Top Things to Do in Cilaos - Cilaos Must-See Attractions
Things to Do in Cilaos
Check out must-see sights and activities:
Piton des Neiges, RN5 Road, Ports of Call Tours, Waterfalls. For personalised recommendations, try our AI trip-planning product.
Piton des Neiges, RN5 Road, Ports of Call Tours, Waterfalls. For personalised recommendations, try our AI trip-planning product.
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Full-day Toursfromper group (up to 6)R 7 858- fromper group (up to 4)R 19 625
Climbingfromper adultR 1 179
Full-day Toursfromper adultR 2 456
Historical Toursfromper group (up to 8)R 10 785
Rentalsfromper group (up to 2)R 3 340- fromper adult (price varies by group size)R 2 456
Walking Toursfromper adultR 1 179- fromper group (up to 4)R 9 626
- fromper adult (price varies by group size)R 2 456
State Parks
Art Galleries
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Other Top Attractions around Cilaos
What travellers are saying
- Gints KRiga, Latvia213 contributionsFrom Saint-Gilles we took a bus to Saint-Louis and then changed for bus to Cilaos - the last part was very beautiful with a lot of road bends so expect around more than 3 hours for driving. Cilaos is situated more than 1000m above sea level and the air was much fresher and cooler. For 2 people we bought 6 liters of water, but 4 liters would be enough as the middle way to top there is resting place where you can refill water from spring. As we were in June, then luckily for us were fortunate to book not only sleeping in Gîte Caverne Dufour but also dinner (normally 2 days prior) - sleeping was 15 euro per bed and dinner/breakfast cost 30 euro per person and NO DRINKS included.
We started ascending from Cilaos at 12am - first 4km and 200m ascend is to get to starting position - you can drive by bus, but low season and no buses for long time. The track starts in the forest and is impossible to get lost - the only way to go as forest is dense and soon starts very steep ascend. Luckily - the track is in shade, so it was not hot (June technically is winter and coldest month, but for us it was very hot in Reunion), but climbing is very, very hard and for kids a bit challenging as some steps are very steep. As we knew that we had a place to stay, then we took our time and enjoyed the landscape and did some relaxation. The higher you go, you start to notice the change in vegetation - there were some friendly birds, but otherwise it was only quiet and only time from time you say bonjour to people coming from top. Maybe we were not going so slowly, but nobody passed us. After 16pm we reached the top of the mountain where we could see Gîte Caverne Dufour. As Gite was in shade, we decided to wait in sunny part for some 30-40 minutes before going down to Gîte Caverne Dufour. We were shown our beds and dinner was 18:30pm. The place was not full (like 1/3 of capacity) and when sun went down it soon get cold - partly because we did not do acclimatization for Reunion strong sun. After dinner (that was same for everybody, and it was eat as much as you want) everybody went to bed. But only after 22pm it was quiet - by that time body was acclimatized to heights and sun and outside it felt so warm... And the moon was fantastic over clouds.
Weather forecast was, that in the morning there will be clouds and only around 8-9am it will be clear, so I decided to sleep longer and while most of people started ascend in 4am, we started it after 6am and good for us - last climb is over loose rocks and stones and it could be dangerous for kids to do climbing in dark - on the way up we saw sunrise and weather forecast was right for one time in Reunion - everything was in clouds, so it did not matter if you was at top or only way up. It took us around 2-3 hours to get to the top and by that time clouds started disappearing and we could see all the island. At the top it was so relaxing, no noise except for some mouse or bird or chopper in some distance. We were lucky - it was sunny, no wind and we took our time to enjoy the scenery. Not sure how it is in peak season, but while we were at the top, we were the only people. After good relaxation we started descending - it is much easier, but again - loose rocks and you must concentrate all the time. In Gîte Caverne Dufour we stopped for a short break (no promised breakfast, but you can buy drinks - just need to call the person) and then continued way down to Cilaos. If nobody passed us on the way up, then going down people with climbing sticks managed to overtake us - it was also in some places wet, so we were a bit careful not to fall. We took one longer break in the middle of the climb where we refilled water, and by 1pm we were at the car parking lot and as again - no buses going - by 2pm - in Cilaos. So overall 40km distance, 2km ascend and 2km descend (phone data) took us 12 hours - it is doable in one day, but the best part is to enjoy sunrise/sunset in mountains and do in relaxing way.
