Le Gouffre
A chasm in the basalt on the west coast where swell drives into a cave and explodes upward.
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Le Gouffre is a chasm in the black basalt of the west coast south of L'Étang-Salé, where the sea has undercut the rock and swell driving into the cavity is forced up and out through the opening, throwing spray many metres into the air on a big day. A platform above gives the view down into it. The surrounding coast is bare lava, worn into arches and channels by the same action.
What you actually see
- The blowhole - swell driving into the cavity and exploding upward through the gap.
- The basalt platform - the bare black rock coast around the chasm.
- The arches and channels - the rock forms cut by the same wave action.
- The viewing platform - the built viewpoint above the opening.
When to go
May to November is drier. The effect depends entirely on swell and is dramatic only when the sea is big. Cyclone swell makes it spectacular and dangerous.
Honest expectations
On a calm day very little happens and the visit is disappointing. The rock is unfenced beyond the platform and people have been swept off it; the edge is genuinely dangerous. There is no shade.
Nearby
L'Etang-Sale is north, and Saint-Louis is east.
What to pack for Le Gouffre
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.