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279 articles
2022
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Sight

RegionCatamarca

Calchaquí Valleys

The Calchaquí Valley stretches across several regions of Argentina, from the southern regions of Catamarca and Tucumán to the northern regions of Jujuy and Salta. We have driven this road several times; most of the photos were taken through the car window, but this is just the tip of the iceberg of what this valley…

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Hike

Range Sierras de Cordoba

Cerro Pan de Azúcar

After a coffee break in Asunción, our plane lands in Córdoba. Through the aeroplane window, I can see a mountain range. The first question is whether there is a peak that we could reach relatively easily. The second question is how much time we have before the next flight. The third question is: what transportation…

1260 mP 129 mI 1.81 km
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Trip

Range Great Britain

Northwest Europe 2022

I didn’t have a specific goal for this trip, but I did want to climb two unclimbed and remote P600 peaks in southern Scotland. So, after landing in London and meeting Arunas, we were on our way north. In the morning, we climb Merrick and a few more surrounding peaks. A memorable long day and…

4225.5 km+14285 m
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Hike

Range Great Britain

Ben Vorlich

On this trip, this is the last of Scotland’s four p600’s peaks. Arūnas decides to walk along Loch Lomond, so I get out of the car at the closed gate and walk about three kilometres to the trailhead on the tarmac road. A first-class walk with spectacular views illuminated by the morning sun. It is…

943 mP 632 mI 5.54 km
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Hike

Range Great Britain

Beinn an Lochain

It’s raining, but not heavily, so it won’t scare us. We leave the car on the side of the road. The first obstacle is a stream. Of course, you can wade and cross, but I want to enjoy my dry shoes for more than a few minutes. We walk along the river and find a…

901 mP 640 mI 3.62 km
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Hike

Range Great Britain

Broad Law

Today’s goal is simple and quick: a few kilometers of distance and a few hundred meters of elevation gain. In exchange, I will bag a relatively isolated P600 peak in Southern Uplands. We are leaving car at the road side and walking along the fence (start at right side). Most of the tral will go…

840 mP 653 mI 81.32 km
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Hike

Range Great Britain

Merrick

Merrick is far enough away from the other mountains to be the southernmost peak of Scotland’s P600. It is the highest mountain in the Southern Uplands and southern Scotland, so I had enough arguments for visiting it. Several cars are already parked in the parking lot. We change our shoes, get dressed, and start climbing….

843 mP 705 m
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Hike

Range Great Britain

Barr Beacon

Just outside Birmingham, we turn off the M6 motorway, drive for a few miles, and stop in a large car park. I thought we were going to drive all the way to the top, but it turns out we have to walk a few hundred meters. Nice. There is a memorial at the top, apparently…

227 mP 82 mI 11.79 km
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Trip

Range Sulawesi

Malay Archipelago III 2022

The main goal of this trip is to climb ultra peaks and ribus. Indonesia has some to offer, and that’s likely the main reason why I’m coming to the Malay Archipelago a second time this year. I call this a III trip because Malay Archipelago III trip and this one had different targets and arrangements….

29995.3 km+30560 m
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Hike

Range Sulawesi

Klabat

The ultra peak of NE Sulawesi is close to Manado, but we begin climbing at half past two a.m. We need to catch our flight to Jakarta. Later, we fly home from Jakarta. We leave the car at the widening of the road, but it seems to me that we could have driven a few…

1995 mP 1852 mI 287.6 km
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Hike

Range Sulawesi

Lokon

We went up the summit of Manado Tua in the morning and climbed Lokon in the evening—a great plan, and we succeeded. From the port of Manado, we drive towards Lokon mountain and climb up. We reach the summit just as the sunset is starting. At the beginning, we follow an old lava trail, shortening…

1580 mP 842 mI 25.89 km
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Hike

Range Sulawesi

Manado Tua

Old Manado is the translated name of the island. We plan to visit the island, climb highpoint in the morning, and then climb mount Lokon on Sulawesi in the afternoon. It’s a tight schedule, but it’s totally doable. Early in the morning, we buy some buns on the street and come to the river harbor….

