A Year In The Wild - Update

Back in July, we posted an article on this blog about www.yearinthewild.com. From 12 June 2011 to 30 June 2012, Scott Ramsay will be exploring and documenting the wild places of South Africa. He’ll travel to 31 of South Africa’s most special wilderness and wildlife areas.

We catch up with him at Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, which I ashamedly admit, I had never heard of until now. But if the above photographs are anything to go by, I’m certainly putting it on my places to visit list.

“Why haven’t we been here before? That’s how we feel about the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve. I’ve always wanted to come, but the famous places got in the way: Cederberg, Karoo, Kruger, Kgalagadi… Can you blame me – these are all special places of course. But that’s why I’m doing this trip…to discover new wilderness areas in South Africa, and to share them with likeminded people.

This CapeNature reserve is not particularly big (although it is growing – that’s the subject for another blog…still to come!). Situated south-west of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, the 10 000 hectare Gamkaberg has is special. Perhaps more than any other reserve of its size, it hosts an incredible diversity of animals and plants. It falls slap bang in the middle of the transition zone between the cool coastal mountains and the hot, arid Karoo.”

For Scott’s full article and amazing photographs, visit Gamkaberg.

The Lion King, based on a true story?

BA to increase flights to SA

British Airways will increase its double-daily Johannesburg schedule by three flights from March next year, adding nearly 700 seats a week between London and South Africa’s commercial capital.

It will also add an additional service to its Cape Town summer schedule to offer double-daily flights from the end of October 2011. The 747-400 aircraft will add some 14 400 seats into and out of the Mother City over the busy summer season.

“The additional services give our customers increased choice and flexibility and provide better connections from London to our global network and to the regional and domestic network operated by our franchise partner, British Airways Comair,” says Gavin Halliday, the area general manager for Europe and Africa.

For the full article on iafrica.com, click here.

“Flightiquette”, what we should all know.

Flight Centre has compiled a list of 10 commonly aired in-flight grievances and how to minimize the risk of passenger-related turbulence at 30 000 feet.

1) Boarding and disembarking by row
Once aboard, carry your luggage directly in front or directly behind, as luggage carried to the side will leave a path of destruction (and more than a few headaches) among the aisle-seat dwellers who have already taken their seats.

2) The overhead locker
Ensure your bag is within the required dimensions, only bring one and, wherever possible, stow it in the locker directly above you. Don't deposit your bag above seat 1A and then proceed to your seat at the back of the plane. Trust us - there will be knock-on effects.

3) The arm rest
Let's face it; the middle seat doesn't have a lot going for it, so as you settle in to your window or aisle seat, spare a thought for the disadvantaged middle seat dweller.

If you have established early elbow dominance on shared armrests, make some space for the middle seat dweller, who otherwise faces a long and uncomfortable journey without arm support.

4) Chair reclining
On short flights (under two hours), reclining should be kept to a minimum and avoided completely during meal times. On longer flights, the one-in, all-in rule should apply.

5) Border crossings
Space is an extremely precious commodity in the economy cabin. Don't attempt to cross your neighbour's border (unless invited) by stretching the legs or extending the arm span to read a fold-out map or a broadsheet newspaper.

6) Footwear
You're in close proximity to your neighbours. If there is any suggestion or past history of odour issues, footwear should remain on or should be carefully secured.

7) Mindless chatter
Before engaging in mid-flight banter with your neighbour, look for the obvious clues that point to a reluctant chatterer. Headphones on or face buried in a book mean "I don't want to talk".

8) Knees in the back
You're in a confined space, so the occasional bump to the seat in front is inevitable. Regular knees in the back are, however, almost a declaration of war.

9) Hands off the headrest
Like knees in the back, hands on the headrest in front are frowned upon. Avoid the temptation to pull the headrest in front for extra leverage when standing. The consequences of a poorly timed headrest shake can range from mild whiplash to severe red wine spillage.

10) The bathroom
Reaching the bathroom without breaching one or two of the rules above can be challenging. So, if you're likely to be a regular bathroom visitor, request an aisle seat at check-in and empty the tanks before boarding to avoid the rush that inevitably occurs once the fasten seatbelt sign is switched off.

For the full article on iafrica, click here.

