GR R2 Réunion emergency & health guide: hospitals, mountain rescue, 15 and 112

Rescue numbers

In Mafate there are no roads, so an injured walker is flown out; the helicopter needs reasonable weather, and clouds often close in from late morning. EU and EEA visitors get public health care with an EHIC card; everyone else should carry travel insurance that covers rescue and repatriation.

Rules to know

• Trails are closed by prefectural order after heavy rain, rockfalls and cyclones, and the list changes often. Order no. 2026-1811 of 13 October 2026 closed, among others, the Sentier du Bras des Merles (Deux Bras to Aurère), the lower Cap Noir - Roche Verre Bouteille path near Dos d'Âne, the old GR R2 through the Bras Plat and Mare Longue forest, and the Sentier du Tremblet below Nez Coupé du Tremblet; it reopened Roche Plate - La Brèche. Check the ONF map of open trails before each stage and never pass a closure sign.
• Cyclone season runs from November to April. In a cyclone alert trails are closed and you must stay put; heavy rain can make the river fords at Deux Bras and in Mafate impassable within hours. Never cross a river in flood.
• Piton de la Fournaise: access to the Enclos and the area around Pas de Bellecombe is set by the prefecture according to volcanic activity. The volcano erupted three times in early 2026 and lava crossed the RN2 in April; the vigilance phase returned on 7 May 2026. Check the status before stages 10 and 11.
• National park core: bivouac is allowed except in the Mare Longue forest, at Grand Bassin, in the Rivière des Remparts and on the cliffs of the Piton des Neiges and Grand Bénare (and not next to the Caverne Dufour refuge). Tents up after sunset and down in the morning, no campfires, carry out all waste including food scraps, no cairns. Dogs must be on a lead in the Roche Écrite massif.
• Drones are banned over the Roche Écrite massif (Dos d'Âne to the Plaine des Chicots) and the Piton des Neiges massif, and within 200 m of listed viewpoints such as the Cap Noir kiosk and Pas de Bellecombe. Elsewhere in the park: daytime only, in sight, never over people or homes in Mafate.
• No permit or fee is needed for the GR R2. Water is scarce at the high refuges and missing between Dos d'Âne and Aurère and between Bourg-Murat and the Gîte du Volcan: carry 2 to 3 litres.

Before each stage, check Météo-France La Réunion for the mountain forecast and any cyclone or heavy-rain warning, the ONF map of open trails, and, for the volcano stages, the prefecture's Piton de la Fournaise status. Start early: clouds and rain usually build up from late morning.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Clinics and doctors

These clinics treat minor injuries and illness during their opening hours. They are not emergency departments. In an emergency call 15, and the SAMU will send you to the right hospital.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies: Saint-Denis, Dos d'Âne, Cilaos, Basse Vallée
• ATMs: Cilaos, Bourg-Murat
• Shops: Saint-Denis, Dos d'Âne, Aurère, Grand Place, Roche Plate, Marla, Cilaos, Bourg-Murat
• Bus stops: Saint-Denis, Dos d'Âne, Cilaos, Bourg-Murat, Basse Vallée

At night and on Sundays a duty pharmacy (pharmacie de garde) covers each area: call 3237 to find it. There are pharmacies in Saint-Denis, Dos d'Âne, Cilaos, the Plaine des Cafres and Basse Vallée, but none in Mafate or at the high refuges, so carry a full first-aid kit and your own medicines. Shops are few and there are no cash machines in Mafate: carry snacks and cash.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.