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97413 Cilaos
Ilet à Cordes seems to live out of time, in an unspoilt authenticity. The winding road leading to it (to be avoided in case of heavy rain) is particularly beautiful and aerial. It’s a feeling of being at the end of the world that dominates when you reach this islet, whose isolation is its historical raison d’être. Floating between clouds and towering ramparts at the foot of the Grand Bénare, runaway slaves made no mistake when they chose this isolated area to hide out. It was the preferred refuge for the “Black Maroons”. The village takes its name from the fact that rope ladders had to be used to reach it.
Today, its inhabitants, most of whom are farmers, produce mainly lentils, but also citrus fruits and wine. The lentil fields, organized on the rocky flats, stretch all around the village and account for a large proportion of the cirque’s production. The views of the cirque de Cilaos from its southern end are spectacular.