Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire (also known as Black River Peak) is the highest mountain in Mauritius, at a height of 828 meters.
The hiking trail is very easy to follow and it takes on average 2 hours to reach the summit where you’ll be rewarded with views over Le Morne Brabant, La Tourelle du Tamarin, and Ile aux Benitiers.
Depending on the weather conditions, you might also spot some waterfalls along the hike.
If you’re planning on hiking Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire in Mauritius, this guide will show you exactly how.
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Read more about Mauritius:
- Where to go hiking in Mauritius
- 18 waterfalls to visit in Mauritius
- Top hikes to do in the Black River Gorges
Where is Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire?
Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire is located in the Black River Gorges NP, along the B103 Plaine Champagne Road.
Gorges Viewpoint, which is a popular tourist attraction, is found about 400 meters from the trailhead.
Since there are no buses that serve this route, you’ll need to come by car (tip: make sure to read my guide to driving in Mauritius).
About 100 meters from the trailhead is a small parking area (exact GPS location) that can fit about 3 or 4 cars. Alternatively, you can leave your car at the Gorges Viewpoint parking lot.
Related post: The best hiking trails in Black River National Park
Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire Hiking Trail
- Distance: About 3.3 km one way (6.6 km round trip)
- Height: 828 meters
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Total duration: 3 to 5 hours
The trail is very easy to follow as there’s basically one path leading to the summit.
You can click here to find the trailhead location. You can also type “Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire trail” on maps.me app to find the hiking route.
After parking your car, head toward the trailhead until you see a sign with a map of the Black River Gorges and a boulder on which is written “Black River Peak”.
Follow the path into the forest and soon enough, you’ll reach a concrete structure, which marks the Savanne and Riviere Noire district boundary.
The initial section is mostly flat with some occasional ups and downs but nothing too strenuous.
The only downside is that the path can be very muddy after a rainy day as it’s completely covered by trees which prevent the sun from filtering through.
About 45 minutes later, you’ll reach the first viewpoint (exact GPS location) overlooking Le Morne Brabant.
As you get closer to the summit, you’ll reach an intersection.
The path on your left leads further down into the gorge (indicated by yellow markers on the trees) while the path straight ahead leads to the summit (indicated by orange markers on the trees).
When I first did this hike a few years ago, there was only one way up and you had to use ropes to climb over the rocks and tree roots.
Due to the steep incline, this is the most difficult section of the hike so I don’t recommend taking this route on a rainy day.
You can instead take the path on the right for a much safer route to the summit. The path is quite narrow but not as steep as the other one.
Once you get to another intersection, turn left. You should reach the summit of Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire in less than 10 minutes.
If you’re doing this hike on a rainy day, the view will be completely covered by a thick fog and you’ll barely see anything.
But on a clear day, the summit provides stunning views over Le Morne Brabant, La Tourelle du Tamarin, and Ile aux Benitiers.
There’s also a small bench aptly named “Bench 828” where you can rest after your hike.
On average, it should take about 2 hours to go up and 1.5 hours down. Obviously, this mainly depends on the weather conditions and your fitness level.
Related post: Ultimate guide to hiking in Mauritius
Where to stay in Mauritius?
Green Cottage Chamarel
Set atop a hill in the village of Chamarel with sweeping views over the valley, Green Cottage Chamarel provides a complete immersion in nature and can be reached within a 15-minute car ride. Check out my detailed review here.
Click here to book your stay at Green Cottage Chamarel
If you have any questions about the Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire hike, just let me know in the comment section below.
Read more about Mauritius:
- Best spots to visit in South Mauritius
- Guide to hiking Le Morne Brabant
- Guide to hiking Le Pouce Mountain
- Guide to hiking Lion Mountain
- Guide to hiking Piton Savanne
2 comments
Hello ! Thanks for this article! We’re tourists in Mauritius and I read your article yesterday before trying to do this hiking today. Unfortunately, it rained right before the hiking, we tried to do it anyway but it was so so muddy, as you said… We thought we could climb to the top using the new path you said they created but at the intersection we only saw the main path (with the rope) and a path to the left. In your article you said the new path was in the right. So we tried the original path with the rope but right almost and the top it was too slippery and the slope was impossible, so we decided to go down and tried the other path, to the left. But this path went down, and it felt very dangerous ( terrain not solid nor safe). So we went back, very frustrated. Do you have other pics of the new path? It was going right or left at the intersection?
We’re quite frustrated because yesterday we tried the Morne but it also rained when we started the last part (the one with the climbing) so we had to go back and get down without seeing the top. And today, the same thing with the black river peak :(. So sad 😭
Hi Olga. Thank you for reaching out. I did the hike again a few months ago and the path on the right was still there although it’s not as obvious as it seems that some people removed the markings. I didn’t take new photos but you can still look at the photo with the tree and red arrow that’s already on my blog. The path is a bit overgrown now but if you look carefully, you should find it. It’s located just a few meters before the main path with the rope.
The path on the left does lead down but you can go there to admire the view only, it won’t take you to the top.
If it’s raining, there’s no point in doing the hike as you won’t see any view at all (due to the fog), plus it could be dangerous. It’s best to wait until the rain stops or do a shorter/easier hike. You can read this guide for some hike suggestions: https://www.letsventureout.com/hiking-in-mauritius-best-hikes/
Hope this helps :)