Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cilaos is located 112km from St-Denis by road and 37km from the nearest coastal town,
St-Louis.
Buses to Cilaos depart from St-Louis. There are about 12 buses daily, and eight on
Sunday (€1.50, 1½ hours). The last service up to Cilaos leaves St-Louis at 6.30pm
(5.30pm on Sunday); going down again, the last bus leaves Cilaos at 6.05pm (5.20pm on
Sunday).
There are nine buses a day (four on Sunday) from Cilaos to Bras-Sec (€1) between 6am
and 7pm. For Îlet à Cordes (€1) there are about nine buses daily (four on Sunday) from
5.50am to 7pm, with the last bus back at 6pm. The tourist office in Cilaos has timetables.
Another option is the minibus service offered by the
Société Cilaosienne de Transport
(
0692
66 13 30, 0262 31 85 87)
, which costs €30 for two people for Îlet à Cordes. The same outfit
provides transport from Cilaos to Le Bloc on the GR® R1 to the Piton des Neiges and
Hell-Bourg (€10 for two people) and to the trailhead for the Col du Taïbit on the GR® R1/
R2 to Mafate (€15 for two people), saving you at least an hour's walking time in each
case.
Cilaos
POP 6000
Cilaos is ensnared by scenery so mind-blowingly dramatic it's practically Alpine. One
name says it all: Piton des Neiges (3070m). The iconic peak towers over the town of Cil-
aos, acting like a magnet to hiking fiends. But there's no obligation to overdo it: a smatter-
ing of museums, a slew of underrated vineyards and plenty of short walks mean this in-
credible dose of natural magnificence can also be appreciated at a more relaxed pace.
The largest settlement in any of the Cirques, Cilaos sits 1200m above sea level.
Developed as a spa resort at the end of the 19th century, the town's fortunes still rest on
tourism, particularly hiking and canyoning, backed up by agriculture and the bottled
mineral-water industry. The area is known for the production of lentils, embroidery and,
increasingly, palatable rosé and white wines.
Cilaos fills up quickly on weekends. But despite its popularity it manages to stave off
changes that would detract from its appeal as an 'ecotourism' destination - there are no
massive hotels or blaring discos, only low-key, small-scale operations.
