Formosa Peak or Peak Formosa is the highest point of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, a coastal range located along the

Garden Route The Garden Route (Afrikaans: ''Tuinroete'') is a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, and forming part of the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve.

Background

The peak was first mapped in 1576 during a voyage by the Portuguese navigator and cartographer,

Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo (c. 1510, Santo Estêvão - c. 1580, Santo Estêvão) was a Portuguese navigator and cartographer. The Perestrelo family is traced back to Filippo Pallestrelli, from Piacenza in Lombardy. Pallestrelli settled in ...

, when his ship put in at

Plettenberg Bay Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is the primary town of the Bitou Local Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of the census of 2001, there were 29,149 population. It was originally named Bahia Formosa ("beautifu ...

, 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 Bartolomeu Dias ( 1450 – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lay in the o ...

, in 1488. This was corrupted to ''Moses'', a name still used for the region north of the mountain. Perestrelo, a survivor of the 1554 wrecking of the Portuguese

carrack A carrack (; ; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal. Evolved from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade ...

, the '' São Bento'' off Msikaba on the Wild Coast, wrote an account of the disaster. Because of its elevation and sweeping views, Formosa Peak is a popular hiking destination, the normal road approach being from the north via

Langkloof The Langkloof is a 160 km long valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village northeast of George, and The Heights - just beyond Twee Riviere. History The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver in 1689, and more thorough ...

and farm tracks. 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.

References

Mountains of the Eastern Cape {{EasternCape-geo-stub