This entrance to Mafate goes through the lush Salazie Cirque. After 1 hour of winding, scenic road you discover Mafate from its eastern entrance, "Col des Boeufs", with its breathtaking view over the entire cirque.

After 45 minutes of winding descent, we arrive at the unique "Plaine des Tamarins". Indeed, flat land is very rare in Mafate — the tamarin trees here have mostly been knocked down or uprooted by winds and cyclones, but they remain alive. This plain is also grazed by numerous cattle.

We continue down to the village of "La Nouvelle" (the administrative center), home to around 200 people. Village tour, then lunch or a meal at one of the local guesthouses.

For the rest of the day, there are 2 options:

Option 1: Return by the same trail, possibly with a detour via "Col de Fourche" (+1h) - 45 euros/person
Option 2: Detour through the hamlet of "Marla", then return via "Plaine des Tamarins" and "Col des Boeufs" (+3h) - 55 euros/person.