Explore Gauteng

If South Africa was a ship, Cape Town would be the deck. In the Mother City there are sea breezes, deckchairs and beautiful views. Joburg, however, would be the engine room – the metal heart of the country where the hard work gets done.

But looking at the sunrise over the Magaliesberg mountains from the basket of his hot-air balloon, Adam Fillmore knows this isn’t true. “The Magaliesberg is 100 times older than Mount Everest and over 120km long,” said the AirVentures pilot.

Sailing along at a leisurely 10km/h, the balloon provides a refreshingly different view of the fast-paced province – crisp spring air, wildlife and quiet farming villages.

Showing off this unrecognised beauty, vibe and charm is what the Gauteng Tourism Department aims to do with its new campaign, “I’m a Gee Pee”.

The campaign was launched at the Cradle of Humankind, and will use promotions and tourism ambassadors to promote the region.

But the target audience is not foreigners – they want you and me to start holidaying in our province. It is estimated that for every 16 tourists who visit, one job is created.

Gauteng MEC for Economic Development and Planning Qedani Mahlangu emphasised that amid the global economic downturn, South Africa needed to depend on local, not international, tourism for economic growth. “Very few Gautengers have tried to explore Gauteng,” she said.

For the full article, click here.

Get jabbed for Zambia

The South African Department of Health has advised that yellow fever certificates will be required for travel to Zambia as of October 1.

This follows a shortage of the vaccine in South Africa and a delay on the change of government policy concerning innoculation requirements.

Mosquito repellants and prophylactics are also strongly recommended.

10 Fish River Canyon Hiking Tips

Having recently walked the challenging but incredibly beautiful five day hike along the Fish River Canyon in Namibia, there were a couple of things that we wished people had told us before we left. So here are a few tips that my friends and I learnt along the way, that you might find useful.

• Book the shuttle from Ai Ais to the canyon entry point as early as possible. There is only one vehicle and it leaves Ai Ais at +/- 7am and 10:30am. This means that if you catch the later shuttle you will only start the hike at 12:00 – loosing a whole morning. The shuttle can be booked at Ai Ais.

• Don’t forget to take cash with you on the shuttle as you will need to pay the park fees at Hobas before you can enter the canyon. This fee is NOT included in the cost that you would have paid when booking your hike months earlier.

• Other than the emergency exit on day two, there is no signage in the canyon whatsoever. Although the map of the hike is not very accurate, it does help with estimating your whereabouts… well kind of.

• Don’t stress if you haven’t made much progress after day 2, the terrain is tough going and you will make time up on day 4 and 5 when the canyon opens up. If you make camp an hours walk after Palm Springs on day 2, you are doing well.

• Don’t camp near “Sand Against Slope” – the sand is there for a reason. The wind can pick up at night and deliver ½ a ton of sand into your sleeping bag.

• I also wouldn’t suggest camping anywhere along “Dassie Ridge” and “Baboon Mountain”. Our fury primate friends get up to all kinds of mischief and keep you up all night with their loud partying.

• Bring secure sandals for river crossings.

• Please burn you toilet paper after use. Digging a hole and covering it with sand isn’t good enough. The wind simply blows the sand away.

• Some food that we found worked well from a calories vs weight point of view were: rice, pasta, couscous, crackers, tuna sachets, peanut butter, dried fruit, sachet pasta sauces, nuts, energy bars, honey, cup-a-soup, oat sachets and a few onions and garlic for flavour. I would also suggest biltong, but that didn’t even last the car trip there.

• Don’t forget to appreciate the five days of no emails, facebook updates, bbm, spam text messages, tweets, phone calls and general world events. It’s a beautiful thing.

Chris

Direct flights between Hoedspruit - Cape Town

SA Express has announced the launch of flights between Cape Town and Hoedspruit, starting July 26.

The airline will operate the route with a 50-seater CRJ 200 with a launch phase frequency of once daily, every Tuesday and Thursday. Flights will depart Cape Town at 09h30, arriving Hoedspruit at 12h10. The return service will depart Hoedspruit at 12h45, arriving in Cape Town at 15h25.

The airline said it was confident the addition of this route to its network would ensure the best possible connections for business and leisure customers.

For the full article click here.

