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Réunion🇷🇪 | landmarksTrou de FerNarrow canyon, Bras de Caverne falls, Bélouve forest, helicopter and canyoning | things to do and best time to go

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Backpacking in Trou de Fer
🏆 Top pickunique site ranked #1
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 22, 2026

Most first-timers never see the bottom of Trou de Fer, because the cloud that rolls up the canyon by late morning swallows the whole thing. The gorge sits in the Salazie cirque in the interior of Réunion, inland from the north coast, and the Bras de Caverne river drops into it in several stages, some 300 meters deep. Its green walls are cut by ferns, and the air smells of wet earth and tree bark. Viewing is free, but reaching the viewpoints means a winding mountain road and a damp forest walk, and helicopter flights cost real money. On bad days you get white nothing and the roar of water you can’t see. On clear ones, thin white threads fall into a dark green slot, and the spray drifts up to your face. The photos are superb when the cloud lifts. Go early, bring a rain shell, and plan a first morning on the forest trail with a thermos, then a slow afternoon in the cirque below.

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✨ Why go?
Ranked #1 unique site in RéunionWhy Trou de Fer should be on your travel list

Trou de Fer is one of the few places on Réunion where the island’s volcanic anatomy is laid out in a single glance: a collapsed ridge, a river dropping about 725 meters in cascades across the full run, and walls so steep the canyon looks sliced with a blade. Anyone who has stood at the lip of a cirque and seen only fog knows how good it feels when the curtain lifts here.
The effort is modest compared with the big hikes elsewhere on the island, and the viewing is free, which keeps it comfortable for a backpacker watching costs. You can add the Bélouve forest trail, with its giant tamarind trees and mossy trunks, as a half-day walk rather than a dead-end photo stop.
It also fits neatly into a wider loop through the Salazie cirque. The village of Hell-Bourg, with its old Creole houses, hot springs … read more 👉
Trou de Fer is one of the few places on Réunion where the island’s volcanic anatomy is laid out in a single glance: a collapsed ridge, a river dropping about 725 meters in cascades across the full run, and walls so steep the canyon looks sliced with a blade. Anyone who has stood at the lip of a cirque and seen only fog knows how good it feels when the curtain lifts here.
The effort is modest compared with the big hikes elsewhere on the island, and the viewing is free, which keeps it comfortable for a backpacker watching costs. You can add the Bélouve forest trail, with its giant tamarind trees and mossy trunks, as a half-day walk rather than a dead-end photo stop.
It also fits neatly into a wider loop through the Salazie cirque. The village of Hell-Bourg, with its old Creole houses, hot springs and lodging, is close, so you can see the canyon in the morning and spend the afternoon among the village’s lanes. For the adventurous, guided canyoning descends the gorge itself, one of the more serious canyoning routes on the island.

💡 HighlightsWhat this place is best known for

  1. Belvédère du Trou de Fer: The main viewpoint and the reason most people come. A railed platform looks straight across at the falls and down into the narrow gorge. It is free, and it is best early, before cloud fills the canyon.
  2. The Bras de Caverne cascades: The river tumbles through the gorge in a series of drops, with a combined fall of about 725 meters. In the rainy season the volume swells and the sound carries across the gorge.
  3. Forêt de Bélouve: The trail to the viewpoint runs through damp mountain forest with giant tamarind trees, ferns, moss and orchids. Allow a couple of hours for the walk, and expect mud.
  4. Helicopter flight over the gorge: The only way to see the lower falls and the full depth of the canyon. Flights start at roughly €130 and run to about €260 depending on length, and they
… read more 👉
  1. Belvédère du Trou de Fer: The main viewpoint and the reason most people come. A railed platform looks straight across at the falls and down into the narrow gorge. It is free, and it is best early, before cloud fills the canyon.
  2. The Bras de Caverne cascades: The river tumbles through the gorge in a series of drops, with a combined fall of about 725 meters. In the rainy season the volume swells and the sound carries across the gorge.
  3. Forêt de Bélouve: The trail to the viewpoint runs through damp mountain forest with giant tamarind trees, ferns, moss and orchids. Allow a couple of hours for the walk, and expect mud.
  4. Helicopter flight over the gorge: The only way to see the lower falls and the full depth of the canyon. Flights start at roughly €130 and run to about €260 depending on length, and they leave from the island’s helicopter bases. Clear mornings are the best bet.
  5. Canyoning in Trou de Fer: A guided descent of the gorge with rappels beside the falls. It needs good fitness, a licensed operator, and a clear weather forecast. Prices vary by company and are typically a few hundred euros.
  6. Hell-Bourg: The village in the Salazie cirque, classed among France’s most beautiful, with painted wooden Creole houses, garden walks and thermal springs. It is the best base for the area.
  7. Voile de la Mariée: A tall, slender waterfall near the village of Salazie, easy to photograph from the road. A quick stop on the way to or from the canyon.
Trou de Fer itself has no entry fee at the viewpoints, but the helicopter flights and the canyoning both need booking ahead.
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🌤️ When to go?Choosing the right time of year

