Bélouve Rainforest Hike: Trou de Fer Waterfall Tour

Walk into primary forest and emerge at a waterfall that exists nowhere else on earth.

A guided hike through the Bélouve rainforest on Réunion Island, led by a professional mountain guide, covers 8 kilometers of flat forest trails and wooden footbridges to reach Trou de Fer, a unique waterfall. The tour includes a local snack and a drink, departs every Monday with groups capped at 12 people, and requires a good understanding of French. The hike takes around five hours and is not suitable for pregnant travelers or those with cardiovascular concerns.

Step-by-step itinerary

Hike through Bélouve Rainforest and Trou de Fer

• Route through Bébour and Bélouve forests
• Visit viewpoint on Salazie circus
• Snack on local products
• Hike in primary forest discovering plants
• View Trou de Fer waterfall
• Return via forest loop trail

The experience

The hike starts at the Gite de Bélouve, where you'll first stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Salazie circus: a chance to read the landscape itself, the guide pointing out human settlement, forest activity, and the island's history of marronage. After a snack of local products, you step directly into primary forest, the kind that exists nowhere else. Tree ferns tower overhead, orchids cling to branches, and the guide names medicinal plants endemic to this place: "wood of colors" and species found only here. The trails themselves are gentle (forest track or wooden footbridge), so the walking is straightforward even as the forest around you deepens.

The loop circuit keeps you moving through the same ecosystem on the return, so you're not retracing the same ground. At the end of the outbound stretch, Trou de Fer appears: a waterfall that drops into a cirque in a way that happens nowhere else in the world. The guide explains what makes it singular, and you stand at the reward the whole hike has been building toward.

What’s included

• A professional mountain guide leading in French.
• a local snack and a drink.
• access to the Bélouve rainforest and the viewpoint over the Salazie circus.
• the loop trail to Trou de Fer waterfall.

Before you book

Days and timesMondayDeparts at 07:30

AgesAdult (8 and older) · Under 8: can't be booked

GroupUp to 12

Live guideFrench

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Physically demandingNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Bureau Montagne Reunion

Is this one for you?Book this hike if you speak French well enough to follow a guide's explanations and can walk steadily for five hours on gentle forest trails. The Monday departure and small group size suit travelers who want to move through the forest with a local expert rather than on their own.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Trou de Fer and why is it unique?

Trou de Fer is a waterfall that drops into a natural cirque in a way that occurs nowhere else on earth. It is the destination at the end of the hike and the focal point the guide uses to frame the landscape and the forest you've walked through.

Do I need to speak French fluently to join this hike?

A good understanding of French is necessary to participate. The guide leads in French only, and the interpretation of the landscape, history and plants depends on following the guide's explanations.

What kind of terrain will I be walking on?

The trails are flat and slightly hilly, made of forest track or wooden footbridge, so the walking is easy even though the forest is dense. The 8-kilometer route covers primary forest on both the outbound and return legs.

How many people typically join this hike?

Groups are capped at 12 people maximum, and the tour is guaranteed to depart every Monday once the first person registers.

What plants and wildlife will I see in the Bélouve rainforest?

The forest is home to tree ferns, endemic orchids, medicinal plants unique to Réunion, and species known locally as "wood of colors." The guide identifies plants and explains their uses as you walk through the primary forest.