The town of Cilaos developed as a spa resort at the end of the 19th century when the thermal baths were constructed. The name, pronounced 'see-LA-oos', is thought to be derived from the Malagasy word tsy laosana, a place from which one never returns. Most of the village's inhabitants are descended from settlers who came from Brittany and Normandy in the 1700s. The area is known for the production of lentils, local embroidery and sweet red and white wines. The Cirque itself, one of three on the island, resembles a volcanic crater but is actually the product of the same erosional forces that sharpened the peak of the Matterhorn in Switzerland.Over the years, the original baths and walls became heavily stained and the station was closed in mid-1987 and turned into a museum. A new complex, Établissement Thermal Irénée Accot, using the same source, was opened just up the hill. It will be magic for relaxing after a long hike. There are several from town. Cascade de Bras Rouge is a day walk that begins from town and descends to the old thermal station and then traverses the slopes above the Bras des Étangs. After a couple of hours, you'll arrive at the waterfall Cascade de Bras Rouge.

Surrounded by ramparts, crisscrossed with gullies, and studded with narrow ridges, Mafate is the wildest and most remote of Réunion's cirques. Despite its remoteness, the Cirque de Mafate is populated and there are several villages. Not much happens in these generally grotty and sleepy little places but they do provide reminders of civilisation dropped onto an otherwise formidable landscape.To the delight of some and the disappointment of others, the cirque has no road suitable for motor vehicles, and, unless you take to the air, most of the area is only accessible on foot.

Étang-Salé-les-Bains is the beginning of the holiday coast, though the area remains very much an agricultural community. On weekends, the black-sand beach is much quieter than the coast further north around St-Gilles-les-Bains. The town itself is sheltered by a coral reef which, with extreme caution, is accessible on foot at low tide. Near town is a 2ha (5ac) bird park operated by the Office National des Forêts.