Vârful Moldoveanu
Hike from Balea Lake on the Transfăgărăşan Road to the highest mountain in Romania
Tag: Mountains
New book: The Formation of Mountains
This book about orogenesis provides both, a gentle introduction to geology and a detailed explanation of individual mountain ranges and travel destinations.
HRP part 5: The last mountains before the Mediterranean Sea
Between L’Hospitalet-pres-I’Andorre and Banyuls-sur-Mer, the HRP leads over Pic Carlit and Canigou and then over numerous hills to the Mediterranean Sea
HRP part 4: On lonely trails to Andorra
From Salardú to L’Hospitalet-pres-I’Andorre, the HRP runs through the farthest corner of Catalonia and through Andorra
HRP part 3: Crossing high passes
Between Parzán and Salardú are the highest mountains of the Pyrenees and the highest passes of the HRP
HRP part 2: Crossing the Pyrénées National Park
On the HRP from Lescun to Parzán with Vignemale, Gavarnie and Pic du Midi d’Osseau.
HRP part 1: From the beach to the mountains
Between Hendaye and Lescun, the HRP leads over green hills and finally through a whimsical karst landscape
Rainy summer in the Eastern Alps
What a weather. Anyone who has spent this July in the Alps can tell you a thing or two about it: It rains, rains, rains. Instead of hiking and climbing mountains every day, I end up spending most of my time waiting for better weather. And the weather forecast turns out to be completely useless: … Continue reading “Rainy summer in the Eastern Alps”
Watzmann traverse
The scramble over the ridge of the Watzmann is probably the most beautiful mountain tour in Germany.
Triglav, Krn and Soča
My walks through the Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps in Slovenia led to impressive views of rugged limestone mountains and small mountain lakes and along the beautiful mountain river Soča.
Traversing Corsica on the GR20
Hike across the island on one of the most beautiful treks in Europe through the wild mountains of Corsica.
Traversing the High Tatras
Hiking through a small but fine high mountain range from Poland to Slovakia: In 3 days past the lake Morskie Oko, over the via ferrata Orla Perć and to the peaks Rysy and Kôprovský štít.
Iztaccíhuatl
On the third highest mountain in Mexico with a magnificent view of Popocatépetl
Nevado de Toluca
Traverse of the crest of the fourth-highest mountain in Mexico with a view of two crater lakes
At the toe of Aconcagua
At the highest mountain in the Andes (Argentina) — and the highest outside Asia.
Hiking the Verdon Gorge
On the Sentier Martel through the “Grand Canyon of the Alps”, one of the deepest and most beautiful gorges in Europe (France)
Mayon
The perfectly shaped volcano from different angles (Luzon, Philippines)
Why a visit to the volcano Pinatubo is not always possible
The notorious volcano is a restricted military area
Trekking from Ushguli to Mestia
Four days trekking in Svaneti (Greater Caucasus, Georgia)
Trekking in Tusheti
Villages, towers, shrines in a remote mountain region in the High Caucasus (Georgia)
Komovi
Hike in the Mountains of Montenegro
Bay of Kotor
The “Fjord” of the Balkans in Montenegro: Hikes and Old Towns
Durmitor
Mountains in Montenegro
Velebit
Karstified mountains in Croatia
Lake Como
Many of the deep lakes in the Alps are known to fill valleys that were once carved out by the glaciers of the ice ages. However, this is not the case with the lakes in the Southern Alps. Where Lake Como, Lake Lugano, Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore are located today, there were already deep … Continue reading “Lake Como”
Ben Nevis and neighbouring Munros
Hiking in the mountains of Scotland
Everest Three Passes Trek
Trek over the passes Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La to Everest Basecamp, and to vantage points such as Gokyo Ri, Ngozumba Tse, Kala Patthar and Chhukhung Ri.
