“Grand Bassin” and Its Lookout
Cascades Islet
There are still villages on Réunion that have never been reached by road. Grand Bassin is one of the most spectacular of them all: a handful of huts nestled at the bottom of a miniature cirque, at the confluence of three rivers, surrounded by cliffs and waterfalls.
The Bois Court lookout point, on the heights of Le Tampon, lets you take in the view without the slightest effort. The road ends abruptly at the edge of the precipice, and 600 meters below, the village appears like a model, with its tin roofs and gardens. It takes about an hour by car from the residence to get there, heading up through Saint-Pierre and then Le Tampon.
Those who want to go further can take the trail that starts at the lookout: an hour and a half down, two hours back up, ending at the Voile de la Mariée waterfall and a few guesthouses serving some of the best curries on the island. Ideally, you should spend the night there—several guesthouses welcome hikers—rather than trying to do it all in a single day.
For everyone else, the viewpoint is more than enough. Come in the morning, before the clouds rise from the Plaine and obscure the back of the cirque.