In January 2024, Cyclone Belal closed more than 500km of the 847km of trails managed by the island's forestry office. Here's what closed, how to check a trail before you go, and the rules to follow every cyclone season.
On 15 and 16 January 2024, tropical cyclone Belal swept across Reunion Island, triggering the purple alert (a total lockdown of the population) for the first time since it was introduced. It mainly hit the north and west of the island. Violent winds, torrential rain and landslides took a heavy toll on infrastructure, and especially on the hiking trails.
A few days later, tropical storm Candice dumped more rain on already saturated ground. After this double blow, the ONF (Office National des Forêts, France's forestry office) recorded more than 500km of closed trails out of the 847km it manages in Reunion Island, around 60% of the network. Repairs took several months, and the most technical sections were still being worked on in 2025.
This page covers three things: the facts about the closures after Belal, the rules to follow every cyclone season (November to April), and how to check a trail's status before every hike. Main sources: ONF Réunion, the Préfecture de La Réunion (the French state's local authority), Météo-France and the local press (La 1ère Réunion, LINFO.re, Imaz Press).
Figures from the ONF, Météo-France and the Préfecture showing the scale of the Belal and Candice double hit.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trails managed by the ONF (forestry office) | 847km | ONF |
| Forest roads managed by the ONF | ≈ 300km | ONF |
| Trails closed post-Belal (February 2024 peak) | > 500km (≈ 60%) | Local press review |
| Belal hits the island | 15-16 January 2024 | Météo-France |
| Tropical storm Candice (second wave) | late January 2024 | Météo-France |
| Highest alert level reached | Purple (lockdown) | Préfecture de La Réunion |
An official map published by the ONF on 11 March 2024, around two months after Belal. It shows how much was still closed halfway through the repairs.
Key: open trails in green, closed trails in red, and in blue, sections not managed by the ONF but listed on the PDIPR (the island's official network of walking routes). At that date, most of the red was around Mafate, Trou de Fer and several trails in the south.
Note: this map is a snapshot from 2024. For the current status, see the "closed trails" section of the ONF Réunion website.
Some of the most widely reported routes after Belal (the list isn't exhaustive). "Reopened" means a reopening was documented at some point, which doesn't rule out a new closure after more recent bad weather. Always check the current status before you set off.
| Trail | Area | Reported status after Belal |
|---|---|---|
| Sentier Scout (Mafate) | Mafate | Closed long-term after Belal, major rockfalls |
| Canalisation des Orangers | Mafate | Closed then gradually reopened |
| Ti Col - La Brèche | Mafate | Reopened as a priority (to reconnect cut-off villages) |
| Trou de Fer trail | Salazie / Bélouve | Footbridges damaged, temporary closure |
| Roche Écrite (gîte access trail) | Saint-Denis / Bois de Nèfles | Reopened early (a priority for the local economy) |
| Cascade Niagara (Sainte-Suzanne) | East coast | Gradually restored |
| Sentier Augustave | Cilaos | Temporary closure reported |
| Sentier Dassy | South | Temporary closure reported |
When 500km of trails need repairing at once, the ONF has to prioritise. Three criteria decide what gets fixed first:
Quieter secondary trails can stay closed for a long time, even several years in extreme cases. A trail not managed by the ONF but listed on the PDIPR may also be waiting for a local council to take on the repairs.
To check a trail before setting off, use these three reliable sources together (all in French).
The local press (LINFO.re, Imaz Press, La 1ère Réunion) also publishes summary maps during a major crisis such as Belal.
Belal wasn't a one-off: cyclone season comes round every year from November to April. These six rules apply throughout, and matter even more after a major storm.
The ONF (Office National des Forêts, France's national forestry office) publishes and updates the list of closed trails. If the signs on site say something different, the signs win: always follow what you see on the ground. The page to check: onf.fr/vivre-la-foret (Reunion Island section, closed trails, in French).
During cyclone season (November to April), keep an eye on Météo-France Réunion. The alert levels are pre-alert, yellow, orange, red and purple (lockdown). No hiking from orange upwards, and from red upwards the authorities ban all outings.
Even once the alert is lifted, trails stay dangerous: waterlogged ground, landslides, rivers in flood and weakened trees ready to fall. Wait for the ONF to assess and officially reopen them before heading out.
Walking a trail closed by order of the préfecture (the French state's local authority) can get you a fine (a '4th-class' offence under French law), and you may be charged for your rescue if something goes wrong. Above all, you risk a serious accident that your travel insurance won't cover.
Six months of risk, peaking in January-February. For long hikes (the Diagonale des Fous route, the three-cirques crossing, climbing Piton des Neiges), aim for May to October instead, when the weather is far more settled.
If a mountain hike is cancelled by an official order, switch to the beaches (L'Hermitage, La Saline, Étang-Salé), the street markets (Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul), the Jardin de l'État botanical garden in Saint-Denis or the Cité du Volcan museum in Bourg-Murat.