Petit Piton

Petit Piton is the northern and smaller of the pair at seven hundred and forty-three metres, and it is much the harder climb: where Gros Piton is a steep walk, Petit Piton is a scramble on near-vertical rock with fixed ropes, tree roots and exposed sections where a slip would be final. Both are volcanic plugs, the solidified throats of vents from around a quarter of a million years ago, and both are within the World Heritage area that also covers the geothermal field between them. Access is officially restricted and requires a guide from the community below; several people have died on it.

What you actually see

• The rock scramble - fixed ropes and roots on near-vertical sections.
• The summit view - straight down to the sea and across to Gros Piton.
• The volcanic plug - the solidified throat of an ancient vent.
• The forest on the lower slopes - dense and steep from the start.

When to go

December to April is the dry season, and wet rock makes an already dangerous climb worse. Start at first light; the whole thing takes four to five hours return. A guide from Malgretoute is compulsory and is arranged in the village.

Honest expectations

This is genuinely dangerous and people have died on it. It is not a hike: there are exposed near-vertical sections with ropes of varying age and no rescue worth the name. Access is officially discouraged and permission is not always given. If you want a Piton, climb Gros Piton, which is hard but not lethal.

Nearby

Gros Piton is across the bay; Soufrière is ten minutes north.