Cirque de Mafate
The Cirque de Mafate in the French overseas department of Réunion is the northwestern Caldera des Piton des Neiges . The basin, which is mostly located in the municipality of La Possession , extends in north-south direction for about ten kilometers and in east-west direction for about five kilometers. From the summit of Grand Bénare , the almost vertical rock faces drop over around 1600 m. The Cirque de Mafate is the most isolated caldera in the region, only accessible on foot or by helicopter. The local villages are now mainly supplied by helicopters, until a few years ago still largely on foot, mostly via the Col des Bœufs pass (1956 m), which can be reached on a well-developed forest road from the Cirque de Salazie .
Since August 2010, in addition to the Cirque de Mafate, the Cirque de Salazie , the Cirque de Cilaos and the towering volcano Piton des Neiges, all of which are located in the Réunion National Park , under the title Pitons, cirques et remparts de l'île de La Réunion (German: summit, basin and steep slopes of the island of Réunion) a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
places
- Grand Place (691 m)
- Îlet à Malheur (859 m)
- La Nouvelle (1450 m)
- Marla (1629 m)
- Roche Plate (1120 m)
Access
All accesses are only possible via relatively steep hiking trails that require surefootedness. The most important approaches are:
- From the west: from Maïdo (2152 m) over the Ti Col (2029 m) to Roche Plate
- From the south: from Cilaos via the grande randonnée GR1 and GR2 hiking trails over the Col du Taïbit (2081 m) to Marla
- From the east from the Cirque de Salazie over the forest road to the Col des Bœufs (1956 m) to La Nouvelle (1450 m)