A Year In The Wild

From 12 June 2011 to 30 June 2012, Scott Ramsay will be exploring and documenting the wild places of South Africa. The goal is to promote the conservation of the country’s natural wonders, by sharing his photos, videos and blogs with the world via social media.

He’ll travel to 31 of South Africa’s most special wilderness and wildlife areas. In these unique areas, he’ll be interviewing rangers, community leaders, environmental and cultural activists, ecologists, scientists, researchers, travellers and school kids.

“Ultimately I’d like to raise awareness of African wilderness – and why it’s important to the people of the continent and the world”, said Scott.

Here at Finding Africa, we will be following Scott’s journey with much interest and bringing your updates along the way.

You can also visit his website www.yearinthewild.com.

Best Airline in the World

Qatar Airways has won the title as the World's Best Airline at the 2011 World Airline Awards, in a ceremony held at the French Air and Space Museum as part of the 2011 Paris Air Show.

Voted by over 18.8 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities, the World Airline Awards are the most prestigious and respected quality recognition of front-line product and service standards across the world airline industry. With 200 airlines featured, the awards reflect customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

According to the Awards, the world's best airlines for 2011 were:

1. Qatar Airways

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Asiana Airlines

4. Cathay Pacific Airways

5. Thai Airways International

6. Etihad Airways

7. Air New Zealand

8. Qantas Airways

9. Turkish Airlines

10. Emirates

Locally, South African Airways was named the Best Airline in Africa. The runners-up in this Best Airline Africa category were Air Mauritius in second, ahead of Kenya Airways.

For all the winners, visit www.worldairlineawards.com.

For the full article on iafrica, click here.

Jackal and vulture standoff

With this photo, taken at Giant's Castle Nature Reserve in the Drakensberg, outdoor lover George Schmahl scooped the nature photography competition featured in Beeld and Die Burger newspapers. Have a look at the photographs and find out how this sequence plays out.

Vote for Table Mountain!

Table Mountain is in the running to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature, but this South African attraction is falling behind! Click here to see the list of the other contenders.

The New7Wonders will be announced on November 11, 2011 and we need your help to ensure our place in the history books.

Vote for Table Mountain online on www.votefortablemountain.com or via SMS as often as possible. SMS “Table” to 34874. Each SMS costs R2.

Incredible photographs of the Namibian landscape.

Tinted orange by the morning sun, a soaring dune is the backdrop for the hulks of camel thorn trees in Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia.

Desert-dwelling elephants follow the contours of the ancient Huab River Valley, wending their way through the Torra Conservancy - one of 60 areas overseen by local communities.

Quiver trees stand like eerie sentinels under the stars in the Namib Desert.

Pink flamingos mass on the water in Sandwich Harbour, once a secluded spot for whalers the lagoon is now renowned for its bird life with more than 100 species recorded.

The photographs are the work of photographer Frans Lanting, who took the incredible images on behalf of National Geographic magazine.

Appearing in the June 2011 edition of the famous magazine, the photos accompany a feature by Alexandra Fuller, who tells the story of how animals are thriving in Namibia since it became one of the world's first nations to write environmental protection into its constitution following its independence in 1990. She explains how the eco-minded nation treasures its land and feels responsible for it.

Click here for the full article in the Daily Mail.

TripAdvisor votes Cape Town No. 1

According to the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards 2011, Cape Town is the world’s best destination. The planet’s most popular travel website placed Sydney (Australia) in second place and Machu Picchu (Peru) in third.

“Cape Town is clearly the destination to beat,” said TripAdvisor spokesperson, Emma O’Boyle. “With beautiful scenery, great wine and gorgeous weather, it’s easy to see why Cape Town, which also played host to last year’s World Cup, has topped this year’s list.”

The Travelers' Choice Destinations awards honour top travel spots worldwide based on 45 million real and unbiased opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. Award winners were determined based on a combination of travelers' favorite places and overall destination popularity.

The Top 10 destinations in the world for 2011, according to TripAdvisor are:

1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Machu Picchu, Peru
4. Paris, France
5. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6. New York City, New York
7. Rome, Italy
8. London, United Kingdom
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. Hong Kong, China

For full article click here.