Langtang-Trek and Gosainkund
The Langtang Valley, in the mountain range closest to Kathmandu, is the destination of this popular trek in Nepal. Vantage points such as Tsergo Ri, Kyanjin Ri and Morimoto Base Camp are worthwhile, with views of large glaciers and some six-thousand-metre peaks. A side trip leads to the Gosainkund mountain lakes.
From Kandersteg to Grindelwald: Trekking in the Bernese Oberland
5-day hike in Switzerland: Kandersteg via Oeschinensee, Blümlisalphütte, Sefinafurgga to Mürren (cable car); Kleine Scheidegg, Eigertrek, Grindelwald (cable car), First to Schynige Platte
Hike around Cerro Castillo
The most famous mountain on the Carretera Austral in the remote south of Chile looks like a fairy-tale castle; on a hike there are mountain lakes and viewpoints to discover
Perito Moreno National Park and trek to Cerro San Lorenzo
Lonely wilderness, Patagonia as you imagine it: The scarcely visited national park in Argentina offers impressive views and solitude and the third highest mountain in Patagonia towers above the steppe as a wall of ice and rock
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego
Hikes at the “End of the World”: Views, bays and bogs in Tierra del Fuego National Park (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)
Torres del Paine Cirquit
The Cirquit, a complete circumnavigation of Torres del Paine including the “W”, is the most famous trek in Patagonia (Chile)
Trek to Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy
Hunting for the best light at the most beautiful vantage points at the foot of the famous granite mountains in Patagonia (Argentina)
Bariloche
Hikes in the hinterland of the “Argentinian Saint Moritz” (Nahuel Huapi Traverse and Cirquito Chico)
Conguillio National Park and climbing Llaima
Hikes through rustic forests, up to the snow-covered Sierra Nevada past araucaria, views of lakes and the Llaima volcano, and finally an ascent of Llaima itself.
Villarrica and Huerquenes
A view into the crater of Villarrica and a hike to lakes and araucaria (lake district in Patagonia, Chile)
Puyehue
Tracing the latest volcanic eruption in Chile
Brenta: Via Ferrata Sentiero Bocchette
The Brenta, the continuation of the Dolomites beyond the Adige Valley, is famous for the via ferrata that leads across it: the Sentiero Bocchette. However the summits are consistently bypassed, but it is a beautifully exposed path, from hut to hut over rocky ledges and up and down ladders. It consists of several sections, each … Continue reading “Brenta: Via Ferrata Sentiero Bocchette”
La Palma: Hiking Ruta de los Volcanes and Ruta de la Cresteria (GR 131)
The GR 131 hiking trail on La Palma combines the Ruta de los Volcanes with the Ruta de la Cresteria for a four-day hike, an island crossing that is scenically and geologically spectacular (Canary Islands, Spain)
Traverse of Teide and Pico Viejo
The most beautiful way to climb Teide is to traverse Montaña Blanca, Teide and Pico Viejo with an overnight stay at the Refugio de Altavista
Roraima Tepui
Hike into the “Lost World” of the Roraima Tepui: a table mountain on the Gran Sabana in Venezuela, with bizarre rock formations, endemic species and a lot of rainfall
Folds of the Morcles nappe
Hike to the most beautiful folds of the Alps, which not only gives insights into the geology of the mountains (folds, overthrusts, nappes), but also beautiful views of the mountains.
Tour du Mont Blanc
Trekking around the Mont Blanc massif: the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is justifiably one of the best-known treks in the Alps.
Glarus Thrust and Bregaglia Granite
Short geological excursion in Switzerland
From Uyuni to San Pedro and ascent of Licancabur
Jeep tour (with an annoying group) through spectacular scenery: from Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) via Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde to San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) with ascent of the Licancabur volcano.
