Black River Peak

Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, at 828 metres, is the highest summit on the island of Mauritius, rising from the Black River district in the island's southwest. The peak falls within the Black River Gorges National Park, a protected area of roughly 67 square kilometres that represents one of the last intact tracts of tropical rainforest in the Indian Ocean region. The main trail to the summit takes around two to three hours through dense native forest, passing endemic species including Trochetia boutoniana, Mauritius's national flower. At the top, a full 360-degree panorama sweeps across the western coastline, the Le Morne lagoon, and on clear days the offshore Île aux Bénitiers.