  • Austral Winter (May to October): Trou de Fer gets its clearest, driest stretch here, with highland temperatures around 7 to 17°C (45 to 63°F) and roughly 11 hours of daylight. Morning views into the canyon are most likely to stay open. Weekends and school holidays fill the car park and the forest lodges.
  • Hot Wet Season (December to April): Temperatures climb to 12 to 22°C (54 to 72°F) with up to 13.5 hours of daylight. Rain is heavy and the falls run at full force, though cloud often swallows the viewpoints by midday. Cyclone warnings can close forest roads and canyoning outings.
  • Shoulder Months (November and early December): Crowds thin, lodge rates ease and the falls still carry plenty of water. Showers are short and mostly afternoon.
  • Helicopter Flights: Prices stay flat all year, but morning
… read more 👉
  • Austral Winter (May to October): Trou de Fer gets its clearest, driest stretch here, with highland temperatures around 7 to 17°C (45 to 63°F) and roughly 11 hours of daylight. Morning views into the canyon are most likely to stay open. Weekends and school holidays fill the car park and the forest lodges.
  • Hot Wet Season (December to April): Temperatures climb to 12 to 22°C (54 to 72°F) with up to 13.5 hours of daylight. Rain is heavy and the falls run at full force, though cloud often swallows the viewpoints by midday. Cyclone warnings can close forest roads and canyoning outings.
  • Shoulder Months (November and early December): Crowds thin, lodge rates ease and the falls still carry plenty of water. Showers are short and mostly afternoon.
  • Helicopter Flights: Prices stay flat all year, but morning slots are the ones that fly most reliably.
Arrive at the viewpoint right after the forest road opens, because the mist usually closes in as the day warms.


source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: below average for travelingFEBFebruary: below average for travelingMARMarch: below average for travelingAPRApril: fair for travelingMAYMay: excellent for travelingJUNJune: excellent for travelingJULJuly: highly recommended for travelingAUGAugust: highly recommended for travelingSEPSeptember: highly recommended for travelingOCTOctober: highly recommended for travelingNOVNovember: good for travelingDECDecember: below average for traveling
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🛏️ Where to stay?Best areas to stay in Réunion

Hell-Bourg is the base most backpackers pick for Trou de Fer, and it works well. This village inside the Cirque de Salazie has the densest cluster of budget guesthouses and gîtes, plus small restaurants and a few shops, so you can eat and meet other walkers without a car. Shared dinners at family-run gîtes are common, which makes it easy to find hiking partners and split a rental car or taxi to the forest trailhead. It sits roughly 30 to 40 minutes by road from the Bélouve approach, and the bus from Saint-Denis reaches it, though services thin out in the evening.
Salazie town, lower down the valley, … read more 👉
Hell-Bourg is the base most backpackers pick for Trou de Fer, and it works well. This village inside the Cirque de Salazie has the densest cluster of budget guesthouses and gîtes, plus small restaurants and a few shops, so you can eat and meet other walkers without a car. Shared dinners at family-run gîtes are common, which makes it easy to find hiking partners and split a rental car or taxi to the forest trailhead. It sits roughly 30 to 40 minutes by road from the Bélouve approach, and the bus from Saint-Denis reaches it, though services thin out in the evening.
Salazie town, lower down the valley, is quieter and cheaper, with a handful of simple rooms and local shops. It suits you if you want to stay near the bus line and spend less, but the nightlife is nonexistent.
For the shortest morning approach, a mountain lodge in the Bélouve forest puts you beside the trail to the viewpoints. Expect dorm-style bunks, shared meals and cold nights, so bring a warm layer. Book ahead in the dry months.
Saint-Denis is the fallback if you arrive late or rely on public transport. It has the largest choice of hostels and the most social atmosphere, but allow around 1.5 hours each way by road to reach the canyon area.


