We drove up to Piton de la Fournaise. We arrived in the late afternoon at the starting point of a short hike to the Oratoire Sainte-Thérèse. It was a fairly short walk that gave us time to wait for the sunset. We had a magnificent view of Piton des Neiges rising above the clouds. Then we made our way back down as twilight fell.

After dark, we pitch our tent next to the car in the Pas de Bellecombe parking lot. We eat in the cold. Then we go to bed early. Even though we’re well-wrapped up, the night is a bit chilly... At two o’clock, cars start circling the parking lot. Hikers want to head up early to watch the sunrise from the top of the volcano. We end up setting off ourselves, equipped with headlamps, around 3:30 a.m.
A seemingly endless descent down a staircase along the enclosure. Then, on a fairly flat section, we have to be careful to follow the white markers that trace the path so as not to risk getting lost. The climb begins. I don’t climb quickly and I see the sunrise a few hundred meters from the volcano.

After chatting with a couple, I try to find a more convenient trail and... bam, my foot gets caught on a rock and I go headfirst. I can’t break my fall enough to keep my head from grazing the sharp rock. I’m a little scraped up on my cheek and nose, but it could have been worse. After the hikers there helped me clean the wound and apply a bandage with what they had, I continued the climb. A little further on, another group of young people put a bandage on me that seemed better. Finally, just before reaching the top, a firefighter also helped me out with an even better bandage.
Once at the top, I was rewarded with a beautiful view of the Dolomieu crater. We took a silly photo op with a sign indicating the height of Piton de la Fournaise [1]
Then the descent. It’s pretty fun to see in daylight the places where we spent the night : a vast lunar landscape. A few isolated plants have found a bit of soil. Climbing back up the never-ending staircase.

For a few days, I’ll have to stay out of the sun and away from the ocean... I tag along with my friends to Saint-Pierre Beach and read a book in the shade. Then we take a quick stroll through the Forain Market in Saint-Pierre, which is huge and amazing, with lots of stalls selling products I’ve never seen before. We try some chili candies and a few samosas...
In the evening, we have drinks at Grande Anse as the sun sets.