Whenever we were in foreign countries on other continents, we looked for the opportunity to climb a country's highest mountain. Below are the high points one of us or both managed to achieve.
Official name | Gunung Kinabalu | |
Other names | Kinabalu | |
Mountain range | ||
Summitted | 1993 | |
Team | Otto Sluiter | |
Route | Standard route via Laban Rata |
Till the 1990s the Kinabalu was considered to be the highest mountain in South-East Asia. But since Myanmar opened up, there was a mountain in the Himalays of Myanmar that appeared to be higher: Hkakaborazi (5881 m). It was only climbed for the first time in 1996.
Well, Kinabalu is the tallest of Malaysia. It's an easy climb starting on 1900 m. At 3300 m there are the Laban Rata huts, where we got a few hours sleep. Somewhere at 2 am we left the hut and arrived at the summit around 6 am. The way to the top is over granite rock slabs, where they installed fixed ropes. On the top it was freezing cold!
More information can be found on Summitpost.
Official name | Jebel Toubkal | |
Other names | Toubkal | |
Mountain range | High Atlas | |
Summitted | 12 November 2015 | |
Team | Otto Sluiter & Marja Beukers | |
Route | Normal route |
I climbed Toubkal twice. First time was in 1997, in 2 days from Imlil and via the Toubkal refuge.
Second time was better. That was in 2015. We took a longer approach. We started a 4-day trekking from Tassa Ouirgane via the Tizi Aguelzim (3500 m) to the Toubkal hut first. It was nice to approach the hut from another side and the views on Toubkal were stunning.
Next day at 5 in the morning we left the hut for the summit. We were the first. It was al snow till the summit. In the hut there was this dog that accompanied us all the way to the top. At 8 we arrived.
Back down we took another route, via an airplane that crashed a long time ago. Eventually we joined the main trail to Imlil. And said goodbye to the dog.
More information can be found on Summitpost.
Official name | Brandberg | |
Other names | Königstein | |
Mountain range | ||
Summitted | 14 July 2007 | |
Team | Otto Sluiter & Marja Beukers | |
Route |
There are no hiking trails on Brandberg, only routes, but they are not marked. So you need a guide. And a second reason for a guide is that he knows where water can be found, because you need 1 or 2 nights of camping. We used the services of Daureb Mountain Guides, and took one of the longest routes up.
We parked our vehicle somewhere on the SW side of the mountain at 700 m. From there we walked and scrambled to our open-air camping spot at 1900 m. After a good night sleep (a mouse was nibbling on my finger though) we left camp at 8 and summited at 12.30 pm.
Official name | Kilimanjaro | |
Other names | Uhuru Peak | |
Mountain range | ||
Summitted | 1996 | |
Team | Otto Sluiter | |
Route | Marangu route |
The Marangu route is the easiest route to the top of Kilimanjaro. It starts at 1800 and everyday 1000 meters have to gained. There are huts at 2800 m, 3800 m and 4800 m. It's not difficult but you need stamina.
Some parties take a rest / acclimatization day at 3800 in the Horombo Huts, I did not. So 3 days after leaving Park HQ at 1800 with a guide, cook and porter, I arrived at Kibo Hut at 4800 m, feeling fine.
After an early supper I tried to catch some sleep until it was 'breakfast' time around midnight. At 1 am the summit push started. This last part to the top is basically at a 45 degrees angle, it is a volcano. I found it very strenuous to walk and above 5000 m I was also developing some altitude sickness, fortunately only headaches. But some other people who were also going up were in a lot worse condition. I've seen people vomitting from altitude sickness. It is said that only 20% make it to the summit. Also my guide was having problems, he walked like a drunk. I've given him my walking poles.
At 5.30 we reached the rim of the crater, Gilman's Point. Most people called it a day there. The summit lies exactly on the other side of the crater and is another 2 hours walking. I forced myself to continue (the guide was not very motivated anymore) and at 8 am I reached the highest point of Africa, and my guide too.
More information can be found on Summitpost.
Official name | Jebel Shams | |
Other names | ||
Mountain range | Hajar | |
Summitted | 2022 | |
Team | Otto Sluiter & Marja Beukers | |
Route | Standard W4 route |
The summit (north summit) of Jebel Shams is a restricted area, because of a military base. But the south summit (which is a lot farther) can be reached.
We took the standard W4 route, which begins at the Sama Heights Resort. We started early, just before sunrise. The trail is well marked and easy to find. The day we went we were the only ones going to the summit, so it was quiet. But maybe in weekends it will be busier.
The trail is very long. Around noon we arrived on the summit, after crossing some false summits before. The south summit is a huge plateau, but luckily the high point has been marked. It took us 6:30 hours to reach the top and it would take another 5:30 hours to return back to the resort. So we started at dawn and returned at dusk. It was a good but long day.
Official name | Mount Kosciuszko | |
Other names | Kunama Namadgi | |
Mountain range | Snowy Mountains | |
Summitted | 2023 | |
Team | Otto Sluiter & Marja Beukers | |
Route | Charlotte Pass - Main Range Loop |
The tallest mountain of Australia, and according to some people one of the Seven Summits, but that is controversial.
Till 1997 it was possible to drive all the way to the summit from Charlotte Pass. Nowadays you have to park your car at Charlotte Pass and walk the 'Summit Trail'. However there is another option: take the 'Main Range Loop' from Charlotte Pass to the summit, and return via the 'Summit Trail'. That's what we did.
We parked the car at 07:00 and descended down to the Snowy River. After the river and some snow patches (it was end of October) we headed to the Blue Lake viewpoint. The trail was well maintained and easy. When we were approaching the summit we found more snow fields, and also more people. But most people walked the regular Summit Trail, because it is a lot shorter and a lot easier. Therefore I can only recommend to do the Main Range Loop. It's more remote and quieter.
At 11:30 we reached the summit, so a little over 4 hours after we started. There we also saw the 'old road' that led to the top in the past, now filled with hikers. And that was the route we took back to car again. Around 14:00 we were back again.