Between two catsits in Geneva, Switzerland, and The Hague, the Netherlands, we took the bus from Geneva to Aosta in Italy. Aosta is the capital of the autonomous Aosta Valley region, which is bilingual (Italian and French). From the 30th of May till the 3rd of June, we spent four incredible days in the Aosta Valley. We used the city of Aosta as a base for day trips to the surrounding villages. Plotting Our Trip + Bus Ride from Geneva to Aosta But First, Pizza + Gnocchi I don’t know man, but we got off the bus, saw some stuffContinue reading
hiking
Strolling up Mont Limon, the Highest Peak of Rodrigues
We hiked up the peak of Mont Limon on Friday the 15th of April and the 7th of June, 2022. It’s not an impressive feat, but I thought I’d share some pictures anyway. Rodrigues Island Highest Point I already knew for a long time that I wanted to travel to Rodrigues in Mauritius and visit the highest peak. On the only usable map of Rodrigues – OpenStreetMaps – it showed that there’s a big road next to the peak called ‘Mont Limon’ and some stairs up that later become a trail. No big deal. Close to the peak is aContinue reading
Îlot Fourneau: Peak Hike via an Interpretive Trail
We did this trip to Îlot Fourneau on the 6th of January, 2022. The Idea + Attempt #1 When we moved from Souillac to La Gaulette by taxi, we drove past Le Morne Village. We both saw the small islet called Îlot Fourneau off the coast. I want to visit as many islets in Mauritius as possible; they are the best kind of day trips. So when we settled into our home in La Gaulette, I did some digging into going there. I found a blog post about walking to the islet in shallow waters at low tide and thenContinue reading
Penang National Park and the Meromictic Lake at Pantai Keracut
Events in this story happened on Tuesday the 30th of June 2020. We hiked in Penang National Park to the meromictic lake at Turtle Beach (Pantai Keracut). This is during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) during the easing of the restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak. You can read my pandemic in Penang diary here. Preparations and Getting the Grab We took three liters of water in my hydration bladder and another 1.5 liters in a bottle in Jonas’ bag. Our lessons from previous hikes in the hills of Penang and on its beaches taught us it’s a good ideaContinue reading
Hiking and Urban Exploring at Devínska Kobyla, Bratislava – with Pirate Kitty!
During our stay in Bratislava, Jonas and I planned a day trip to Devínska Kobyla – the highest point of Bratislava. The peak is at 514 masl and there’s an abandoned missile base there. We planned to go hiking in the forest and see if we could enter the abandoned buildings by means of urban exploration. This happened on Friday, October 11th, 2019. To skip to the map and route of the hike, click here. Background After the kayak trip, Jonas and I traveled back to Bratislava because we loved it so much. We wanted to stay in the cityContinue reading
Hiking Fontainhas, the Highest Point of Brava
This article is about the highest peak of Brava island named ‘Fontainhas’ in Cabo Verde. It is not to be confused with the hike from Chã de Igreja/Cruzinha to Fontainhas/Ponta do Sol in Santo Antão! Intro Fontainhas is at 976 meters the highest point of the tiniest island in Cabo Verde: Brava. Brava is truly tiny; you can walk pretty much across the entire island in one day. I did this hike to the peak from Nova Sintra to Cachaço. Nova Sintra is the biggest settlement in Brava, and probably where you’ll be staying at. Hiking to Fontainhas without aContinue reading
Hiking to Farol de Dona Amélia, São Vicente
How to Get There I’d first spotted this lighthouse from the back of a scooter when I visited São Vicente for the first time. I already knew I wanted to dedicate a day to visit the lighthouse upon return to São Vicente after Santo Antão island. The lighthouse is called “Farol de Dona Amélia,” but if you’re in a public vehicle or a taxi in direction of São Pedro, all you need to know is the word Farol – ‘lighthouse’. Everybody knows which one you mean if you’re in the right area. This lighthouse is located on the tip knownContinue reading
(Hitch)hiking Monte Verde, São Vicente
The Setup Monte Verde is the highest peak on the island of São Vicente, Cabo Verde. As the bird flies, it’s only 6 kilometers 744 meters east of Mindelo, the island capital and Cabo Verde’s second-biggest city. The mountain and its plants are protected inside the Parque Natural Monte Verde. The island main ‘ring road’ surrounds the entire mountain, and is a cool trip for one or two people in itself; you can hitchhike, take an aluguer (minivan/pickup, public transit), or rent a scooter/car for a day to see basically the entire island. The peak of Monte Verde is quiteContinue reading
Hiking Monte Gordo, São Nicolau
The Intention We’d been in São Nicolau for four days. I really wanted to hike up Monte Gordo, the highest point of the island before we arrived. When we flew in from Sal, I already spotted the peak piercing through a thick layer of clouds from my plane seat. Monte Gordo (‘fat mountain’) is the highest point of São Nicolau island, Cabo Verde. It’s 1312 meters high , and of volcanic origin. But don’t worry, it’s dead now. It’s a protected area inside the Parque Natural de Monte Gordo. While São Nicolau is quite a dry island, the areas higherContinue reading