Travel Guide River Of The Ramparts

The Rivière des Remparts, which runs through Saint-Joseph, is one of the longest on the island. Bordered by cliffs, the 20 km long valley was created by the collapse of an ancient caldera at the Piton de la Fournaise nearly 300,000 years ago and erosion, facilitated by high rainfall. A fluid lava flow from the Commerson Crater covered the valley floor 2,000 years ago. In 1848, a large overflow of the river killed eleven people. The place was fertile, and people returned to settle there. But in 1965, millions of cubic metres of rock fell and blocked the valley, which was then emptied of its inhabitants.