For some reason (my guess low season) 3 buses from Cilaos were cancelled and then it started to look as we need to look for hotel in Cilaos one bus at around 17:30pm finally arrived and we were lucky to catch next bus in Saint-Louis because it also was late. After arriving at the hotel, we felt exhausted, but this was an amazing trip.
Final notes - we did not have lot of warm closes, but we used thermos clothes for second accent, and I recommend to bring rain cover as weather is not predictable in mountains. As June is dry season - no rivers to seen.Written 17 June 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Amnon FTel Aviv District, Israel1 054 contributionsI've driven thousands of kilometers around the world and undoubtedly this is one of the most beautiful and exciting drives I took.
The drive isn't easy and requires a lot of attention and preparedness for anything coming ahead.
However the views of the cliffs around the canyon, the riverbed and the towering peaks around are really incomparable to anything else. The average speed is 25 kmh and I am not sure I would recommend to drive it at nightWritten 5 May 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Stefan83Lubeck, Germany93 contributionsThis was my favorite hike on Réunion so far. We started after late breakfast and returned to Cilaos at 6pm. It's been about 14km from Hotel Le Cilaos and several 100m differences in altitude. The paths were all very well-kept and easy to find but very steep most of the time. Don't forget to bring enough water and food (and swimwear). It's the climate that makes the hike that challenging.
There are amazing views onto la Chappelle and Piton de Neiges before you enter the Canyon. At it's bottom you'll follow the river upstream to the cave and you'll have to wade through the currents a couple of times. There are several pools below the cave where you can take a break and bath in the clear, cool water. It's been a beautiful day.Written 20 March 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Katinka.SndrPaderborn, Germany219 contributionsBeautiful hike of about four hours. The path consists largely of stairs and is in good condition. In between there is a spring with drinking water. At the top, you can look down into the Cirque de Cilaos. If there are not yet so many clouds, you can also look into the Cirque de Mafate - this was no longer possible for us at around 12 o'clock. We took the car down to the start of the hike - about 8 minutes outside Cilaos.Written 19 October 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Amnon FTel Aviv District, Israel1 054 contributionsJust a few minutes drive from Cilaos. It is a viewpoint accessible by a short flight of stairs.
The view looks down to cilaos and to the entire cirque towered by the magnificent mountains
No need to spend more than a few minutes to admire the panoramaWritten 7 May 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Leigh W60 contributionsAlthough the wine maker speaks little English we all worked through the wines with single words and gestures and had a great wine tasting.
Sweet wine especially good.Written 4 December 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - totuccio83Verona, Italia286 contributionsThe starts very close to the Info point. It goes down at first, then there are 200 mts of asphalt and there it goes down again until it reaches a small cascade, pass over and after 10 minutes you will reach the powerful Cascade de Bras Rouge. The trip is not hard, I did it with my baby boy in the backpack and maybe it was harder, however it does need you to have technical skills at all.Written 15 December 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- LuluSydney, Australia52 contributionsTruly worth a swim in here. The water is a magnificent aqua blue. It's far more accessible than many of the cascades that have equally as refreshing waters. Brilliant for a cool and refreshing swim on a hot day. You can also drink the water that's coming directly out of the rock - you might see people filling up water bottles there. Absolutely love this place.Written 19 November 2016This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- duhozBeroun, Czech Republic7 417 contributionsThe office can make bookings for Gite or dinner and provide info and maps for surrounding area, less info about other points on Reunion. The staff helpful speaking French and English. They were willing to call my hostels if I can check in early or leave the back pack while on the overnight trip to Piton des Neiges.Written 25 May 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- william_974REUNION750 contributionsAdmission 2€ adult
1€ child from 8 to 15 years old
free for children under 8 years old
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Embroidery is one of the specialities of Cilaos.
It is a wonderful spectacle to see the embroiderer working while listening to her explanations.
Embroideries are offered for sale.
They are collector's items so the price is according to the price...
If you feel like it, it is possible to sign up for an embroidery course (it is 244 € for a 20 hours package).
We recommend a visit to the Maison de la Broderie de Cilaos.Written 8 September 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Brittany_11_10Los Angeles, CA1 796 contributionsHiked/rappelled 3 Salazes with Thierry (Guide-Pro974) and had a fantastic day. Hiked up in the dark, enjoyed the sunrise over the 3 Salazes, hiked and rock climbed, then did a little zipline at the top before rappelling and hiking back down.
Fun, beautiful, physical, challenging (in a good way) and awesome. I highly recommend for people who like hiking/rock climbing/mountaineering/rappelling.Written 28 May 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
