Tag Archives: Africa
Thaba-Phafane West
Where is the line between a hill and a mountain? When is a summit significant and when is it just a high point on a ridge? There is no one correct answer to these questions, and definitions vary from country to country and region to region. In Scotland there is a list of roughly 277 […]
Blouberg
Ga-Monnaasenamoriri, also known as Blouberg, is a 2051m peak with 1014m topographic prominence in Limpopo. It is best known for its multi-pitch climbing routes, but has been on my radar for a number of years due to it being one of the 24 mountains in South Africa with at least 1000m topographic prominence. I had […]
Leqooa Ridge
Only three ridges in Southern Africa rise above 3400m. The northern two of these both contain country high points and are hiked more frequently as a result. If measured from the escarpment edge, in a reasonably straight line, to the point where the drainage basins these ridges separate finally combine, the Mafadi/Makheka Ridge and the […]
Groot Winterberg
When I first looked over the list of summits in South Africa with at least 1000m topographic prominence, my reaction was that the list was not worth attempting due to how remote some of the peaks were – in particular, Groot Winterberg in the Eastern Cape. With no major roads nearby, no information available online […]
Iron Crown Trail Race
One of my minor ongoing projects is to climb all nine province high points in South Africa. It isn’t something I have pursued with much urgency, it arguably started when I stood on top of Mafadi – the highest point in South Africa – more than a decade ago. Another of my ongoing projects is […]
Cockscomb
I first identified the list of mountains in South Africa with at least 1000m topographic prominence in 2020. I had realised my planned trip to Nepal wouldn’t be happening due to Covid travel restrictions, and had also realised that I would need to take some leave soon if I was going to use all my […]
Baneiseng
There are a few places I have always known I would go to eventually – one of which was Everest Basecamp. After years of talking about it – in August I finally booked my flights to visit the Everest Region in November 2022. As always, time off work is a very limited resource, and I […]
Makheka
Heritage Day in South Africa is celebrated on 24 September each year. It is commonly celebrated by a good traditional South African braai (barbecue). I prefer to celebrate South Africa’s mountain heritage over this weekend. While South Africa might not have the highest mountains, there are plenty of interesting ones that are well worth the […]
Marakele
One of my ongoing projects is to attempt to climb all 24 mountains in South Africa with at least 1000m topographic prominence. The list contains 18 Western Cape peaks, 3 Eastern Cape Peaks and 3 Limpopo peaks. The closest peak to my house is the high point at Marakele National Park. The official Government Survey […]
Makoaneng
Much like most of my writeups, this one starts with me studying a map late on a Saturday night in October 2015. I had been looking at a list of peaks above 3400m in Lesotho – with nothing above 3300m on the Middle and Western Ridges, these peaks are generally shown on the Geoseries Hiking […]
Ghaznavid Hiking 
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