La Chapelle, Réunion, Canyon in Cilaos, Réunion, France

La Chapelle is a narrow gorge in the Cilaos cirque, cut by the Bras Rouge, which forms the Bras Rouge waterfall just upstream. Its walls are an ancient magma chamber of syenite, pale cream and light gray with dark vertical streaks, rising steeply to a slit of light. A dark stream runs over a gravel bed at the base.

La Chapelle is an ancient magma chamber within a syenite massif, not a canyon cut through volcanic rock. The massif, also called La Chapelle, rises west to 1,354 m at a sugar-loaf peak named Piton de Sucre. The Bras Rouge flows through the gorge and forms the Bras Rouge waterfall just upstream. Since 2010 the site has belonged to the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the pitons, cirques and ramparts of Réunion, though it lies outside the national park.

The name La Chapelle, "the chapel", comes from the shape of the gorge, whose walls close over a dark recess like a vault. The site lies in the Cilaos cirque, and since 2010 it has been listed within the Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Réunion, a UNESCO World Heritage property, although it stands outside the national park.

The terrain is rocky and can be slippery, especially after rain, so sturdy footwear is essential for safety. Visitors should stay aware of water flow changes and watch their footing on uneven ground throughout the route.

La Chapelle is an old magma chamber within a syenite massif, not a river-cut canyon; the massif rises west to Piton de Sucre at 1,354 m. The gorge lies in the Cilaos cirque and is crossed by the Bras Rouge, which just upstream drops as the Bras Rouge waterfall. It is one of four Réunion natural sites outside the national park that still fall within the UNESCO World Heritage listing of 2010.