Joe's Beerhouse - Windhoek, Namibia

Tanja

Joe’s beerhouse, a legendary & unique slice of Namibian hospitality & cuisine, offers a wide range of local yet exotic flair & sumptuous meals to satisfy even the most conservative to experimental palates.

Originally founded in 1986 by Joe & his partner, upon arrival from Germany to Namibia, they started the Kaiserkrone restaurant, which after a few years was later to become Joes Beerhouse, the legend still surviving to this day.

Situated on the iconic 160 Nelson Mandela avenue in the capital Windhoek, Joes bursts onto the scene with African relics old & new, each with its own unique story, inscribed in detail on every facet of the building’s interior. It sports three thatched bars, strewn with toilet seat bar stools, a lapa, and beer garden an outside boma with fireplace, & a quality stocked wine cellar. Riddled with prize heads of game & filled to the brim with Namibian earthy tones & natural wonder, Joes offers this unique experience in quite a neat package.

Joe’s menu is littered with scrumptious exotic but local dishes offered with flair of excellence & generous memorable experiences to excite even the most critical of food connoisseurs. Their menu covers it all from a wide variety of game, chicken & beef. Joes also offers a sizable choice of vegetarian & salad dishes. The locally brewed draught is a beer best enjoyed before, during or after your meal; take into account that they are also the highest consumer of Jagermeister in all of Namibia.

The list of specialty dishes goes on with classics such as Pork schnitzel & the traditional German “Eisbein” or also known as pork knuckle served with sauerkraut & mustard, are a must. More to the travelers delight dishes such as the Zebra steak & Devils Ribs are not to be missed. All this & more can be enjoyed with a finale of exquisite deserts such as the aptly named Parfait of Namibian Prickly Pears or a modest Amarula (African cream liqueur) Dom Pedro.

So there you have it a unique, exciting & memorable dining & drinking experience that can only be better described by the owners themselves, “ it’s good food, superb company, unique experience & is locally & internationally known as a must see Namibian attraction.”

Le Quartier Francais No 36 in Top 50 Restaurants 2011

Royal highlands trout ballotine, squid ink, avocado.

Pickled aubergine and buffalo labne roulade.

Le Quartier Français has been included, for the 7th consecutive year (and 8th year overall), in the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants.

This year saw the Tasting Room, the only South African restaurant included in the 2011 Top 50 Restaurants, placed no 36 overall and best restaurant in Africa & The Middle East.

Two other South African restaurants -Rust-en-Vrede and La Colombe – were recognized and included in the S.Pellegrino World's Top 51-100 Best Restaurants rankings; reaffirming our belief that South Africa, as a food destination, continues to impress on a global scale.

The Tasting Room, situated in the French Huguenot valley of Franschhoek, in the Cape Winelands, serves course after course of exquisitely presented culinary delights showcase chef Margot Janse and her team's award-winning talent. You can indulge in a surprise 9 course menu - African inspired - or a five course choice menu. Both options can be enjoyed with a wine pairing. Bookings essential. Dinners Only - Mon - Sun.

5 Course Menu
Almond, cucumber & green grape consommé, dill granita, fennel pollen

Beetroot and liquorice terrine, apple puree, pickled walnut

Lesotho royale highlands salmon trout, squid ink, avocado, wasabi

Crisp skinned cape salmon, pearl barley ragout, miso, soya, celery

Joostenberg vlakte pekin duck breast, confit leg tortellini, pea parfait,butternut, juniper and pomegranate

Coffee roasted warthog loin, potato fondant, garlic puree,bone marrow and currant vinaigrette

Eastern cape blue wildebeest, leek and buchu ash, lentils, celeriac

Swissland chevre ash mousse, plum, pickled turnip, cocoa pepper

Whipped kimilili tulbagh blue, mustard pear, pistachio sable

Mulberries, bitter chocolate ganache, lemon thyme and buffalo yoghurt sherbet

Cashew nut savarin, coconut sorbet, passion fruit, banana, curry

Cape Town in for a Beautiful Weekend

Photo of Table Mountain taken this morning from the V&A Waterfront.

Go on, Buy a Penguin a Home.

The African Penguin was moved to the Endangered list in May 2010 because of a decline of almost 100 birds a week over the last 30 years.

