It is 5:45 am in Saint-Paul when we turn the key of the Peugeot 3008. Our goal: the Maïdo viewpoint, 2,200 metres above the lagoon, before the clouds roll up. It’s one of the island’s most beautiful roads, and one we are most often asked about. So we did it again, stopwatch and notebook in hand.
The climb: an hour of bends through the forest
From the Saint-Paul seafront, allow about an hour. The road first rises through the heights of Saint-Gilles, crosses the geranium plantations, then enters the Highland tamarind forest, trees twisted by the wind, unique to Réunion. The hairpins follow one another neatly: decent surface, wide bends, a few places where you pass hikers’ buses. In a compact SUV, the high position helps you read the bends, and the engine’s torque saves you from labouring on the climbs. Nothing extreme: a saloon gets up there too; it’s a relaxed driver who makes for a good climb.
Up top: all of Mafate at once
The Maïdo car park is a few minutes’ walk from the viewpoint. And it’s breathtaking: the rampart drops a kilometre down to the Cirque de Mafate, its hamlets set in the middle of nowhere, its paths like threads. At 6:50 am that morning, the air was 9 °C (bring a proper fleece, even in the southern summer) and the view stretched to the Piton des Neiges. By 9:30 am, the first clouds were already licking the rampart. It’s all about going early.
💡 Our MultiAuto tip
Leave the coast before 6:30 am, fill up the day before, and use engine braking on the way down (low gear, short touches on the brake): halfway down, overheated brakes can be smelled, and cost you. On the way back, the stop worth making: breakfast in the heights of Saint-Gilles, facing the lagoon.
Which car for the Maïdo?
The 3008 we had that day belongs to the compact SUV family: exactly the right tool, with high position, torque and comfort. A small SUV (Captur, 2008, Duster) does the same job on a gentler budget; with four or five people and bags, an large SUVs adds boot space and an automatic gearbox, welcome on the way down. And if you’re staying in the West, collect your vehicle from theSaint-Paul branch: you’re at the foot of the Maïdo road. Other panoramas reachable by car? See our tour of the most beautiful viewpoints on the island.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive up to the Maïdo from the West coast?
About an hour from Saint-Paul or Saint-Gilles, on a road that is tarmac all the way. Leave before 6:30 am to enjoy a clear view over Mafate.
Do you need a 4×4 to go to the Maïdo?
No: the road is tarmac all the way to the car park. A compact SUV adds comfort on the hairpins, but isn’t essential.
What’s the temperature at the top?
Often under 10 °C at sunrise, even in the southern summer: bring a fleece and a windbreaker, you’re at 2,200 m.
Can you do the Maïdo and the beach on the same day?
Yes, it’s actually the ideal West coast programme: sunrise up top, back down in late morning, lunch, then the lagoon at L’Ermitage in the afternoon.