Ralph Pina
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A circuit of Paarl Mountain

by Ralph Pina | May 28, 2012 | hiking, Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve, scenic walks

There are many easy walking routes around the granite inselbergs of Paarl Mountain, most of them ideally suited to leisurely outings with a young family. Paul and I decided to get into the outdoors again for the first time after our return from trekking in Patagonia....

Leopard’s Gorge, Kogelberg

by Ralph Pina | Apr 7, 2012 | hiking, Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, scenic walks, trails

Here’s an easy yet spectacular walk for the family. The 7-and-a-bit km hike takes you through a 400 m rise and fall in  elevation, from the Palmiet River valley, through an old indigenous forest to glorious views above Betty’s Bay. Photos and a Google...

A Table Mountain circuit

by Ralph Pina | Jan 1, 2012 | hiking, scenic walks, Table Mountain National Park

In all the years of walking on the mountain I have never climbed Platteklip Gorge. At Peter’s suggestion we parked at Kloof Nek and tackled the 15.4 km circuit up Platteklip, through the valleys of Isolation and the Red Gods, to the reservoirs and down...

Cape Point’s east coast

by Ralph Pina | Aug 29, 2011 | scenic walks, Table Mountain National Park, trails

The 13 km walk down Cape Point’s east coast from the gate to the restaurant at the point is possibly the most scenically spectacular hike in the country. Besides the vistas across False Bay, the precipitous drops to the rocky coast below and the way the...

Scherpenheuwel circuit, Franschhoek

by Ralph Pina | Aug 18, 2011 | hiking, Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, scenic walks, trails

The Mountain Club’s plan was to head up to Perdekop in the hope that, it being midwinter, there would be snow on the peak. Instead an unseasonal black south-easter raged, clouding in all the peaks around Franschhoek. So, plan B was activated. It amounted to a...

Simonstown to Smitswinkel on foot

by Ralph Pina | Oct 19, 2010 | hiking, scenic walks, Table Mountain National Park, trails

We took the Old Mule Trail up to Blockhouse Gap where two old blockhouses slowly weather away. Apparently the blockhouses were built at the beginning of World War I to guard the eastern approach through the nek to the naval ammunitions magazines that scar the high...
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Welcome to RalphPina.com

Thank you for visiting my outdoor blog. RalphPina.com documents my experiences over many years of appreciating, and adventuring in, Nature. It celebrates visual beauty, advocates minimal impact, reflects on humans’ relationship with our ecosphere, spans the planet but focuses on the wild diversity of southern Africa. Photos, videos and GPS maps of hiking, cycling, kayaking, abseiling, canoeing and windsurfing..

Recent Posts

  • A walk on the Wild Coast
  • A northern Kruger cultural safari
  • Twelve Apostles loop
  • Balloch High Rim hike
  • Namaqualand coast hike
  • Miaspoort Trail to Huguenot Peak
  • Boating the Lot River
  • Cycling Connemara
  • Baviaanskloof Cycle Tour 2022
  • Betty’s Bay to Rooiels
  • Klein Hangklip
  • Five days in Groot Winterhoek

Recent Comments

  • Marc on A walk on the Wild Coast
  • Jaap de Lange on The Postberg Trail
  • Ralph Pina on Namaqualand coast hike
  • Marius Janse Van Rensburg on Boegoekloof Circuit Boland Trail
  • Ralph Pina on Namaqualand coast hike

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  • Nomadic NAMAS
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  • Santie Gouws Mountain Walking Guide

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  • Fire Information System for SA
  • The Cape Leopard Trust

Hiking sites I like

  • Boots and Fins
  • Ian Webb's Great Hikes in the Western Cape
  • Jacques Niemand – interesting hikes
  • Maps – Hike the Cederberg
  • Mountain Club of SA Stellenbosch Section
  • Mountain Meanders

Mountain & Hiking guides

  • Nomadic NAMAS
  • Santie Gouws Mountain Walking Guide

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Archives

Recent Posts

  • A walk on the Wild Coast
  • A northern Kruger cultural safari
  • Twelve Apostles loop
  • Balloch High Rim hike
  • Namaqualand coast hike
  • Miaspoort Trail to Huguenot Peak
  • Boating the Lot River
  • Cycling Connemara
  • Baviaanskloof Cycle Tour 2022
  • Betty’s Bay to Rooiels
  • Klein Hangklip
  • Five days in Groot Winterhoek
  • To the Rooiels source
  • Rooiels River walk
  • Pipe Track to Hout Bay Corner
  • A farewell to Stellenbosch Mountain
  • Recces and repeats
  • Simonsberg
  • Smitswinkel – Simon’s Town Traverse
  • The Kogelberg Trail
  • Twelve Apostles Traverse
  • Tankwa Cycle Tour
  • Orange Face Back Table
  • Dropping down Cascades
  • Kloofing Visgat

Recent Comments

  • Marc on A walk on the Wild Coast
  • Jaap de Lange on The Postberg Trail
  • Ralph Pina on Namaqualand coast hike
  • Marius Janse Van Rensburg on Boegoekloof Circuit Boland Trail
  • Ralph Pina on Namaqualand coast hike
September 2023
MTWTFSS
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Recent Posts

  • A walk on the Wild Coast
  • A northern Kruger cultural safari
  • Twelve Apostles loop
  • Balloch High Rim hike
  • Namaqualand coast hike

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