Dyer Island is a critically important breeding colony – one of the largest remaining in South Africa – but African penguin numbers are rapidly declining. In 1979 Dyer Island had a penguin population of about 23,000 breeding pairs. This dropped to 1,200 pairs in 2010 – a more than 90% drop in numbers in 30 years.

During the 19th and 20th centuries the island was stripped of guano for use as an agricultural fertilizer. This has had devastating effects on the penguins. The safest place for penguins to breed is in burrows, which they used to dig into the soft guano enabling the birds to make their nests and sheltering them from the heat of the sun.

During the 19th and 20th centuries the island was stripped of guano for use as an agricultural fertilizer. This has had devastating effects on the penguins. The safest place for penguins to breed is in burrows, which they used to dig into the soft guano enabling the birds to make their nests and sheltering them from the heat of the sun.

When guano was removed, penguins were forced to nest in the open on the rocky island surface. Here they are at the mercy of the elements and of predators. On hot days adults incubating in the open overheat and often leave their nests to go down to the sea. As soon as eggs and small chicks are left unattended on the surface,they too can overheat and die, or more likely fall prey to the ever watchful Kelp Gulls.

The Dyer Island Conservation Trust, in partnership with CapeNature, has embarked on a programme to introduce artificial nests providing vitally important shelter for breeding penguins. Fibre glass nests were specially designed to mimic natural guano burrows.

Download the brochure and help us conserve the remaining breeding colonies by purchasing a nest - only ZAR 400 (USD55 EUR45 GBP35) each or by making a donation to our world class research.

Leopard and Python Tug-of-War

A massive snake may not be the average feline's choice of chew toy. But there was no stopping these leopards having a tug of war with one unlucky python. The six-and-a-half-ft (2m) long African rock python became the unwilling 'rope' in the game, after being captured by a female leopard in the long grass.

But as she dragged it, still wriggling, along behind her, she was ambushed by her over-zealous son who wanted to land the kill for himself. The young male snatched the end of the enormous snake in his powerful jaws, and tried to tug it away from his mother. The two big cats fought ferociously over their prey for half an hour, in front of stunned guests at the MalaMala game reserve, South Africa.

The brutal battle was only ended when the female leopard gave up, retreating to a tree while her son tucked in to his prize. But he only ate a morsel before deciding it was not to his taste, and discarding the snake's body in the long grass. The unusual scene was caught on camera by American photographer Josh Scheinert.

Photo of Table Mountain on St Patricks Day

Original image via tvcritics

Top of de Mountain to Ye!

See Table Mountain light up in green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, from 20h00 on March 17, 2011. Photo courtesy dkeats

Various St Patrick’s Day 2011 celebrations will be held in Cape Town on Thursday, March 17. Table Mountain will be illuminated with green lights in the evening, in recognition of the work done by Irish charities in the Mother City, as well as to commemorate the links between Ireland and Cape Town.

It is fitting that these celebrations take place on a Thursday, which has become the official “Vote for Table Mountain” day. Table Mountain has been shortlisted as a New7Wonder of Nature, but needs your vote if it is to achieve this status. You can play your part by sending the word “TABLE” via cellphone text message to 34874, or by casting your vote online.

Here are a few places that will be celebrating the green spirit in Cape Town on Thursday 17th March 2011:

The Dubliner

Quintessentially Irish, be sure to expect a huge celebration at The Dubliner bar in Long Street on 17 March. Leprechaun lookalikes will serve you green beer, while the live music pays homage to shamrock ‘n roll! Be sure to arrive early for a few fun giveaways and, of course, to avoid the line.Long Street City Bowl +27 (0)21 424 1212

Perseverance Tavern

This traditional Irish bar will celebrate St Paddy's with Guinness hats, Irish music and Guinness Draught specials. 83 Buitenkant Street Gardens +27 (0)21 461 2440

The Royal Oak

The bar ladies will be dressed in green and black, serving Draught Guinness and Kilkenny for R23 a pint. The evening will also be full of fun games with scratch cards given for every pint bought where each customer can win a free pint, a hat or some other item. Harvan Centre Marine Circle Cape Town +27 (0)21 557 0354

Twankey Bar at The Taj

St Patrick’s Day at Twankey Bar

O'Driscolls

This popular spot will have Guinness prizes up for grabs and a chance to possibly win a trip to Ireland for you and a friend. Of course, there will also be entertainment and lots of drinking... and did we mention drinking?33 Hout Street City Bowl +27 (0)21 424 7453

South Africa Outperforms 2010 Global Tourism Market

South Africa recorded a remarkable 15% increase in tourist arrivals to the country in 2010 – outperforming the global average by 8%. And while the Fifa World Cup in June and July played a role in the increase, tourist arrivals were buoyant all year round.