Ascent of the Illimani
Mountaineering in Bolivia: Climbing Illimani (6438 m) in the Cordillera Real
Sajama and Lauca
Three high volcanoes and a few lakes in the national parks on the border between Bolivia and Chile
Huayna Potosi
Climbing Huayna Potosi (6088 m) in the Cordillera Real in Bolivia: a relatively easy 6000 m peak with the best view
Nevado Pisco
Climbing Nevado Pisco (5752 m), a spectacular panoramic mountain in the Cordillera Blanca in northern Peru
Alpamayo Trek
Trekking in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru: In 10 days around Alpamayo and its beautiful neighbours
Trek around the Cordillera Huayhuash
Coloured mountain lakes, glistening glaciers, in 10 days around the spectacular Cordillera Huayhuash in northern Peru
Trekking at Chimborazo
Three days hiking on the north side of Chimborazo (Ecuador)
Climbing Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi National Park in Ecuador: climb Cotopaxi and hike on Rumiñahui
Rondane and Jotunheimen
Hike to Storronden in Rondane National Park and a trek over the Besseggen Ridge and across Jotunheimen National Park to the Fannaråken hut (Norway).
Sarek
Trek across the inaccessible Sarek National Park in the heart of Lapland, Sweden
Lofoten
Trip to Lofoten, islands in Norway with rugged mountains, fjords and fishing villages — hikes to viewpoints and mountain peaks
Sinai
Deep blue water full of coral reefs, with reddish granite mountains towering behind. So beautiful that this is the third time I’ve come to this coast. In places, the granite rocks are criss-crossed by swarms of black dykes like a zebra pattern. Nuweiba is almost deserted, the camps and restaurants are empty and the few … Continue reading “Sinai”
Trekking Mount Kaçkar
The Pontic Mountains, which stretch along the coast in the north of Turkey, have their highest heights just before Georgia, before turning into the Lesser Caucasus (see also The Formation of Mountains). The Kaçkar Mountains are also called the Pontic Alps; dark, rocky crests, needles of granite, blue cirque lakes, boulder fields. I could imagine … Continue reading “Trekking Mount Kaçkar”
Svaneti
Wild mountain villages in Georgia: Cycling from Mestia to the defence towers in Ushguli and a hike to the Coruldi Ridge with a view of Ushba
Kazbegi
At the toe of the Kazbek in the High Caucasus
Trek from Xinaliq to Lasa
Hiking through the High Caucasus in Azerbaijan: rustic mountain villages and cloud-covered mountains
Climbing Damavand
Climbing Iran’s highest mountain, the volcano Damavand (5670 m), and what unexpected surprises it can hold.
Annapurna Cirquit
Trek (3 weeks) around the Annapurna Massif (Annapurna Cirquit) and up to Annapurna Base Camp (Nepal)
Friendship Highway in Tibet
From Lhasa to Kathmandu — in one week by jeep, via Gyantse, Shigatse and Everest Base Camp
Ganden to Samye Trek
A trek in Tibet from Ganden Monastery to Samye Monastery: over two high passes in 4 days
Nam Tso
Lake Nam Tso is exactly what you imagine Tibet to be
Bromo and Semeru
Volcanoes in the East of Java: Views into the Tengger Caldera with the steaming Bromo and ascent of the active Semeru with up-close ash eruptions
Merapi
On the volcano with active lava dome (Java, Indonesia)
By motorbike through the Vietnamese mountains
From Hanoi over mountain roads to Sapa in the northwest of Vietnam
Zermatt-Saas Ophiolite (excursion)
The rocks of the Zermatt-Saas zone are an ophiolite, i.e. originally oceanic lithosphere (of the Penninic Ocean, the deep-sea basin of the Alpine Tethys). However, the unit is highly deformed, so that the normal sequence of serpentinite (mantle), gabbro, basalt and sediments cannot be found in one piece. Furthermore, they were metamorphosed (eclogite facies, retrograde … Continue reading “Zermatt-Saas Ophiolite (excursion)”
Expedition to Oldoinyo Lengai
Fieldwork for my diploma thesis at the World’s only active carbonatite volcano