Saint-Philippe · RE

Piton de Bert (2260 m)

Piton de Bert (2260 m) is a low volcanic cone perched on the edge of the Enclos Fouqué, the great caldera of Réunion's Piton de la Fournaise. Also known as Piton de Bois Vert, it lies on the boundary of Saint-Philippe and Sainte-Rose, within the volcano massif and Réunion National Park. What draws people here is not the height but the position: from its rim you look almost straight across into the active volcanic enclosure, with the cone of the Fournaise itself rising in front of you and the ash-grey wastes of the Plaine des Sables spreading behind. Because the walk up is short, nearly flat and open, Piton de Bert is one of the island's favourite places to watch the volcano at work. When the Fournaise erupts inside its caldera, local hikers head here at dusk or before dawn to see the glow, the smoke and, on good nights, the lava itself—so much so that the volcano observatory has placed one of its webcams on the piton. Even with no eruption, the panorama along the enclosure rim makes it a rewarding, low-effort outing from the volcano road.