Gîte de la Caverne Dufour

Réunion

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The most obvious place to spend the night if you're climbing Piton des Neiges (3071m). Reached after three hours from Cilaos, this spartan gîte, at 2478m, sleeps 48. From May to November, beds are also available in large tents (€13). Blankets are provided (but sheets are not), and basic meals are prepared for dinner. Note that there are no showers and no drinking water.

This gîte must be booked and paid for in advance through the Plateforme de Réservation (www.explorelareaunion.com) or any tourist office on the island. Be sure to book well in advance in high season (May to November).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Plaine des Sables

    Plaine des Sables

    13.63 MILES

    You've reached the end of the world! The Plaine des Sables is a wide windswept plain, made of ashes. With its lunar landscape, it could form a perfect…

  • La Fenêtre

    La Fenêtre

    6.6 MILES

    It would be a sin to visit Les Makes and not take the forest road that leads to this viewpoint, another 10km further uphill. The view over the entire…

  • Stella Matutina

    Stella Matutina

    14.44 MILES

    Réunion's most beloved museum is dedicated primarily to the sugar industry, but also provides fascinating insights into the history of the island,…

  • Sucrerie de Bois-Rouge

    Sucrerie de Bois-Rouge

    16.28 MILES

    This sugar refinery is on the coast 3km north of St-André. During the cane harvest (July to early December) visitors are shown around the huge, high-tech…

  • Plage de Boucan Canot

    Plage de Boucan Canot

    18.39 MILES

    Boucan Canot's main beach has been listed as one of Réunion's best, and once you get a glimpse of the gentle curve of the bright white sand, lined with…

  • Plage des Roches Noires

    Plage des Roches Noires

    18.01 MILES

    Plage des Roches Noires, in the heart of town, is crowded and neatly striped with sunbeds and parasols, but, beneath all this, it remains an attractive…

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Nearby Réunion attractions

1. La Roche Merveilleuse

1.55 MILES

Head to the Marvellous Rock for an eagle-eye panorama of Cilaos. It's accessible on foot or by road. From Cilaos, take the road to Bras-Sec. The turnoff…

2. Philippe Turpin's Studio

2.08 MILES

The sculptor, painter and printmaker Philippe Turpin, who etches on copper and then rolls the prints off the inky plates, has a studio that is open to the…

3. Church

2.11 MILES

At the north end of town, the Catholic church, with its eye-catching white façade and spire, is Cilaos' major landmark.

4. Maison de la Broderie

2.24 MILES

Entirely modernised in 2014, the Maison de la Broderie is home to an association of 30 or so local women dedicated to keeping Cilaos' embroidery tradition…

5. Bé Mahot

3 MILES

About 3.5km from Hell-Bourg, Bé Mahot is a cute hamlet that's well worth visiting. With its clunky, colourful Creole houses clinging on the hillside and…

6. Thermal Bath

3.19 MILES

Visitors can see the ruins of the old baths, which were in use until 1948. They are found in a ravine a 10-minute walk west of town (walk past Le Relais…

7. Church

3.37 MILES

This church is a landmark at the western end of town.

8. Maison Folio

3.38 MILES

One of the loveliest of Hell-Bourg's Creole houses is this typical 19th-century bourgeois villa almost engulfed by its densely planted garden. You can…