805 mP 805 mI 27.7 km
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Hike

Range Sulawesi

Pulau Gunatin High Point

Yesterday’s typhoon changed our plans, and instead of the Awu volcano, we sailed to the nearby Gunatin Island, where we will try to find the highest point. We arrive at the Ulu harbor at dawn and have to wait, but there is nothing bad that doesn’t turn out for the best. In the corner of…

285 mP 285 mI 11.85 km
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Sight

RegionSulawesi Utara

Siau

Nutmeg, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and tarsiers. These are the first things I remember from Siau Island. Then there’s the heavy rain, the delicious food, and the locals waiting for tourists. The tarsier is a very interesting nocturnal creature. It only comes out of its hole in the evening. They are best found…

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Hike

Range Sulawesi

Karangetang

One of Indonesia’s several most active volcanoes is on a remote island of Siau in the Sulawesi region. There was little information from other hikers and no peakbagger reports. For the above reasons, this ultra-peak was not in our original plan. But we met Aris, a man who loves volcanoes in action. He often climbs…

1827 mP 1827 mI 152.23 km
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Hike

Range Sumatra

Gunung Marapi

Today’s hike is intimidating because we don’t know for sure if we will reach the actual high point. We know that there are people who have been there, and we even have some ideas about where to look for the trailhead; we’ve also seen videos of people on the trail, but we haven’t found a…

2891 mP 2116 mI 74.53 km
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Hike

Range Sumatra

Singgalang

Today’s mountain is shrouded in legend. When one reaches the lake, one must never say a woman’s name out loud. I don’t know what happens when you say it loudly at the lake. But I strictly follow this instruction for all the right reasons. After an early morning breakfast and photo session, I am taken…

2877 mP 1723 mI 15.89 km
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Hike

Range Sumatra

Talang

I said goodbye to Dave in the morning; he flew home, and a few minutes later we met up with Rob, who had just arrived here after hiking on the island of Java. Dave and Rob nearly met, but they only missed each other by a few minutes. Next time. It was quite a late…

2597 mP 1047 mI 35.1 km
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Trip

Range Sumatra

Malay Archipelago II 2022

The main objective of this trip is to climb five peaks out of the world’s top 100 by prominence. At least eleven peaks on this list are located in the Malay Archipelago. We arrive in Jakarta, fly to Bali the next morning, take a short relaxing break in the hotel, and after midnight start climbing…

18576.4 km+48996 m
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Sight

RegionSumatera Barat

Sumatera Barat

West Sumatra is the place where you can find the highest mountain on the island, tigers, the best coffee (locals confirm this), active and dormant volcanoes, lakes, jungles, peaked houses, cinnamon, chili peppers, rendang, and many more interesting things. We only had a few days and took a good quality but extremely slow road from…

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Hike

Range Sumatra

Gunung Kerinci

We are staying at Kerinci View homestay. It’s a great name, and one can watch the smoke rising from the pillar of Kerinci crater from the balcony. It started to smoke actively the day before we arrived. Pani, the owner of the house and our guide for tomorrow, calls the park rangers and reassures us…

3805 mP 3805 mI 1904.03 km
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Hike

Range Java

Gunung Slamet

We arrive early in the morning at the registration point at the end of the village. We check in, get on our motorbikes, and ride a couple of hundred vertical meters very quickly. Just before the end, we have to get off the bikes because they are apparently not designed for western weights. We climb…

3428 mP 3284 mI 419.06 km
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Hike

Range Java

Gunung Lawu

The mountain is very popular with locals. Many trails wind their way to the top; we chose the one that should be a bit freer. It is foggy all the way, so we can’t see much. Pretty quick, we reach the upper camp, where a lot of people are resting. We move on, the wind…

3265 mP 3118 mI 126.18 km
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Sight

Range Nusa Tenggara

Lombok

On the island of Lombok, nearly 4 million people live. However, there is no big crowd of people when driving around the island. On the contrary, the deserted, wild beaches are impressive.