Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Creole house just off the road. It's no great shakes and the bathrooms feel a bit dated, but
it's OK and when it comes to concocting traditional
carris
at dinner (€22), Madame Boyer
knows her stuff.
Le Cimendef - Chez Noeline
et Daniel Campton
(
B&B
€€
0262 47 73 59;
www.chambresdhotecimendef.com
;
Route du Bélier; s/d/ste incl breakfast €45/50/85;
)
All five rooms are pleasing and are graced with ravishing views over the Cimendef
(2226m), but we were smitten by the darling Prestige suite, which features a Jacuzzi, tim-
ber floor, a luminous bathroom with well-chosen tiles, Creole ceilings, flat-screen TV,
teak furniture, an enticing orange colour scheme and your own terrace. You'll also eat
well here; dinner is €24.
Getting There & Around
If you're coming here to hike and have your own car, you can leave it in the guarded car
park (parking one/two days €2/10) at Le Petit Col, 6.5km up the
route forestière
and only
20 minutes' walk below the Col des Bœufs. On Saturday and during school holidays, the
warden can drive you to the start of Sentier Scout or Sentier Augustave.
FORAYS INTO THE
CIRQUE DE MAFATE
If you have a day to spare, do not miss the opportunity to hike into the Cirque de Mafate. From the car park just
below Col des Bœufs, it takes only two hours to descend to La Nouvelle, dubbed 'the capital of Mafate' - it
makes a great half-day hike, and you can have lunch in La Nouvelle. A longer option is to take the Sentier Scout
which branches off the
route forestière
(it's signposted, about 2.3km before the car park at Col des Bœufs) and
leads to Aurère in Bas Mafate; you can spend the night in Aurère and walk back to the
route forestière
the next
day by following the super scenic Sentier Augustave - a lovely loop.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Cirque de Mafate
Nothing can prepare you for that first glimpse of this geologic wonder, with its dramatic
scenery, shifting colours, blissful serenity (except for the occasional whirring of choppers)
and unsurpassed grandeur. No cars, no towns, no stress. Just soaring mountains, jagged
