The Piton des Neiges (Snow Peak) is a 3,069 m (10,069 ft)[3] shield volcano on Réunion, one of the French volcanic islands in the Mascarene Archipelago in the southwestern Indian Ocean.

Piton des Neiges was formed by the Réunion hotspot and emerged from the sea about two million years ago.

[5] The island possesses a high endemism of flowering plants (about 225); this has justified the creation of a biological reserve on the lower slopes of the Piton des Neiges.

[6] Although this is feasible in a single day, most hikers prefer to stay overnight at the mountain hut, Gîte de la Caverne Dufour.

The hike starting from la Plaine des Cafres is much longer, at 19.6 miles,[4] and a similar elevation gain of 4,691 feet (1,430 m).