Savane des Pétrifications

The Savane des Pétrifications is a stretch of the southeastern coast unlike anywhere else on the island: dry, treeless, red-brown earth with cactus and low scrub, shaped by wind and salt, running along cliffs above the Atlantic. It took its name from petrified wood found here, most of which has long since been carried away. The coastal path crosses it with no shade at all, which is the defining fact of the walk.

The landscape

• The arid ground - red-brown earth and cactus on a treeless headland.
• The Atlantic cliffs - the exposed coast the path runs along.
• The contrast - desert country on an island otherwise covered in forest.
• The coastal path - the route linking Anse Trabaud with the Baie des Anglais.

When to go

December to April is drier and slightly cooler. Start early; there is no shade at any point. The path is punishing in the middle of the day.

Practical notes

There is no shade, water or shelter anywhere on the route and people get into trouble here. The petrified wood the place is named for is essentially gone. Wind on the exposed sections is constant.

Nearby

Anse Trabaud is north, and Sainte-Anne is west.

Key facts