Last year saw just over eight million (8 073 552) tourist arrivals compared to slightly over seven million (7 011 865) in 2009, comparing well with international standards.

Figures from the UN World Tourism Organisation showed that global tourism arrivals were estimated to have grown by 6.7% in 2010. This meant that South Africa outperformed the global market by 8%.

For the full story, on SouthAfrica.info click here.

Is Google Able to Increase Airfares?

Online travel companies say Google's proposed $700 million acquisition of flight information company ITA Software.company acquisition will drive up airfares.

Members of the FairSearch.org coalition are urging the US Justice Department to block the Google-ITA deal - just as it did in November 2008 with the Google-Yahoo! advertising agreement.

They are claiming that Google's purchase of ITA would give the Internet search giant too much control over the online travel sector and lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.

"You're taking the dominant flight search engine company, which is ITA, and you're combining it with the dominant online search company, which is Google," Thomas Barnett told AFP.

For the full article on iafrica, click here.

Lake of Fire

Do not panic, there is not another ash cloud emergency over Europe. In June 2010, a team of scientists and intrepid explorers stepped onto the shore of the lava lake boiling in the depths of Nyiragongo Crater, in the heart of the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Members of the team had been dazzled since childhood by the images of the 1960 documentary "The Devil's Blast" by Haroun Tazieff, who was the first to reveal to the public the glowing red breakers crashing at the bottom of Nyiragongo crater. Photographer Olivier Grunewald was within a meter of the lake itself, giving us a unique glimpse of it's molten matter. Paula Nelson

The view from the volcano’s rim, 11,380 feet above the ground. At 1,300 feet deep, the lava lake has created one of the wonders of the African continent.

The permanent lava lake of the Nyiragongo is the biggest in the world, an estimated 282 million cubic feet of lava. In 1977 and 2002, the lava lake breached the crater, destroying a large part of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At night, the base camp is illuminated by the light of the lava lake.

Franck Pothé approaches the lava. For such a close encounter, the wind must be at his back, pushing the heat away. Pothé is constantly informed of the swirling winds via radio contact with other members.

Marc Caillet is the first member of the team to reach the lake’s rim.

For more images click here.

Cape Town Bicycle Map Launched

The first ever Cape Town Bicycle Map, which details safer urban cycling routes, bicycle parking, painted and segregated bicycle lanes and other urban cycling information, has been released.

This first edition covers the central city, the West Coast to Milnerton route, the southern suburbs and south peninsula. The soon-to-be-released Winelands Map will include the Durbanville area as well as the Winelands.

The print map is complemented by the blog, ‘rideyourcity.wordpress.com’, which gives updated route information as well as details of bicycle-friendly venues, bicycle parking, new policy issues and infrastructure.

Individual copies of the A1 full-colour maps cost R40 each; orders of 10 copies or more cost R30 each. Maps are also available, free, from the Cape Town bicycle map advertisers, whose details can be found at http://www.capetownbicyclemap.co.za/.

Mauritius School Holiday Family Special

Take advantage of this Mauritius Family Holiday special for the March/April school holidays. Choose from the luxury resorts of La Plantation Resort & Spa, Ambre Resort & Spa or Indian Resort & Spa.

One child stays & eats free in a standard room. Two kids stay & eat free in family room, only paying for flights and transfer.

For more information and bookings email info@findingafrica.com or contact us on + 27 (0)21 685 6460.

Terms and conditions apply.

Moon phases for Cape Town 2011

Due to much interest from the Lion’s Head Full Moon Hike post yesterday, above are the moon phases for Cape Town in 2011. You can also view the information here. Don’t forget to bring torches for the way down. Enjoy the hike and see you at the top!