It is very surprising to see such a beautiful pine forest on this peak, as opposed to the usual jungle in the region. We all agree that this walk reminds us of the Alps in Europe, although there are some differences, such as the leeches we find along the way. Fortunately, I do not get…
Mount Labo
Mount Labo – an interesting and remote Ultra mountain – had no peakbagger reports and little information. So we got up early in Daet, met our trike driver, and drove almost an hour to the trailhead near the village of San Isidro. After formal registration, we were introduced to the local guide and soon began…
Mount Isarog
The most feasible route we identify from Davao to Naga involves flying through Cebu. While this option requires changing airlines and rechecking our luggage, the overall experience is reasonable. Thankfully, we don’t encounter significant delays and arrive on schedule. Upon our arrival at Naga airport, we are welcomed by sunny weather and high temperatures. Interestingly,…
Crocodile Hill
After successfully completing our morning ascent of Mount Matutum, we made our way back to Davao. En route, we consulted the map and identified a small hill with a road leading to its summit. Two aspects piqued our curiosity about this hill: firstly, it held a prominence of 100 meters, and secondly, it bore the…
Mount Matutum
The second ultra peak on our grand itinerary was Mount Matutum. Despite the park being closed and obtaining permission being a challenge, the trail was somewhat overgrown and obstructed, though still navigable. I began my GPS track at 2:57 am, indicating an early start to the day. Initially, we traversed farmland before descending slightly. Numerous…
Puting Bato
Mount Matutum is within close reach, and with the day stretching out ahead of us, we feel unhurried. Upon scrutinizing the map, our eyes quickly land on Samal Island, its pinnacle, and the delineated trail leading up. Albert’s affirmation about the ease of accessing the island and its zenith further bolsters our enthusiasm. Consequently, we…
Mount Apo
The highpoint of the Philippines is Mount Apo, located on Mindanao island. Naturally, it also claims the title of the island’s highest point. Globally, it ranks as the 99th most prominent mountain, boasting an altitude of 2,954 metres. There are several compelling reasons to ascend it. Apart from being an active stratovolcano, many local tribes…
Bukit Timah
The journey from London to Davao in the Philippines is quite lengthy, but naturally, we wanted to add a dash of fun to it! I had scaled the highest point in Singapore about a decade ago, but for Rob, this would mark a new country highpoint. Thus, we scheduled a 7-hour layover in Singapore, giving…
West Africa III 2023
Our main goal for this trip to Sierra Leone was to climb the isolated ultra peak of Loma Mansa. Any other peaks we could climb would be considered a bonus. And of course we added an extra day or two just in case something went wrong with our plans. We landed at Lungi airport in…
Freetown
We have plenty of time to explore Freetown before our evening flight home. We visit Leicester Peak and then experience the lively city with its street food, markets, shops and traffic. We then head to a sandy beach to watch the locals catch fish with nets hundreds of metres long. After a quick lunch at…
Leicester Peak
After breakfast in a small street restaurant next to the hotel, we drive almost to the top of Leicester Peak. There is a checkpoint, but as far as I can see, all tourists are allowed to drive to the viewpoint on the western slopes of the peak. There is a fairly large car park and…
Picket Hill North Summit
We are sailing from the Banana Islands to the mainland and are very close to one of Sierra Leone’s three P600 peaks – Picket Hill. We are aware that the highest point may be a mile in south of where the trail ends. However, we hope to find a path between the two peaks. Hope…
Ricketts Island Highpoint
After climbing to Dublin Island Highpoint, we cross a stone causeway that connects two islands. We then walk just over a kilometre on a flat, wide path to the nearest point to the summit. From there we head straight for Ricketts Island Highpoint, the highest of the three Banana Islands. At the top we found…
Dublin Island Highpoint
Situated off the coast of Yawri Bay, south-west of the Freetown peninsula, the Banana Islands are a group of three islands. The name comes from their shape, which resembles a banana. Dublin and Ricketts are connected by a stone causeway, while Mes-Meheux is privately owned and used as an adventure tourism destination. Dublin Island is…
Sankan Biriwa
A great day despite not being able to start climbing Sankan Biriwa, the highest peak in Tingi Hills Forest Reserve. An interesting journey from Makeni to Kundema-Lei village and also interesting negotiations in Kenewa village. After breakfast at the Makeni Hotel, we get in the car and head east. The tarmac road is good up…
Loma Mansa
Climbing Sierra Leone’s highest peak, the 46th most isolated in the world, is an experience not to be missed. It is also an ultra-prominent peak, one of the few in West Africa. Not only is it a beautiful natural environment, but the trail and cultural experience are also interesting. On this trip, Loma Mansa peak…
Northern Sierra Leone
From Freetown Airport in Lungi, we drove north-east towards the city of Makeni and then towards the Loma Mountains. The scenery on the roads was very colourful and vibrant; every few metres there was a new story to tell and time flew by. It took us the better part of a day to get to Kabala…
Rokantiškių Kalva
We decided to visit this peak unexpectedly, although I had wanted to go there for a few years. We drove fifteen kilometres from Vilnius and were still surrounded by houses, with construction going on next to the hill. First we tried the south side, but were stopped by the construction fences that ran all along…
West Africa II 2023
The easiest and cheapest way to get to Cameroon was via Frankfurt in Germany and then to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. There I met Petter and time flew as we talked about past peakbagging trips. Unfortunately, my plan to visit Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea and climb Pico Basil fell through, mainly due to complicated…
Southwest Cameroon
After a few hours in the car, I cannot claim to have seen the whole of Cameroon. But I have a sense of what it is like in at least one small region. As in many African countries, the streets are very busy with shops, people, stalls, street food, farmers, cattle, police, military and petrol…