Things to see and do Saint-Philippe

This bow-shaped basalt promontory, pierced by a cave, is a spectacular stopover. The waves crash so violently that the cliff trembles, the atmosphere disturbed by the sea spray becomes mystical. The place is pleasant and wild, bordered by a forest of vacoas, ideal for a picnic or a meal in one of the restaurants. In August, the festival of the vacoa and the palm tree takes place on the site. Finally you will surely meet here a lady, well known to the locals, who harasses passers-by to distract them from the devil! You can even find her on YouTube!

This southeastern cape of the island offers a spectacular panorama. The contrast between the black of the coastline, the blue of the ocean, the white of the waves and the green of the flora which is taking back its rights, with vacoas several metres high, is striking. Panels explaining the origins of the 1986 flow show the horseshoe shape of the volcanic area and invite visitors to walk on the 30 hectares that have extended the tip of the Table. From the Puits-des-Anglais car park, one can walk on the lava platform and join the RN2.

Juanito Boyer is a "marmaille la cours", you can hear a local child, who knows Saint-Philippe and its lava tunnels like the back of his hand. A mountain guide, he has been surveying these tunnels for several years and will make you discover exceptional sites. Bring long clothes (ideally jeans), closed shoes and water. Safety equipment is provided (gloves, helmet, headgear, knee pads). Don't forget to bring your camera to immortalize the magic of these dark, improbably shaped bowels.

The tourist office welcomes you to discover, in the most beautiful and complete way possible, the "domaine des laves". At the gates of the Grand Brûlé, the site of the volcanic flows offers a wild environment, made of tropical rainforests, basaltic rocks and an untamed coastline. Here you will find all the information you need about accommodation, restaurants, activities, hiking trails and guided tours in and around the commune.

Mare Longue is a primary rainforest of exceptional botanical richness. Decimated by two centuries of intensive deforestation, miraculously rescued by major conservation efforts, today less than 7% of this original tropical rainforest remains, located mainly in Saint-Philippe. Thérésien Cadet (1937-1987), a professor at the University of La Réunion, was the driving force behind this awareness. In the 1970s, his passion and commitment to the in-depth study of the plant species that make up the Mare Longue forest drew the attention of its managers to the need to preserve this "jewel of Reunion's natural heritage". A stele pays tribute to him at the start of a trail that takes around 1h30 to complete. This is one of Réunion's most beautiful botanical trails, in what is the island's first biological reserve.

Hiking. Take a stroll through the vegetation that has replaced the La Fournaise flows. There are two routes to the botanical trails, signposted on the left of the N2. The first, signposted at the Baril exit, follows a path that joins forest road 4, which leads to the trailhead. The second takes the RF4 directly to the trailhead. On this walk, you'll discover the forest's coloured woods, grand natte, benzoin, cinnamon tree, red-barked rampart wood, candle wood, vanilla stakes and other rare pearls. A leisurely stroll that doesn't tire you out.

A vestige of a bygone era, this well, architecturally similar to those that were once dug in Arabia, has long supported the thesis that the Arabs knew and conquered the island as early as the 8th or 9th century, the thesis of a poorly informed Egyptologist. More recent studies have proved that the well was commissioned by the colonial administration in the 19th century. A lot of noise for a simple square excavation, whose 42 steps carved in lava, go down to the water table. The source was dried up in 1986, following an eruption.

Saint-Philippe is one of the favourite territories for vacoa. Here, we exhibit and sell bertelles (traditional backpacks made of woven vacoa leaves), bags, vanities, briefcases.... After selecting the leaves of the vacoa, removing the thorns, splitting them into thin strips, the leaves are dried for 2 to 3 days. Then the craftswomen moisten them and soften them with a knife so that weaving can begin. Demonstration and initiation on request.

This very accessible lava tunnel is not signposted at all. You can find it on the Internet or with a good map. By the light of a headlamp, you can explore both sides of the tunnel dating back to 1800... for a few meters, without danger, at a height of 2 m. To go any further, you'll need a helmet, a good lamp, hiking boots and a K-way... the tunnel is over a kilometer long! If you'd like to discover other tunnels, call in specialized service providers.

Prior to 2007, the rocky coast here was directly battered by the waves. It formed a bay used as a fishing port. Since the eruption of the century, this 300-metre strip of very fine black sand, mixed with olivine crushed by the sea, shimmers in the sun as if it contained gold flakes. A steep and stony path descends along the rampart to reach the beach. If it is too dangerous for swimming, this beach, the last born in Reunion Island, is worth the trip for the spectacle of the end of the world that it offers.