Pas de Bellecombe-Jacob is a mountain pass and vista point overlooking Enclos Fouqué, the last caldera formed by Piton de la Fournaise, the active volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island (a French department) in the Indian Ocean.

It is named after Guillaume Léonard de Bellecombe, governor of La Réunion during the 18th century, and Jacob, the slave that actually discovered the pass.

Location

The parking lot at Pas de Bellecombe.

The Pas de Bellecombe is situated over the caldera rim cliffs, at a 2,311 m (7,582 ft) elevation, and offers a good point of view over the northeast part of the caldera, including a small crater called Formica Leo.

Climate

Climate data for Bellecombe-Jacob, Réunion (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1968–present)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)25.4 (77.7)24.1 (75.4)24.2 (75.6)23.9 (75.0)22.2 (72.0)23.1 (73.6)21.2 (70.2)23.4 (74.1)23.0 (73.4)24.6 (76.3)25.0 (77.0)24.7 (76.5)25.4 (77.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)18.7 (65.7)18.6 (65.5)18.3 (64.9)17.5 (63.5)15.5 (59.9)13.7 (56.7)12.7 (54.9)13.5 (56.3)15.0 (59.0)17.0 (62.6)18.2 (64.8)18.7 (65.7)16.4 (61.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)14.2 (57.6)14.4 (57.9)13.9 (57.0)13.0 (55.4)11.0 (51.8)9.0 (48.2)8.1 (46.6)8.5 (47.3)9.6 (49.3)11.4 (52.5)12.6 (54.7)13.5 (56.3)11.6 (52.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)9.7 (49.5)10.2 (50.4)9.6 (49.3)8.5 (47.3)6.6 (43.9)4.4 (39.9)3.6 (38.5)3.5 (38.3)4.2 (39.6)5.8 (42.4)7.0 (44.6)8.4 (47.1)6.8 (44.2)
Record low °C (°F)2.2 (36.0)3.7 (38.7)3.2 (37.8)1.0 (33.8)0.0 (32.0)−1.8 (28.8)−3.3 (26.1)−3.7 (25.3)−5.0 (23.0)−1.9 (28.6)−0.3 (31.5)1.9 (35.4)−5.0 (23.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)781.1 (30.75)890.8 (35.07)899.8 (35.43)472.3 (18.59)397.8 (15.66)234.1 (9.22)262.8 (10.35)197.6 (7.78)137.4 (5.41)106.1 (4.18)144.9 (5.70)358.5 (14.11)4,883.2 (192.25)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)19.519.319.618.116.616.117.815.513.010.39.914.5190.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours181.7150.0179.1180.3195.7212.9213.7216.1229.2240.8241.8195.62,436.7
Percentage possible sunshine45424852576664626462624856
Source: Météo-France (sunshine 1986-2004)