Formosa Peak
Formosa Peak or Peak Formosa, at 1675 metres, is the highest point of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, a coastal range located along the Garden Route in South Africa.
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'. The peak, which is visible from the bay, had been named 'Formosa' by the earlier Portuguese explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, in 1448. This was corrupted to 'Moses', a name still used for the region north of the mountain. [1] Perestrelo, a survivor of the 1554 wrecking of the Portuguese East Indiaman, the São Bento off Msikaba on the Wild Coast, wrote an account of the disaster. [2]
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. [3] 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 will 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]
References
- ↑ Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa vol.4 (1971)
- ↑ A Brief History of the Portuguese in South Africa
- ↑ Formosa Peak
- ↑ Knysna-Plett Herald
Coordinates: 33°51.846′S 23°42.200′E / 33.864100°S 23.703333°E