Plaine-des-Palmistes

Plaine-des-Palmistes sits in the saddle between the two volcanic massifs at a thousand metres, a cool green plateau of pasture and forest that the cross-island road runs straight through. It rains here more than almost anywhere on the island, which is why the Bébour and Bélouve forests above it are the last large stands of native tamarind and tree fern left. The Domaine des Tourelles is a craft centre in an old creole house. The path to the Trou de Fer, a waterfall dropping into a closed chasm, starts on the plateau edge. Rain gear matters more here than anywhere else on the island.