Mare aux Joncs, Waterfall in Cilaos, Mauritius.

Mare aux Joncs is a waterfall in the Cilaos region situated at around 1200 meters elevation, nestled between towering rock walls and thick vegetation. Water cascades down in stages, forming small pools scattered throughout the site.

Mare aux Joncs lies in the Cirque de Cilaos, a caldera whose name comes from the Malagasy word for 'place that cannot be left'. The islet of Mauritius was settled by the French from 1721, and Cilaos was reached and farmed in the 19th century by settlers who used its streams. The waterfall feeds the Bras Rouge, a tributary of the Rivière Saint-Étienne.

Mare aux Joncs sits in the Bras de Cilaos valley, and its name pairs the Creole word mare (a small upland pool) with jonc, the reed that grows along the water. Walkers on the sentier to the site pass terraced market gardens where Cilaos lentils and wine grapes are grown, and the waterfall's pools are a customary halt for picnics on the way.

Mare aux Joncs sits in the Bras de Benjoin ravine above Cilaos, reached on foot from the village along a trail that crosses the river bed several times. The final approach involves scrambling over wet rocks, so allow time for the return before afternoon cloud builds over the cirque. There are no facilities at the falls.

Mare aux Joncs sits in the Cirque de Cilaos, the caldera enclosed by the Piton des Neiges massif, and the waterfall is reached on foot from the village of Cilaos. The stream feeding it drains the high slopes of the cirque before dropping over the rock step. Hikers often combine the visit with the nearby sentier leading toward the Bras Rouge ravine.