I remember the first time we drove to northern Mauritius. We’d pulled over in the middle of the motorway and stared incredulously at this most astounding natural spectacle. Resembling a colossal cairn assembled by some skillful ancient giant, there towered Mauritius’s second-highest peak: Pieter Both.
Pieter Both Mountain is part of the Moka Range that rises above Port Louis in northwestern Mauritius. Its cuspate peak is crowned by a precariously balanced, round boulder, which is its characteristic feature. The mountain is also noted as the erst common habitat of Hyophorbe amaricaulis, the world’s rarest palm tree of which a single specimen survives today. Its dramatic loftiness summoned our adventure-seeking spirits. As soon as we drove away that day, we were resolved to climb it.
While completing the climb, we figured out it was much easier than it looked from below. Ropes were installed in all tricky sections, which involved mostly scrambling and easy climbing and only a short stretch of a 5A climb. Most importantly, the negative part at the bottom of the top boulder was negotiated by a via ferrata. Had we known this in advance, we could have carried out the climb by ourselves. Any moderately experienced climber shouldn’t face any problems without even climbing gear. But since we weren’t aware of the route’s facilitation, and didn’t have any gear with us, we had to seek a guide who had.
We planned our tour with Jah, a young, fun, and energetic guide from a nearby village. He was very effective and mindful in organizing the trip, and most importantly, a pleasant company. If he’s not available or something, you may as well check out this tour.
We met at 9 am by the football pitch at La Laura Top Rank Sport and Environment Club (Google Maps), on the southern foot of Pieter Both, where the trailhead is found. Two local guys, one of whom was celebrating his 24th birthday, also joined us. Jah briefed us on the route and the equipment. With our group of five ready, we began ascending the mountain.
The inclination picked up no sooner than we entered the forest. Assisting ropes were already installed at the steepest parts. I didn’t use them, but they proved helpful to our less experienced teammates. Slowly and with several breaks, it took us about two hours to reach the shoulder below the summit.
The view from there was already spectacular. Most of the island was visible, and the perpendicular summit loomed terrifically above. We had a snack while Jah climbed ahead to fix his own ropes beside the permanent ones. A helicopter approached, rumbling as it swerved off its collision course with the peak at the last moment. It was the first of many helicopter tours that flew around us during the rest of the ascent. Around that time, a lone paraglider appeared. He recurrently receded to the verge of visibility and neared to waving distance, seeming to stay adrift forever.
We secured ourselves with prusik knots on the rope and began tackling the steepest part. As I mentioned, most was a grade-4 climb with a short 5A section. The others pulled themselves up with the rope. I managed to rock-climb it on sneakers. The last negative bit was easily negotiated with the aid of the steel rungs.
A bunch of wild pigeons whisked away urgently as soon as we emerged over the boulder rim. A white tropicbird, less shaken, kept circling the peak, flaunting its graceful tail. Some swallows showed up later to attack our drone after we released it. The view was epic. Nearly the entire island lay below us, only the south coast hiding behind the southern mountains. Port Louis bathed in the meridian light that shone beyond the grey cloud covering us.
Crammed in the five or so square meters of the boulder’s top surface, we had lunch, basked in this privileged moment, and began our descent. By late afternoon, bloated with hand-plucked guavas from the mountain slope, we were where we started.
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View (and if you want use) all my photographs from Pieter Both in higher resolution.
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