Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As in Îlet à Cordes, you've reached
le bout du monde
(the end of the Earth) in Bras-Sec,
about 6km from Cilaos. This is a place to just kick back and enjoy the get-away-from-it-
all atmosphere. If you've got itchy feet, a recommended
hike
is the Tour du Bonnet de
Prêtre, a 4½-hour loop that skirts around the bizarrely shaped peak that lies south of the
village.
Sleeping
Gîte Courtois
( 0692 23 31 96, 0262 25 59 44; Chemin Saül; per person €18)
Four self-contained bungalows on the
main street. Nothing fancy, but they get the job done.
BUNGALOWS
€
Les Mimosas
( 0262 96 72 73; 29 Chemin Saül; dm/d incl breakfast €17/40)
This is an unflashy but homey place
with functional two- to six-person rooms. Dinners (€25) are ultra-copious and come in for
warm praise.
GÎTE
€
BUNGALOW
€
L'Oiseau de Paradis
( 0692 16 98 18; 33 Chemin Saül; d €40)
This three-room cottage on the main street is a good
deal for self-caterers.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Cirque de Salazie
If you need a break from beach-bumming and want to cool off in forested mountains, head
to the Cirque de Salazie. Like the Cirque de Cilaos, the Cirque de Salazie has bags of nat-
ural panache, with soaring peaks, soul-stirring vistas, thundering waterfalls, tortuous roads
and a spattering of rural hamlets thrown in for good measure.
The winding mountain road that slithers into the Cirque from St-André on the northeast
coast offers awesome views and is reason enough to make the trip. Yet the prize at the end
of it is golden too: with its Creole colour, Hell-Bourg is the crowning glory of the Cirque.
The Cirque de Salazie is a bit 'flatter' (although 'flat' is not the first word that will
spring to mind when you see it!) than the Cirque de Cilaos, but the scenery as you ap-
proach is nearly as awesome. The vegetation is incredibly lush and waterfalls tumble
