We stay in the tidy town of Cachi. It’s still late in the evening, and through the hotel window I can see a few small hills, also marked on the map as viewpoints. We go to visit them. Start by checking out the UFO landing strip. It’s a meticulous job; the white pebbles are arranged…
Cumbres Calchaquies
The first Cerro Pan de Azúca climb was great, but it didn’t help us acclimatise and get used to the higher altitude. Next, we chose the Cumbres Calchaquies, as the first night would be at 3000m, the second night at 4100m, and the summit at 4740m. Optimistically, we decided that this would be the right…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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….
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…