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👛 Costs (as of 22 October 2026)Travel costs and budget guide for Trou de Fer

Trou de Fer costs roughly €50 to 85 per day for a backpacker, because the viewpoints are free and most of your money goes to a bed, food and getting up the valley. A helicopter flight over the canyon is a separate splurge, usually €130 to 250 depending on length.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Entry to viewpoints€0The forest trail and belvédères have no ticket office. Parking is free.
Accommodation (high season)€25 to 40Dorm beds or gîte rooms in Hell-Bourg or the Bélouve forest. Dinner is often sold as half-board for a few euros more. Prices dip slightly in the wetter months.
Food€15 to 25Self-catering from Salazie shops is cheapest. A creole plate of rice, lentils and sausage or chicken at a village restaurant runs about €10 to 15.
Local transport€10 to 20Buses on the Saint-Denis to Salazie
… read more 👉
Trou de Fer costs roughly €50 to 85 per day for a backpacker, because the viewpoints are free and most of your money goes to a bed, food and getting up the valley. A helicopter flight over the canyon is a separate splurge, usually €130 to 250 depending on length.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Entry to viewpoints€0The forest trail and belvédères have no ticket office. Parking is free.
Accommodation (high season)€25 to 40Dorm beds or gîte rooms in Hell-Bourg or the Bélouve forest. Dinner is often sold as half-board for a few euros more. Prices dip slightly in the wetter months.
Food€15 to 25Self-catering from Salazie shops is cheapest. A creole plate of rice, lentils and sausage or chicken at a village restaurant runs about €10 to 15.
Local transport€10 to 20Buses on the Saint-Denis to Salazie and Hell-Bourg route cost a few euros each way. Shared taxis or a split rental car cover the forest road, which public buses do not serve. A rental car is about €35 to 60 a day plus fuel.
Optional canyoning or helicopterNot countedGuided canyoning in the area costs around €70 to 120. Helicopter flights run €130 to 250 and are paid in euros.
Total Daily Budget€50 to 85Excludes the optional activities above.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

FAQTraveler FAQ

Trou de Fer is a canyon on the Bras de Caverne river in the Cirque de Salazie, where waterfalls plunge roughly 725 meters in several drops into a narrow, jungle-draped gorge. It is among the island’s most photographed sights and lies within the Bélouve forest area of the Réunion National Park. You can view it from the belvédères on a forest trail or from a helicopter, and the canyon itself is explored with guides on canyoning trips.
Trou de Fer needs about half a day if you only walk to the viewpoints, since the forest trail from the road is around 2 to 3 hours return. Add a night in Hell-Bourg or the Bélouve forest if you want a clear morning, because cloud usually arrives by midday. A helicopter flight takes 30 to 45 minutes in total, and a guided canyoning trip fills most of a day.
Trou de Fer is reached by road from Saint-Denis, taking about 1.5 hours to Salazie and a further 30 to 40 minutes to the Bélouve forest car park via Hell-Bourg. Buses run from Saint-Denis to Salazie and Hell-Bourg for a few euros, but you need a rental car or a taxi for the last stretch, which costs about €35 to 60 a day for a car. Helicopters depart from Saint-Denis and Saint-Paul bases and fly over the canyon for €130 to 250.
⚠️ Things can change over time, so always validate details locally before you go.

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We 💚 feedbackSumming up the experience

Trou de Fer punishes the traveler who turns up at midday, when cloud has already filled the canyon and the viewpoint is just a gray wall. I would be on the trail early, check the weather the night before, and leave a spare half hour so you can wait out the mist, because it often lifts for a few minutes.

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on in-depth research, insights shared by experienced travelers, and feedback from the local travel community in Réunion. While every effort is made to keep the information accurate and current, conditions can change — so if you spot anything incorrect or outdated, please get in touch.



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