The Piton des Neiges (Snow Peak) is a 3,069 m shield volcano on Réunion, one of the French volcanic islands in the Mascarene Archipelago in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It is located about 800 km east of Madagascar. Piton des Neiges is the highest point on Réunion and is considered to be the highest point in the Indian Ocean.

History and geology

Piton des Neiges was formed by the Réunion hotspot and emerged from the sea about two million years ago. The volcano has been inactive for 20,000 years. Réunion itself is considered to be about three million years old; the other two islands in the archipelago, Mauritius and Rodrigues, are 7.8 million and 1.5 million years old, respectively. The Piton des Neiges forms the northwestern two-thirds of Réunion, with the very active Piton de la Fournaise comprising the rest. Additionally, it is surrounded by three massive crater valleys. As its name suggests, snow is occasionally seen on its summit in winter. The Piton des Neiges is ranked 14th in the world by topographic isolation. The island possesses a high endemism of flowering plants (about 225); this has justified the creation of a biological reserve on the lower slopes of the Piton des Neiges.

Hiking

Three tracks lead up to the peak: one from the Cirque de Salazie, another from the Cirque de Cilaos, and the third from Plaine des Cafres. They meet at a staffed mountain hut about an hour's walk below the peak. The hike starting from Cilaos spans 8.9 miles, typically taking an average of 8.5 hours to complete. Although this is feasible in a single day, most hikers prefer to stay overnight at the mountain hut, Gîte de la Caverne Dufour. This hike is considered challenging due to the 1736 m elevation gain. The hike starting from la Plaine des Cafres is much longer, at 19.6 miles, and a similar elevation gain of 4691 ft.