Formosa Peak | |
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Peak Formosa | |
![]() Ridge leading to Formosa Peak (marked) in the Tsitsikamma Mountains | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,675 m (5,495 ft) [1] |
Coordinates | 33°51′50.8″S23°42′12″E / 33.864111°S 23.70333°E [1] |
Geography | |
Location | ![]() |
Parent range | Tsitsikamma Mountains |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Scrambling |
Formosa Peak or Peak Formosa is the highest point of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, a coastal range located along the Garden Route in South Africa, and forming part of the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve.
The peak was first mapped in 1576 during a voyage by the Portuguese navigator and cartographer, Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo, when his ship put in at Plettenberg Bay, which he named Bahia Formosa or "beautiful bay". [2] The peak, which is visible from the bay, had been named Formosa by the earlier Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, in 1488. This was corrupted to Moses, a name still used for the region north of the mountain. [2] Perestrelo, a survivor of the 1554 wrecking of the Portuguese carrack, the São Bento off Msikaba on the Wild Coast, wrote an account of the disaster. [3]
Because of its elevation and sweeping views, Formosa Peak is a popular hiking destination, the normal road approach being from the north via Langkloof and farm tracks. [1] Although not technically difficult and requiring only steep scrambling, the hiking route follows a narrow ridge with precipitous drops on either side and along some sections, a fall would prove fatal. A recent death on 2 January 2013 was that of Ken Webb, a 72-year-old experienced hiker from Plettenberg Bay, who fell while descending the mountain. [4] [5]
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