Volcanic eruption, let’s head for the Piton de Bert

After living on my native island for a long time, I couldn’t come back to Reunion Island without seeing this incredible event at the Piton de la Fournaise.

Wednesday 4th February at 11am, the Piton de la Fournaise volcano started erupting! Our volcano is considered one of the most active in the world, and true to its name, it began spitting fire over the Indian Ocean once again. The eruption took place in the south-west of the volcano caldera, between three craters: Dolomieu, Bory and Rivals.

Johnny Combava

Let's start the expedition !

I was bursting with excitement all week, but I was stuck at work. As soon as the weekend arrived, I had my expedition to see the colourful and flamboyant lava flows all planned out. There were eight of us in the group. Not necessarily all experienced hikers but we were all just as excited as each other to discover this magnificent sight. After an hour of walking in the darkness, over the rocky ground formed by the volcanic rock, we caught a glimpse of the first colourful lava flows beneath the thick fog. For a few minutes, the thick fog lifted and the starry sky appeared, before disappearing again in a rather mysterious way.

As we walked, we could see the volcano in the distance until we reached the ultimate majestic view. Then we stopped for a few hours, in front of the river of lava and the fire spurting out of the crater. The volcano put on quite a show for us!

How to get there ?

– Head for the Plaine des Sables (on the way, admire the lunar landscape which is even more incredible if you come at night!), then drive across this area for about 10 minutes. Stop at the Foc Foc car park on the right-hand side of the road.
– Go along the footpath at the far side of the car park. The path is flat, with only slight uphill sections. There are no difficulties along the way in particular.
– After walking for around 30 to 45 minutes you’ll start to see the first signs of the eruption, and hear the sound of the tremors.
– To reach the best viewpoint, as close as possible to the lava flow, you’ll need to walk for a further 30 to 45 minutes (depending on your walking pace).
– You can also go a bit further, as far as the Piton de Bert (where the observatory’s webcam has been set up) and find yourself right opposite the lava flow, but this viewpoint is slightly further away.

When to go ?

My friends and I decided to go late afternoon because we really wanted to see the sunset and enjoy an evening drink while watching the volcano! And of course, we took lots of souvenir photos before coming back down! The best times to go are at sunrise or sunset. You can enjoy the lunar landscape fo the Plaine des Sables and witness the contrasting colours of the lava flows.