Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active and unpredictable volcanoes in the world. The last major eruption was 2007 when it's main 900m wide crater collapsed by 300m. A less serious eruption occurred in 2010.
An important part of the experience is the approach to the volcano which is situated in the south east corner of the island.
From the Cirque of Cilaos we travel through the Haute Plains (the Bavaria of the Indian Ocean), a luxurious and fertile area.
The greenery gradually gives way to the barren 'Martian' landscape of the volcanic perimeter. This is the vast windswept plain of ash - Plaine des Sables. This valley was gouged by the river Rivière des Remperts and back filled with ash from many eruptions over the centuries.
We stay in the Gite du Volcan, basic accommodation in the volcano perimeter. No hot water but great views, food and conversations with fellow travellers.
An early morning start takes us to Pas de Bellecombe, main gateway to the volcanic area. Spectacular views of one of the small scoria steam cones - Formica Leo, showing ochre colouration of the soil, and the vast lava plain with the volcano in the distance.
Long hike across the lava plain with views back to the crater rim, Pas de Bellecombe and showing the height of our descent onto the lava plain.
Most hikers are led to the volcano summit via a gradual path to the left and up. Our leader Clare, who often runs up and down mountains before breakfast, takes us directly up. Note the darker lava flows from recent eruptions. It's a long way to run back if the seismic needles start quivering.
Chapelle de Rosemount is a lava pinnacle and cavern at the base of the volcano.
Views back during the strenuous ascent of the volcano. The pumice moves under our feet and as we fall we rip our clothes and skin.
The main active Dolomieu crater, 900m wide. We are all exausted and cold and Clare takes a nap at the crater rim, seemingly unperturbed about the warning signs.
Mark - one of the great explorers and landscape/wildlife photographers of modern times.
We descend into the caldera of the adjacent inactive Borg crater to view the 'bottomless' lava crevasses and seismic monitoring equipment. Web cams have been set up to monitor activity. I decide not to look into the cameras and frighten scientists at the Piton Fournaise Seismic Monitoring Facility.
Lava tubes are long cavernous structures formed when the outer surfaces of lava flows solidify allowing internal flows to continue leaving 'caves'. They can be explored with a good head torch if you don't suffer from claustrophobia.
Aerial views of the 2007 eruption, and the main Dolomieu active crater and adjacent inactive Borg crater (which we explored).
Prior to visiting the volcano we had a few days trekking from Cilaos. This involved a 3 hr climb to the Col du Taibit (830m). View of Cilaos during the climb.
At the Col, Clare and Eric (the mad French trekking guide from the Pyrrenes) pose for us. Where the cloud starts is a drop of over 1000m.
We stay at the Gite de la Caverne Dufour and once again enjoy great food.
At 4 am the next day, most hike to the summit of Piton des Neiges (3070m), the highest peak in the Indian Ocean (peak in the distance). I decide not to attempt this demanding climb.
Instead, I climb out of bed at 6 am to view the sunrise.
Next day we hike to the Belouve Forests - tamarind and giant fern trees and moss in abundance. The highlight is the beautiful Trou de Fer waterfall. Note the helicopter.
Spent the last days in the capital St Denis eating french delicacies and viewing creole architecture (more the former than the latter).
My amateur photography falls well short of capturing the beauty of this island. I will finish this post with some of my favourite images by real photographers.
Reference: images attributed to - click here
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