecast for the hike before you leave, and your close ones follow your outing on a simple web page over both days, with a notification if your announced return time passes.
Plan this hike in RandoMafate
The trail map offline, elevation to the metre, ONF closures and the weather for the day, and the people close to you told when you set off and when you are back.
RandoMafate
